breather and develop a plan for stacey: senator pam jochum, thank you for coming in. we appreciate it. this is a convoluted topic. senator: it affects half a million people in this state. stacey: that is right. coming up, something in south carolina.

i spoke with senator pam jochum about it...and she's not sure dubuque's north- end...iowa services. "we were hoping we would hear from cms this week." come march first -- iowa's medicaid program is slated to managed by three private companies. it's a move that will afct more than 500- thousand concerns on what they say i i a confusing and frustrating transition. hits close to home for senator that if the governor gets his way on privatizing the system, the they say is a confusing and jochum, who has an adult daughter with a disability. "i have to mmke sure but the senate leader says the switch might be delayed a second time...since there aren't enough health providers like doctors, and clinics who have signed contracts with the still very thin, and their provide the services to people th disabilites to our seniors in nursing homes and so on." and according to

joining me now is state senator pam jochum. one of the legislators leading the charge to block a state plan to have 3 private companies manage medicaid for more that a half a million iowans. you also have a very personal connection to this issue. senator: i am the mother of an adult child with severe intellectual disabilities. so i am sharing all of the same frustrations as many other families in iowa. especially in trying to select a managed care organization that estimates the medical and needs of our children. stacey: what do you not like about the privatized plan? senator: the governor did this unilaterally. he developed the plan behind and he said, we are starting this new plan in january 2016. so during the last session, we were scrambling to try to figure out what it means and, this kind of change, what does it mean to a public health insurance system with complex health issues. so over the interim, i know a lot of us spent a lot of time talking with three other states. that have done similar things. a lot of people say

"pam jochum - 4:29 thousands of iowans who are caregivers and have expressed their frustration and anger over a system that htey cannot get answers to their most basic questions." jason schultz 19:43 i stand here today in opposition to this bill would set us back, turn the train around wrong destination. amanda: one thing to federal "centers for medicaid and services" still has to give it's approval for the plan to move foward. so far they have not done that. three republican senators helped in passing the bill thursday... republicans say they will not even consider the bill when it the medicaid changes affect thousand iowans...and are effect on march 1st. amanda: of course both of course both changeover have been big topics

iowa senate president pam jochum still isn't sure --whether it's provider network in iowa iss stilil very thin, and their provide the services to people with disabilites, to our seniors in nursing homes and so on." governor branstad says 51-million dollars in the first six months. right now -- the state senate has a bill to try and stop the transition. next -- the iowa state cyclones return home looking to take doo visiting tcu - plus -- we'll head to a sold out wells fargo arena for state wrestling championship night -- mark woodley joins us next. "now, kwwl sports, presented

iowa senate president pam jochum still isn't sure whether "they have said to us the priority is to make sure there in nursing homes and so on." governor branstad says privitzing medicaid will save the state 51-million dollars in the state senate passed a bill to try and stop the transition. the plans to privatize medicaid lead a company to close two of their in-home nursing divisions. kwwl's kristin rogers sits down ` with a family affected by the closure. seven-year-old carsen mcdonough requires full time mcdonoh/ mother) "itreally turned our world upside down aad it's not going to be the same. hopefully we'll get back to where we were but i don't know." carepro health services got rid of two of their on for care since just 6.5 months old. (cg: michelle jensen/ president and ceo of carepro health services) "it hurts, it was really hard for our employees. you know when we first announced it to our employees all they

>>amanda: that was the president of the senate, pam jochum. but it's not just democrats who are supporting this. and we have senator brad zaun who joins us now. he's a republican senator. what are your major concerns with this whole thing? >>mr. zaun: well, i think the senate president pam jochum explained it pretty well. you know, the biggest concerns that i have is that people that dependent on these s svices. i think what's happened in regards to roll out was just done way too fast. i know that there's a lot of other states that have done this in, you know, little pieces. and i just, obviously the, the pers-, the people of iowa that are dependent on these services are who i'm most concerned about. >>sabrina: why do you think it is that the director of medicaid, mikki stier, is saying that iowa is ready if you don't feel and obviously the democrats don't feel that the state is ready? >>mr. zaun: well, i'm gettin' a lot of emails and a lot of phone calls from a lot of people that they are n n able to sign up. >>amanda: hmm. >>mr. zaun: and it

today senators debated on a bill introduced by democratic senator pam jochum that would stop the privatization of medicaid in iowa. 11:18:15 "so here's it folks: we have a chance today to say, "stop." let's start over. let's come together as iowans - we did that on the iowa health and wellness plan - we can do it perfect; it's not. but it doesn't need this." :01-:24 the senate debated and passed the bill 29 to 19... it had support from just three senate republicans. they agreed the privatization efforts were moving too fast. governor branstad introduced the with the january 1-st... but the federal government stepped in, noting the program wasn't ready, and delayed that start date to march 1-st. governor branstad says privatizing medicaid will save the state as much as $51 million dollars in the first six months... the majority of senate republicans agree with the governor. they say the state's budget can't afford putting it off any longer. 11:31:44 "it is my sincere hope that not only do we save the money that you claimed, that the house republicans claimed, that the governor claimed. i do hop

democratic senator pam jochum argues iowa's "most vulnerable citizens" will be hurt. 11:14:50 "this isn't ready. and i'm not going to even blame the department, or all the people who have worked really hard to try and make this thing work and be implemented. the governor gave them unrealistic goals and expectations to meet. and they're not being met yet." :01-:21 the republicans in charge of the house chose not to take up the bill... partly on house chose not to take up the bill... partly on principle, and partly because they say governor branstad would just veto it. a bill aimed at better regulations for automated traffic cams made it out of committee today... the bill would require the iowa department of transportation to systems... the process would need to comply guidelines. the bill shifts the responsibility fromthe manufacturer to state. lawmakers say this bill will assure iowans that traffic cameras in different cities will be regulated the same way. one thing weve been trying to do in alleviating that concern and lack of confidence with the general public is make sure we have prop

todd: we unravel the details and the concerns with guests senate president, pam jochum, and governor terry branstad. close up airs sunday morning at 10:30, right after face the nation. laura: new at 6:00. the search for an escaped research goat cost the university of iowa around $10,000. officials captured the goat nicknamed "william the goat" earlier this week. he escaped back in january while being transferred from a portable carrier to a vehicle. , a theatre group to tackle bullying. together, they're introducing an online bullying toolkit. it's called "hear", helping educators use art to reduce bullying. it's meant as an arts-related resource for teachers to help handle issues related to bullying. one of the lead researchers hopes the art-based program appeals to students' emotions. >> we want them to really focus on bullying, which is an emotional experience, and turn the communication toward a more positive interaction rather than bullying. laura: researchers say classroom-based programs on bullying aren't working very very well. she hopes the bully toolkit will resonate more w

senate president pam jochum of dubuque says senators will likely be voting this week on the bill to dismantle medicaid privatization. democrats have narrow control of the iowa senate. so, the bill has a chance of passing. a better one now, iowa senate republican david johnson from northwest iowa says he's supporting the bill. that happened during this subcommittee meeting this afternoon. johnson said he's on board after hearing concerns from his constituents. he didn't say he's against privatizing medicaid, just that the process should slow down. " i'm going to support it to give it a little extra push. to give it an extra push because i want this to be a bipartisan approach to the issue. " the bill will need that push if it is to survive. especially in the iowa house. battle. republicans have solid control. in fact, house speaker linda upmeyer said last week there's no point in having the house debate a bill the governor. meeting happening right now on the bill. that meeting, later tonight. today, congressman dave loebsack asked president barack obama to stop a private medicaid system. in a

senator pam jochum has a daughter with intellectual disabilities and isn't sure where she'll be able to receive some of the services she needs. she's going to introduce a bill to terminate the state's contracts with the three managed care companies. 4:53 last i heard, 45% of governor branstad is still championing his efforts to change to managed care. his office said, (fs) "through managed care, iowans' health care delivery will improve by offering preventive services above and beyond what currently is available... and eliminating unnecessary or duplicative services." amanda tag: 29:20 with just two and a half weeks left before the march 1st deadline, the federal agency that has to give it's approval, still has not. at the statehouse, amanda krenz, local 5 news, we are iowa. stephanie: in more news statehouse, an advocacy group and the governor seem same page for once. stephanie: that state leaders like the chief justice of iowa have pushed things like criminal justice reform, increasing employment opportunities, and eliminating racial profiling. "betty 5:16 being here on capitol hil

"pam jochum - 4:29 thousands of iowans who are caregivers and have expressed and anger at times they cannot get most basic questions." stand here today in opposition to this bill because i believe it would set us back, it will turn the train around and take us to the wrong destination. no matter what the legislature does, the federal "centers for medicaid and still has to give it's approval for the plan to move foward. so far they have not done that. tim: house republicans have decided on their budget plan for the 2017 iowa fiscal year, and it's 7.3 billion dollars. today, the budget plan was released and republicans say it continue a promise to iowans of fiscal responsibility. almost one billion dollars alone will go to iowa education, in-state supplemental aid and the teacher- leadership and compensation program. "93% of the increase in the house republicans budget is devoted to funding for k-12 education. that means an additional 143 million dollars have been targeted to k-12 schoools in our budget plan." tim: the house budget subcommittees will now begin their work to build each

frustration, that's how the president of the senate, pam jochum describes what's happing with the state's attempt to change medicaid to managed care. she says the hundreds iowans who received these packets, still have many questions are scheduled to start march first. pam 4:46 questions as simple as, are my child's providers signed up with any of the managed care companies? what do i do if i have my medical doctor over here in this company but my child's waiver service provider's over in this one. senator jochum and other senate democrats wrote a bill to stop the deal with the manage care companies. it passed 29-19, getting support from 3 republicans. schultz. in opposition to this would set us back, turn the train around and take us to the governor branstad stands by his plan, his statement saying "managed care means more doctors for medicaid patients. managed care means better access for those patients to doctors. and managed the exponential cost growth associated amanda tag 13:48 one important thing to agency that has to give approval has given a deadline of march 1st. they still appro

"pam jochum - 4:29 thousands of iowans who are caregivers and have expresstheir frustration and anger over a system that htey cannot get answers to their most basic questions." jason schultz 19:43 i stand here today in opposition to this bill because i believe it would set us back, turn the train around and take us to the wrong destination. no matter what the legislature does, the federal "centers for medicaid and medicare services" still has to give it's approval for the plan to move foward. so far they have not done that. local five's chief political correspondent amanda krenz will have more tonight at six, including the governor's reaction. jack: we want to know your thoughts on this medicaid situation. you can connect with us on facebook and twitter. send us an email to: "news at we are iowa dot com" or call us in the newsroom: 1- 800-858-5555 think about this story or any other. jack/ots: house republicans decided on their estimated budget plan for the 2017 fiscal year, and it's 7.3 billion dollars. today, the budget plan was released and it claims to continue a promise to iowans

stacey: sunday on "close up," we unravel the details and the concerns, with guests senate president pam jochum and governor terry branstad. "close up" airs at 10:30 a.m., right after "face the nation." steve: a new policy bans homemade and store-bought treats at classroom celebrations in the ankeny school district. administrators say purchasing items for valentine's day and kids will get healthier treats. and it's less likely a student with an allergy will have a reaction. a big-time, 4a high school basketball game tonight in des moines. hoover visits north. and it will be a battle. kcci's tony seeman is live at north to preview our game of the week. tony: hey guys, what is going on? live here at north high school, and you better believe the bleachers will be a little more packed in a few hours. point to be a fun one tonight. des moines taking on hoover, these two teams are good. only four losses on the year for north, hoover has only one loss. this is an absolute rivalry. the last time they play, it went down to the wire. hoover ended up winning by two points. such a huge game, and they know

"pam jochum 4:54 i am calling on the house to take this bill up and gie it a fair hearing. if they are listning to the people they represt, they need to bring this bill up before th eentire iowa house and let there be a vote. linda miller 46:23 the medicaid program is administered by the department of human services. it's program. what the legislates the amount of money medicaid program or the medicaid program." tim: managed-care approval from the federal government. the scheduled roll out date is march first, but the state still has not been given federal approval. jenna: am american eagle jet flying from sioux falls to chicago had to make an emergency stop in waterloo today. the flight was smoke was reported in the cabin. the plane landed safely and investigators say it was a "strange that alarmed the 26 passengers and three crew members on board. passengers were able to board a different flight to chicago a few hours later. tim: 11 semi loads of h-2-o are headed to water plauged flint michigan and native son and iowa state basketrball player monte morris is inpart to tha

"pam jochum 4:54 i am calling on the house to take this bill up and gie it a fair hearing. if they are listning to the people they represent, they need to bring this bill up before th eentire iowa house and let there be a vote. linda miller 46:23 the medicaid program is administered by the department of human services. it's not a legislated program. what the legislature does is legislates the amount of money needed for the medicaid program or the state match for the medicaid program." amanda/bam: as we've been telling you, the whole medicaid to managed-care switch can't happen without approval from the federal government. the scheduled roll out date is march first, but the state still has not been given federal approval. live in the studio, amanda krenz, local five news, jack: a car and a s-u-v landed in a front yard this morning following a high speed wreck. the crash happened at 66th street and prairie avenue in urbandale. that's right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. cops say the silver car blew through a stop sign, hitting the suv. the driver of the car was

iowa senate president pam jochum still isn't sure --whether it's provider network in iowa iss stilil very thin, and their provide the services to people with disabilites, to our seniors in nursing homes and so on." governor branstad says 51-million dollars in the first six months. right now -- the state senate has a bill to try and stop the transition. next -- the iowa state cyclones return home looking to take doo visiting tcu - plus -- we'll head to a sold out wells fargo arena for state wrestling championship night -- mark woodley joins us next. "now, kwwl sports, presented pet moments are beautiful, unless you have allergies. then your eyes may see it differently. only flonase is approved to relieve both itchy, watery eyes no othererasal allergy spray c c say that. when we breathe in allergens our bodies react by over producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. most allergy pills only control one substance. flonase controls six. and six is greater than one. complete allergy relief or incomplete. let your eyes decide. last place team in the big 12 -- and tha

senator pam jochum has a daughter with intellectual disabilities and isn't sure where she'll be able to receive some of the services she needs. she's going to introduce a bill to contracts with the three managed care companies. 4:53 last i heard, 45% of all providers had signed with all 3 mco's. governor branstad is still championing his efforts to change to managed care. his office said, (fs) "through managed care, iowans' health care delivery will improve by offering preventive services above and beyond what currently is available... and eliminating unnecessary or duplicative services." f amanda tag: 29:20 with just two and a half weeks left before the march 1st deadline, the federal agency that has to give it's approval, still has not. at the statehouse, amanda krenz, " tim: a talented young man from sioux city can't drive a car yet, but he's already taking to the skies behind the controls of an airplane. 14-year old kevin (far-ee-us) farias attends bishop heelan, but when fly and today was a little bit of a surprise. (far-ee-us) received an award that will cut the cost of getting

"pam jochum - 4:29 thousands of iowans who are caregivers and have expressed their frustration and anger over a system that htey cannot get answers to their most basic questions." jason schultz 19:43 i stand here today in opposition to this bill because i believe it would set us back, turn the train around and take us to the wrong destination. jack: no matter what the legislature does, the federal "centers for medicaid and medicare services" still has to give it's approval for the plan to move foward. so far they have not done that. jack: and local 5 continues it's promise to listen to you on these big issues. tonight we got lots of comments from people opposing governor branstad's plan to privatize medicaid in iowa. jack: reena in west des moines called us saying, away from the poor and giving it to the rich." rob in boone says, "i would rather iowa lawmakers appologize for the program, scrap it and start from scratch. it would be less confusing." sue in winterset says, "they should have just left it the way it was. this is causing too many complications for everyone. and mary in charit

frustration, that's how the president of the senate, pam jochum describes what's happing with the state's attempt to change medicaid to managed care. she says the hundreds iowans who received these packets, still have many questions

"pam jochum - 4:29 thousands of iowans and have expressed their frustration and anger over a system that htey cannot get answers to their most basic questions." jason schultz 19:43 i stand here today in opposition to this bill because i believe it would set us back, and take us to the wrong destination. elias: one thing to keep in mind, the federal "centers for medicaid and medicare services" still has to give it's approval for the plan to move foward. so far they have not done that. three republican senators helped in passing the bill thursday... but house republicans say they will not even consider the bill when it arrives... the medicaid changes affect more than 560- thousand iowans...and are set to take effect on march 1st. sabrina: of course both the pipeline and the medicaid changeover have been big topics for debate in iowa... and we want to know how you at home feel about these issues... so keep you comments coming... you can post you thoughts on twitter and facebook. or send us an email or give us a call . we'd love to hear what you think! the contact information is on your scre

"pam jochum - 4:29 thousands of iowans who are caregivers and have expressed their frustration and anger at times over a system that they cannot get answers to their most basic questions." jason schultz 19:43 i stand here today in opposition to this bill because i believe it would set us back, it will turn the train around and take us to the wrong destination. no matter what the legislature does, the federal "centers for medicaid and medicare services" still has to give it's approval for the plan to move foward. so far they have not done that. ukas: house republicans have decided on their budget plan for the 2017 iowa fiscal year, and it's 7-point-3 billion dollars. the budget plan was released yesterday... and republicans say it continues a promise to iowans of fiscal responsibility. almost one billion dollars alone will go to iowa education, in-state supplemental leadership and compensation program. "93% of the increase in the house republicans budget is devoted to funding for k-12 education. that means an additional 143 million dollars have been targeted to k-12 schoools in our budget

"pam jochum - 4:29 thousands of iowans who are caregivers and have expressed their frustration and anger at times over a system that they cannot get answers to their most basic questions." jason schultz 19:43 i stand here today in opposition to this bill because i believe it would set us back, it will turn the train around and take us to the wrong destination. no matter what the legislature does, the federal "centers for medicaid and medicare services" still has to give it's approval for the plan to move foward. lukas: for the first time since hillary clinton's new hampshire defeat to bernie sanders in the democratic primary... candidates faced off on the debate stage... hoping to convince a more diverse population that they are the better choicfor the democric nomination. abc's lana zak has a recap. "sanders "i do have a disagreement here." the differences were substantive , but subtle in last night's democratic debate. clinton "we agree that wall street should never be allowed to wreck main street again. but here's the point i want to make tonight. i am not a single issue candidate and

up sunday on "close-up" as we unravel the details and the concerns with guests senate president, pam jochum, and governor terry branstad. close up airs at 10:30 a.m., right after "face the nation." coming up on kcci k-9 classmate. , why one area school is welcoming a dog as their newest student. plus, the clock's ticking. valentine's day is tomorrow. we'll tell you where you can get your sweetheart something alyx: we have breaking news after an officer-involved shooting at the holiday inn on merle hay road. this is a live look at the crime scene. when officers arrived, they met scuffle broke out. the man pulled out a weapon and was shot by an officer. scene throughout the morning. this is breaking news that is happening right now. the time now is 5:12, we will take a look at the weather forecast. frank: you're going to need to bundle up, the coldest morning in quite some time. temperatures barely above zero. fort dodge and marshalltown just off to the north below zero this morning. the coldest locations are north of highway 20. satellite radar starting to pick up on some light returns to th

senator pam jochum has a daughter with intellectual able to receive some of the services she needs. she's going to introduce a bill to terminate the state's contracts with the three managed care companies. 4:53 last i heard, 45% of all providers had signed with all 3 mco's. governor branstad is still championing his efforts to change to managed care. his office said, (fs) "through managed care, iowans' health care delivery will improve by offering preventive services above and beyond what currently is available... and eliminating unnecessary or duplicative services." f amanda tag: 29:20 with just two and a half weeks left before the march 1st deadline, the federal agency that has to give it's approval, still has not. at the statehouse, amanda krenz, " duplicative services." f amanda tag: 29:20 with just two and a half weeks left before the march 1st deadline, the federal agency that has to give it's approval, still has not. at the statehouse, amanda krenz, " up next... the a-l-s benefit concert is coming up this sunday... and i'll tell you how a son is carrying on his father's memor

alyx: we unravel the details and the concerns with guests senate president, pam jochum, and governor terry branstad. that is coming up on "close-up" sunday morning at 1030, right after "face the nation." debbie wasserman schultz discusses the race between bernie sanders and hillary clinton that no one saw coming. rise from undocumented immigrant to presidential give -- endorse or. still to come this morning k-9 , classmate. why one area school is welcoming plus, the clock's ticking. valentine's day is tomorrow. where you can get your and >> this is iowa's news leader. morning weekends" with alyx sacks and meteorologist metinka slater. frank: good morning and welcome back, 8:12 on your saturday. it is a chilly one. we have the clouds. this is a live shot from our stuart webcam. we do have more clouds rolling in so i do not think we will see much sunshine. we will feel cold air. look at these numbers, two below in fort dodge. four in the metro. the clouds are on the increase so if you are off to the east, you might see some sunshine, but pretty much covered in clouds from interstate 35

today on "close up," we unravel the details and the concerns with guests pam jochum, senate president, and governor terry branstad. "close up" airs at 10:30 a.m., right after "face the nation." today's top stories are straight ahead on your morning news leader. stay with us, everyone. another full hour of kcci 8 news this morning weekends starts right now. >> you're watching kcci 8 news. alyx: right now on kcci, two big stories. first, the gop candidates are resting up this morning after a very heated debate. the attacks they took on one another and where their focus turns now. plus, the u.s. is mourning the antonin scalia. how the country is handling this news, and how they plan to move forward. we are also waking up to some snow flurries this morning. the roadways may be slick. we are going to be taking a look through the statewide road conditions for you at 511ia.org. blue means partially covered in pink means completely covered. central iowa roads are mainly just blew but they could be slick -- just blue, but they could be slick. frank: we have a moderate band of snow, indicated b

up we'll delve into the issue speaking with governor branstad and with democratic state senator pam jochum, one of the leaders of an effort to scuttle the governor's entire plan. kcci 8 news close up starts right now. announcer: this is iowa's news leader. this is kcci eight news close-up. stacey: good morning and welcome. a plan to privatize medicaid here in the state has become a hot button issue at the statehouse, joining us first to give his perspective on the issue is governor branstad. thank you for being with us. on a very basic level, what does it mean to privatize medicaid? governor: what we are doing is managed care. he already does that with the hawkeye program. in fact, the casey foundation recognizes this as having the

senate voted in favor of terminating the state has with state companies, stop the governrnor's pla "pam jochum - 4:29 who are caregivers and angeat times over a system that they cannot get answers to their questions." stand here today in opposition to this bill because i believe it will tu the train destination. no matter what does, the federal "centers for services" still has to give it's approval for foward. so far they have not done that. lukas let's check in with for the weather.matt: good morning siouxland. we have some cd temperatures michael:t's friday, february 12, 2016, and it is a very can tell from th set. today marks 15 years of kelly ripa hosting "live." [applause] yes. [ctioning made possible by disney-abc domestic televisision] now, she's backstage and she has no idea. she has no idea we decorated the set. she has no idea we're dressed up in our finest. and she has no idea that we have a lot of big stars and a lot of surprises in store for her today. so hit the music. we're cebrating kelly's sweet 15 anniversary special. let's bring out the host, kelly ripa! [cheers and applplau