Top Louisiana Health Official Presents Medicaid Expansion Plan for Low-Income Parents, Pregnant Women

Citing Louisiana's high rate of uninsured residents and unhealthy population, state Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary David Hood unveiled a plan during a Feb. 5 state House committee meeting that would expand Medicaid coverage to an estimated 59,000 uninsured low-income parents and 4,000 pregnant women in Louisiana, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. State health agencies, with the "blessing" of Gov. Mike Foster (R), will lobby lawmakers to pass the proposal during the upcoming regular legislative session, which begins in late March, Hood said. He added that the plan, estimated to cost $134.5 million annually, will not cost state taxpayers "any more tax money." According to Hood, the federal government would provide $104.9 million, and the state could tap local governments' existing health care taxes or tobacco settlement funds to cover the additional cost. Under the plan, low-income parents with incomes up to the federal poverty level, about $17,050 for a family of four, and pregnant women with incomes up to twice the federal poverty level, or $34,100 for a family of four, would be eligible. "We should see a significant reduction in the number of uninsured," Hood said, adding, "Just as importantly we will be able to provide better health care to these folks and in the long-run reduce overall costs." In addition to extending health coverage to additional state residents, the proposal includes incentives for physicians to treat patients in underserved areas, an "emphasis" on additional physician-directed care and a voluntary pilot program for Medicaid HMOs in the Orleans Parish area (Shuler, Baton Rouge Advocate, 2/6).