In the next several months, 425,000 Iowans will lose their healthcare insurer as UnitedHealthcare, one of Iowa's managed care organizations prepares to leave the state's Medicaid program. Health care providers in Dubuque are concerned about what this means for their businesses and clients.

The insurer

it was pulling out of IA Health Link, but didn't give an exact timeline. Now Iowans on Medicaid will have to switch to either Amerigroup of Iowa or Iowa Total Care.

isn't slated to start services in the state until July 1st.

, a health care provider in Dubuque, said this announcement was a shock, especially because the business is still waiting to receive reimbursements from MCO since the program began back in 2016.

"Still getting reimbursements taken care of, still system errors getting taken care of, like we're still struggling back then," Sarah Adams, Director of Business, said.

Learning that yet another MCO is leaving the IA Health Link has Adams worrying about Unified's clients. She said it's difficult for families to figure out who their new MCO is.

"Our families have to go through and...make sure their providers are still accepting that MCO, they have to get new cards, they have to show it to all the businesses they have," she explained.

Adams said it also puts a strain on the business.

"The administrative costs go up so much," she said. "Every time we have a transition like this it doubles our staff load, you know from 40 hours to 80 hours."

Nonprofit

has similar concerns. The organization cares for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities. President Marilyn Althoff says these changes hurt vulnerable populations the most, like those who receive long-term services and support (LTSS). She'd like Governor Kim Reynolds to re-evaluate the system for those people."

She said, "Maybe it's not going back to fee for service but maybe that is a coordinator case-managed care solution that is operated by the state as an insurance model, versus multiple contracted insurance agents."

Both organizations say they have to do the same thing: wait until they're given more answers from the state and UnitedHealthCare.