Three Democratic legislative leaders are urging the Branstad administration to extend the deadline for health care providers to sign contracts with private Medicaid Managed Care Organizations. Providers have told lawmakers they are being pressured to sign contracts without knowing all the details, said Sen. Amanda Ragan of Mason City, who co-chairs the Senate Health Policy Committee and the Joint Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee. Also signing the legislators’ letter to Iowa Department of Human Services Director Chuck Palmer were Sen. Liz Mathis of Robins, chair of the Senate Human Resources Committee and Sen. Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City, a member of both the Joint Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee and the Senate Human Resources Committee. Under current rules, providers that have not signed with one of four MCOs by Jan. 1 will have their payments cut by 10 percent. The lawmakers are asking Palmer to either eliminate the penalty or push back the deadline by six months.