Â鶹ŮÓÅ

Cook County's public health system has selected a new organization to oversee its Medicaid managed care plan, after abruptly firing the administrator earlier this year. Chicago-based Valence Health won the contract to be the "third-party administrator," beating three other bidders, said Steven Glass, executive director of managed care at the Cook County Health and Hospitals System. (Sachdev, 11/18)

Federal officials are heeding the thousands of Iowans who have flooded them with concerns about the state’s plan to privatize its Medicaid program, Democratic legislators said Wednesday. Three leading Iowa Senate Democrats met Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C., with Obama administration officials who will decide whether to approve Gov. Terry Branstad’s plan. ... Senate President Pam Jochum of Dubuque said federal administrators’ primary concern is whether the four managed-care companies would have sufficient networks of health-care providers participating in their plans. She said the administrators also want to ensure that the 560,000 Iowans using Medicaid would have consistent care during the changeover. The senators and other critics say neither condition can be met in the next six weeks. (Leys, 11/18)