Branstad warned of education ‘disaster’ without funding (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Iowa education leaders warned Gov. Terry Branstad Thursday that failing to fund a mandated summer reading program would create a...
View ArticleIowa Senate leader: State still not ready for privatized Medicaid care (Iowa...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) DES MOINES - A top Senate Democrat said Thursday she does not believe Iowa will have the safeguards in place by March 1 to proceed with the...
View ArticleUpdate on Medicaid Privatization (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) At the request of Sen. Liz Mathis, the Senate Human Resources Committee will hear an update on Medicaid privatization on Monday, January 25, in Room 22 of...
View ArticleBranstad staff: Medicaid savings report shows more (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Some lawmakers were told by state officials Thursday that 'additional key observations' in an October...
View ArticleEditorial: Medicaid savings: Pick a number. Any number (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) During a meeting with the Register last week, Gov. Terry Branstad said his controversial plan to privatize administration of Medicaid would save...
View ArticleState officials present Medicaid update to legislators (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) DES MOINES - State officials insist they are taking necessary steps to improve the transition to private management of Iowa's $5 billion...
View ArticleDemocrats call on President Obama and CMS to reject Branstad’s Medicaid...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Every Democratic member of the Iowa Senate signed a letter today asking President Obama and other key federal officials to end Governor Branstad's...
View ArticleIowans nervous about Medicaid privatization (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Medicaid is the health care safety net for 560,000 Iowans. One in five Iowans depends on Medicaid for vital health care services, including the elderly,...
View ArticleLawmakers seek Medicaid oversight despite veto threat (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Iowa legislators say they are building a plan to adopt at least part of a $17 million Medicaid oversight...
View ArticleEditorial: In Iowa, governor can ignore lawmakers (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Separation of powers in government is one of the most basic concepts in our democracy. Iowans frustrated with Gov. Terry Branstad's...
View ArticleEditorial: To Obama: Save our Medicaid program (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Every single Democrat in the Iowa Senate -a majority of the chamber's members - signed a letter sent to President Barack Obama this week asking...
View ArticleJochum: Senate will vote on ending Medicaid Privatization (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Statement by Senate President Pam Jochum of Dubuque This week, legislation was introduced in the Iowa Senate to stop Governor Branstad's unilateral decision...
View ArticleIowa Senate to pass Medicaid privatization repeal (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Pen stethoscope glasses and dollar on blank Patient information Iowa Senate Democrats say they will approve a bill next...
View ArticleRepublican: I’ll vote to end Iowa’s privatized Medicaid (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) An influential Republican says he will vote Monday in favor of a Democrat-led bill that would terminate all contracts related to Gov. Terry...
View ArticleSenators try to halt Medicaid privatization plan (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) State senators pushed ahead Monday with their plan to reverse privatization of the state's...
View ArticlePetersen: Senate bill puts brakes on Medicaid privatization (Iowa Federation...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Senate Democrats have introduced a bill to stop Governor Branstad's unilateral decision to privatize...
View ArticleIowa Senate votes to repeal Branstad’s Medicaid plans (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) The Iowa Senate voted closely along party lines Thursday to repeal Republican Gov. Terry Branstad's plans to have private...
View ArticleBranstad willing to consider higher minimum wage (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) DES MOINES - Gov. Terry Branstad said Thursday he would consider an increase in the state minimum wage if such a bill lands on his desk this legislative...
View ArticleTension lingers as Iowa lawmakers stress unity (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Less than a week before the Iowa Legislature convenes, House and Senate leadership emphasized Tuesday a shared desire to move beyond the tensions...
View ArticlePetition regarding Medicaid (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Kathleen O'Leary, one of our retired AFSCME sisters, has started a petition regarding Governor Branstad's plan to outsource Medicaid to Managed Care....
View ArticleGovernor’s job numbers are not realistic | The Gazette (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Beth Townsend's column in last week's Gazette ('Beyond job numbers: Hitting goals, serving Iowans,' Dec. 8) shows what it looks like when an agency director...
View ArticleBranstad’s Medicaid change: Smoke & mirrors (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) This story has been reprinted with permission from the Bloomfield Democrat. There's an important change afoot in Iowa that our governor promises will improve...
View ArticleTeachers Union President: Governor’s Education Plan Robs Students (Iowa...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Cedar Rapids teacher Tammy Wawro, president of the Iowa State Education Association, is criticizing Gov. Terry Branstad f or not...
View Article10 issues likely to spark debate in Iowa Legislature (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) The Iowa Legislature convenes Monday for its 2016 session with a battle looming over the $7 billion state budget, particularly state spending on kindergarten...
View ArticleREPUBLICANS REFUSE TO INVESTIGATE BRANSTAD’S $4.8 BILLION MEDICAID MESS (Iowa...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) Oversight Meeting Scheduled for Today was Cancelled Des...
View ArticleEditorial: Branstad’s Medicaid privatization is a reckless gamble (Iowa...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) In his blind, headlong rush to privatize Medicaid and hand billions of public dollars over to a group of for-profit corporations, Gov. Terry Branstad has...
View ArticleEditorial: A big-picture vision for Iowa (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) When it comes to vehement expressions of outrage over wasted taxpayer dollars, the Iowa Legislature takes a backseat to no one. Lawmakers are always eager to...
View ArticleReading, ’Rithmetic & Politics (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) First, Governor Branstad challenged the bounds of basic math - miscounting jobs - and now it's language arts. The Governor...
View ArticleIowa State Senators to take Medicaid privatization concerns to Washington...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Iowa State Senators to take Medicaid privatization concerns to Washington 'Urgent federal action needed to protect Iowans' health care and our state's...
View ArticleMedicaid delay makes some Iowa kids’ coverage uncertain (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) The two month delay in Iowa's effort to privatize management of Medicaid means that most of the...
View ArticleDemocrats ask feds to block Medicaid privatization (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Two leading Democratic legislators are asking federal administrators to block Gov. Terry Branstad's plan to turn the state's Medicaid...
View ArticleFeds should stop Medicaid privatization (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Correction: The box at the bottom of this editorial has been corrected to add the regional number for CMS: (816)...
View ArticleEditorial: Branstad plays fast and loose with job numbers (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Now poised to become the longest-serving governor in the nation's history, Gov. Terry Branstad appears to be in legacy-building mode. While that may explain...
View ArticleBranstad’s reckless Medicaid scheme amounts to gubernatorial malpractice...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Des Moines, Iowa - Governor Branstad's enormous Medicaid privatization is quickly turning into a colossal train wreck for Iowa's most vulnerable population....
View ArticleColumn: Medicaid plan could be zero sum gain, or worse (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) So now it turns out that two of the four insurance companies the state has picked to replace it in administering health...
View ArticleBranstad’s budgets lacks funding for state mandated summer reading program...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) DES MOINES - Gov. Terry Branstad's latest budget proposal does not include any money for an upcoming state-mandated summer reading program for...
View ArticleMinimum wage debate already underway in statehouse (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Governor Terry Branstad isn't calling for a hike in Iowa's minimum wage this year, but he isn't ruling it out either. 'I'm...
View ArticleEditorial: Concerns over Medicaid plan are justified (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) 'Change is always frightening.' - Catherine Anderson, UnitedHealthcare 'Change is really scary.' - Cheryl Harding,...
View ArticleJochum’s disabled daughter can’t find Medicaid services (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Gov. Terry Branstad gave a passionate defense of his controversial plan to shift Iowa's $4 billion Medicaid health care...
View ArticleEditorial: Feds should stop Medicaid privatization (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) About 550,000 low-income Iowans rely on Medicaid health insurance. The program, administered by the...
View ArticleColumn: Will Branstad’s water plan lay an egg? (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Gov. Terry Branstad lined up his mallards, ringnecks and Canada geese before he floated his new idea to pay for water quality initiatives...
View ArticleEditorial: Keep fighting Medicaid plan, Iowa (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hosted its first telephone 'listening session' last week to hear...
View ArticleBeth Townsend’s embarrassing defense of phony job numbers (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) 'Phony number' graphic created by Dave Swenson I was encouraged when Beth Townsend became Iowa Workforce Development director early this year. The previous...
View ArticleBranstad: Recommended Medicaid oversight is ‘overkill’ (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Gov. Terry Branstad on Saturday said a report from his own administration that calls for $17 million in oversight of his effort to...
View ArticleCourt arguments: Iowa’s Medicaid plan a ‘cancer’ (Iowa Federation of Labor,...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Three companies on Thursday asked a judge to suspend or terminate Iowa's plan to privatize Medicaid management, one saying Gov....
View ArticleIowa Democratic legislators seek Medicaid safeguards (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Iowa Democratic legislators say they want to ensure that accountability and safeguards are part of Republican Gov. Terry...
View ArticleState tosses WellCare from Medicaid program (Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) An appointee of Gov. Terry Branstad late Friday adopted a judge's recommendation and terminated a...
View ArticleIowa State Senators applaud decision to delay Medicaid privatization (Iowa...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) 'The decision…is a victory for Medicaid recipients and providers' A joint statement by Senator Amanda Ragan of Mason City, Chair of the Health and Human...
View ArticleNew estimate: Iowa Medicaid savings below projections (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Gov. Terry Branstad's plan to privatize Medicaid will save the state millions of dollars less than the figure on which lawmakers based this year's budget,...
View ArticleFeds tell Iowa: Delay Medicaid privatization by 60 days (Iowa Federation of...
(Source: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO) Federal administrators want Iowa to wait 60 days before shifting its Medicaid program to private management. The delay would affect more than 500,000 poor or...
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