MEDICAID SHORTFALL: Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, a 2014 gubernatorial candidate and co-leader of the House-Senate Health & Human Services budget subcommittee, claimed Monday the state faces a $74 million shortfall in Medicaid funding this fiscal year. Hatch contended that the state will be short $31 million in state money and $43 million in matching federal money, a situation that will force Iowans to go without health care, hospitals to provide more charity care and providers to go unpaid. David Roederer, director of the state Department of Management, rebutted Hatch’s claims, however, saying the state Department of Human Services would have enough money in its $1.5 billion annual budget to cover any funding shortfalls internally through June 30. “I hate to disappoint him, but that won’t happen,” Roederer said of Hatch’s shortfall warning. The March projection by a Medicaid working group projected a shortfall in the range of $12 million to $36 million.
ONE-TIME FUNDING CONCERNS: Gov. Terry Branstad told reporters Monday he is concerned about $139 million in one-time debt-reduction and spending that lawmakers authorized for the current fiscal year. The money from the state’s ending balance was split between 43 percent for bond defeasance and 57 percent for supplemental spending. Branstad said he was concerned about the long-term implications because multi-year commitments were made last session to property tax relief, education reforms and other budget areas that rely heavily on surplus dollars. One concern, said David Roederer, director of the state Department of Management, was some of the one-time expenditures were earmarked to finish out building projects at the three regent universities and how potential item vetoes could impact their completion schedules.
2016 CAUCUS PLANNING MEETING: The 2016 Iowa precinct caucuses are nearly 20 months away but a planning meeting has been scheduled for this week. The Progressive Democrats of America group is holding its first organizing meeting in Iowa for the Draft Bernie Sanders for President campaign. The event is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Iowa City Public Library. According to the group’s news advisory, Sanders, a Vermont independent, is considering a challenge to Hillary Clinton in the Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses and will make his first visit to Iowa later this month. Attendees at the organizational meeting will be given the opportunity to sign a petition urging Sanders to run as a Democrat, volunteer to work in his campaign and buy tickets for Sanders’ speech on May 17 at the Clinton County Democrats Hall of Fame Dinner in Goose Lake. For more information on the event, visit clintoncountydemocrats.org.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I haven’t practiced law for a long time. I’m a recovering lawyer.” — Gov. Terry Branstad in responding to a reporter’s question during his weekly news conference Monday.