Handed over to three private Healthcare Companies and will no longer be run by state government. But lawmakers in the senate still want to stop that from happening. Today senators debated on a bill introduced by democratic senator pam jochum that would stop the privatization of medicaid in iowa. 11 18 15 so heres it folks we have a chance today to say, stop. Lets start over. Lets come together as iowans we did that on the iowa health and wellness plan we can do it perfect; its not. But it doesnt need this. 01 24 the Senate Debated and passed the bill 29 to 19. It had support from just three Senate Republicans. They agreed the privatization efforts were moving too fast. Governor branstad introduced the with the january 1st. But the federal government stepped in, noting the program wasnt ready, and delayed that start date to march 1st. Governor branstad says privatizing medicaid will save the state as much as 51 Million Dollars in the first six months. The majority of Senate Republicans
A Closer Look: Michelle Krefft
Director of business services, Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation
Hometown: Clear Lake
Education: Master’s in rehabilitation counseling from Drake University
Activities: Volunteering in the school district and community, running, bicycling and blogging about fitness
Contact: Phone: 515-664-7854
As the COVID-19 pandemic began hitting Iowa’s economy, Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services heard local businesses open up about the struggle to staff customer service jobs. IVRS, which serves Iowans with disabilities seeking to enter the workforce, found opportunity.
The pandemic has opened a range of work-from-home options up to IVRS clients in organizations that had previously never supported work-from-home employees, said Michelle Krefft, director of business services at IVRS.