Iowa Wellness Plan Consumer Survey 2018 Report

The Iowa Wellness Plan (IWP) is Iowa’s version of the Medicaid expansion with the intent of providing comprehensive health care coverage to low income adults who were not previously eligible for Medicaid (e.g., low income single adults). The Medicaid expansion began on January 1, 2014 and has had several significant changes in organization and care provision in the last five years (see Background on page X) leading to the current structure where the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise is contracting for all Medicaid services through two different managed care companies. This report presents the results of surveys with IWP members about their experiences with the program, including their access to care, utilization and ease of using the program. This research is part of an evaluation of the IWP being conducted by the University of Iowa Public Policy Center for the US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These surveys were conducted in the fall/winter 2018-9 when the two managed care companies providing care to IWP members were UnitedHealthCare Plan of the River Valley and Amerigroup Iowa. The experiences of IWP members are compared throughout to those of other adults in the Medicaid program. In addition, there is a chapter specific to the experiences of adults in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program compared to adults in Medicaid. The SSI program is primarily for those with significant, often disabling health issues.