If you are in any of the Fee-for-Service (FFS) programs, the information below is relevant to you. If you are looking for information regarding the IA Health Link program, access the IA Health Link Frequently Asked Questions.
Eligibility and Services
What do I do if I have lost my Medicaid card or never received one?
You may contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us. You also can contact your Income Maintenance (IM) worker at your local DHS office. A new cards should be sent out within 7 days of your request.
How do I verify if I am currently eligible for Iowa Medicaid?
You may contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us.
How do I know if a service is covered or not?
All services are based on medical necessity. Your doctor is the best person to determine the medical necessity of a procedure. The provider will need to contact Provider Services to explain what services you are in need of. Provider Services will help your doctor to determine if this service is covered.
Who do I contact if I am cancelled from Iowa Medicaid?
Contact your IM worker at your local Department of Human Services. Your IM worker is the only one that can assist you with questions about your eligibility.
I need a certificate showing the dates I was eligible for Iowa Medicaid. How do I get one?
You may contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us.
You will receive it within 5-7 business days from the date of your request.
I just had a baby how do I enroll them with Iowa Medicaid?
You will want to contact the IM Customer Service Center (IMCSC) at 1-877-347-5678 as soon as possible. The IMCSC will assist you in enrolling your baby with Iowa Medicaid.
My friend has different services covered then I do, why is that?
Members on Iowa Medicaid do not necessarily have the same types of coverage as coverage is determined by income and medical necessity as determined by your provider. It depends on which program within Iowa Medicaid you have been enrolled in.
I am being told that I have another insurance listed on my file. How do I get that removed?
You may contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us. It will take up to 10 business days from the date Iowa Medicaid Member Services receives your request to have the other insurance updated.
How do I find out the insurance information for an absent parent insurance policy?
Iowa Medicaid Member Services is unable to release this information. You will need to contact Child Support Recovery at 1-888-229-9223.
What services don't I need a referral for?
There are several services that do not require a referral. These services are:
- Dental Services
- Chiropractic services
- Ambulance services (must be medically necessary)
- Family planning services
- Emergent services
- Vision services
- Prescription services
- Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis & Treatment (EPSDT) for individuals under the age of 21.
How does the smoking cessation program work?
For further information on the smoking cessation program, please visit: http://dhs.iowa.gov/ime/providers/csrp/SmokingCessation.
Programs
I received a letter saying I can sign up for the Medicare Savings Program, what is that?
How do I sign up for the Medicare savings program?
This is done through your local Department of Human Services. If you do not know how to get in contact with your local office, a list of phone numbers is available on our Member Services Contacts website. To inquire about your local DHS contact information, you may also contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us.
How do I check to see if I have met my spenddown for Iowa Medicaid?
You may contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us.
Billing
I need copies of bills that Iowa Medicaid paid that should have been paid by another insurance, how do I get them?
The Iowa Medicaid Member Services unit can place a claims history request for you. You may contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us.
You should receive the claims history within 5-7 business days for your request. If you need specific copies of bills you will need to contact your provider. Iowa Medicaid does not have copies of your bills.
If you need copies of the bills due to an accident or injury caused by another party, your request will be sent on to Iowa Medicaid's Lien Recovery Department. Someone from the Lien Recovery department will contact you to gather additional information.
I am pregnant and being charged co-pays. What should I do?
First, make sure the provider is aware that you are pregnant. If your provider still continues to bill you for co-pays, contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us. Iowa Medicaid Member Services will then contact the provider charging you co-pays to explain that you should not be charged for any co-pays while you are pregnant.
My child under 21 keeps being charged co-pays, what can I do?
First, make sure your provider is aware that your child is under 21 and should not be charged for any co-pays. If this does not help, then please contact the Iowa Medicaid Member Services billing department to have a bill inquiry taken for you. This process can take up to 30 days and you will receive a response by mail advising you of the outcome.
I am receiving a bill and I was eligible at the time of service, what do I do?
Please contact the Iowa Medicaid Member Services billing department by phone, e-mail, or letter. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us. The address is:
Iowa Medicaid Enterprise
Member Services
PO Box 36510
Des Moines, IA 50315
Iowa Medicaid Member Services will begin a bill inquiry to research the reason you are being billed. The process can take up to 30 days and you will receive a response by mail.
How do I get reimbursed for expenses paid out of pocket?
Iowa Medicaid does not reimburse members. You will want to contact the Iowa Medicaid Member Services billing department so that the charges can be looked into. This process can take up to 30 days and you will receive a response by mail advising you of the outcome.
How do I get reimbursed for transportation expenses?
Medicaid members can have their non-emergency transportation costs reimbursed by Medicaid. Transportation reimbursement helps when you need transportation to a doctor appointment or therapy treatment. A Transportation Broker helps Iowa Medicaid provide this service. Transportation may be provided by a public transit system, a private company, a non-profit organization, a volunteer, or some other person. You must schedule all your non-emergency transportation needs with the broker before your trip to be eligible for reimbursement. Please visit https://dhs.iowa.gov/ime/members/medicaid-a-to-z/NEMT for further information. Non-emergency transportation is not available to Iowa Health and Wellness Plan members.
Prior Authorization (PA)
How long does it take for a prior authorization (PA) to be approved?
PAs for prescriptions are processed within 24 hours of them being sent by your provider. If you are trying to get a PA for a medical service it could take up to 60 days. Generally, if your provider provides all information to Iowa Medicaid the timeframe is generally 10-15 business days.
I have been getting a RX for a long time without needing approval, why do I need approval now?
My PA was not approved, how do I find out why?
Prescriptions
If I am eligible for both Medicare & Medicaid, why doesn't Medicaid pay for my prescriptions any longer?
How do I find out what medications are covered?
I can't get my RX filled at the pharmacy. What should I do?
First, ask the pharmacist for the reason it cannot be filled. The pharmacist has that information immediately. If that does not work, contact the provider that wrote the prescription. The provider can contact the Pharmacy Helpdesk to find out if there are any issues in filling the prescription.
Providers
Can I see providers that are out of state?
Yes. You must first make sure that they are signed up with Iowa Medicaid. You may contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services by phone or email. The phone number is 1-800-338-8366 or 515-256-4606 (when calling locally in the Des Moines area), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For telephone accessibility assistance if you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942. The email address is IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us. You may also find further information on existing Iowa Medicaid Providers on the DHS website at: http://dhs.iowa.gov/ime/members/find-a-provider.
Also, even though a provider is on the list as accepting Iowa Medicaid members, you must check with them ahead of time to verify that they are accepting new Iowa Medicaid patients.
If I am out of state how do I find a provider that will accept Iowa Medicaid?
There is a list of the available out of state providers available on the DHS website, http://dhs.iowa.gov/ime/members/find-a-provider. You may also contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services for more information.