How to get Medicaid rules changed

I’m stuck at a dead end and hoping Reddit has some ideas. Located in Iowa, if that makes a difference.

I gave birth in June 2023. Baby had to stay in the NICU for almost a month due to early delivery.

We got hospital bills right away and paid them after they went through our private insurance.

In MAY 2024, 10 months later, we got a huge bill for the physicians that saw the baby in the NICU.

Upon getting this bill, I actually contacted the Iowa Attorney General because I thought it was spam (the bill was texted to me). The COO of the company responded and it’s a legit bill.

Then, I contacted the insurance company. They processed the claims and it’s true, I have a huge bill to pay. A kind advocate in the process asked me if I had Medicaid, because all NICU babies are eligible, regardless of income? I had no idea.

The next thing I did was apply for Medicaid. Sure enough, baby qualifies. HOWEVER, they will only retroactively apply eligibility 3 months before the application. So, Medicaid won’t cover this NICU bill, because the birth was 10 months prior.

TLDR – Is there any way out of being responsible for this NICU bill? Who can I contact to change Medicaid retroactive rules? It’s a huge gap if the provider can legally bill 10 months later, but Medicaid will only retroactive apply 3 months for eligibility.

Edit to add: Iowa, 34F, pre-tax income is 60k for family of 4

submitted by /u/woundedloon
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