This week, our In Focus section reviews the Iowa High Quality Healthcare Initiative Request for Proposals (RFP), which seeks to award two to four statewide Medicaid managed care contracts to begin serving nearly all of Iowa’s 570,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in January of 2016. Iowa has historically had limited geographic and population penetration of managed care. Meridian Health Plan, the state’s loan Medicaid MCO, had around 41,000 individuals enrolled across 23 counties as of early 2014. Iowa’s Governor, Terry Branstad, is targeting $51 million in savings through managed care in the first six months of 2016.