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With six weeks to go before Iowa’s Medicaid program is tentatively scheduled to become privately managed, Medicaid Director Mikki Stier says she's "very confident" Iowa will be ready. The federal government delayed the state's plans to privatize Medicaid on New Year's Day, despite Gov. Terry Branstad and Iowa's Department of Human Services insisting the state was ready to make the switch. (Boden, 1/26)

The head of Iowa's Medicaid program on Monday said she's "very confident" the $4.2 billion system will be ready for private management beginning March 1, though some lawmakers expressed lingering concerns about the looming deadline. Mikki Stier from the Iowa Department of Human Services told lawmakers her confidence came from more signups of Medicaid health providers to join the new managed care system, as well as better communication to Medicaid recipients about the switch. (Rodriguez, 1/26)

A new computer system for enrolling Kansans in Medicaid and other public assistance programs will generate far less than the expected $300 million in savings, a Legislative Post Audit report found. The Kansas Eligibility Enforcement System (KEES) was intended to be a central portal where people could apply for benefits like Medicaid, food stamps and cash assistance, and the state could automatically verify their eligibility. (Hart, 1/25)