Celebration of Learning

Navigating Medicaid and managed care organizations of Iowa

Policies regarding Medicaid and managed care organizations (MCOs) have been changing rapidly with the current political climate. Because of these frequent changes being made to policies, a lack of knowledge regarding benefits of MCOs and Medicaid that is prevalent among the clients of the Integrated Health Home (IHH) program of Family Resources, Inc. in Davenport, Iowa. A Iowa Managed Health Insurance (IMHI) resource guide was developed using the health literate care model to introduce and explain the benefits of the MCOs and Medicaid plans of the families of the individuals enrolled in the IHH program and give clients the resources necessary to access the programs that they are eligible for. The goal of the IMHI resource guide is to empower clients with the knowledge regarding their health insurance plans, so that they can take agency in their health and get involved in the programs that fit their needs best. To obtain the information for the IMHI resource guide, general research about the health insurance plans and the programs they provide was completed. To format the IMHI resource guide, research regarding health literacy and health toolkits was completed. IMHI resource guides are to be distributed to clients through health promotion packets in the mail and emails. They will be used as a way for IHH employees to provide their clients with resources that will inform them about their specific health insurance plans and lead them to services covered by their health insurance plans that are specific to their needs.