Over the last several years, Louisiana’s Medicaid program has grown by leaps and bounds, expanding the program to more than 400,000 able-bodied adults over the last two years and fundamentally hurting the individuals Medicaid was primarily designed to help. Reforming Medicaid should involve re-orienting the program’s focus on the vulnerable populations for which it was originally designed, while modernizing the delivery of care in ways that can lower costs and improve health outcomes for patients.
Everyone knows that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or “Obamacare,” has not worked out as originally planned. State officials, however, still face considerable pressure to accept Medicaid expansion. Louisiana’s leaders must continue to resist the plan and come up with an alternative.
Supporters of the law argue that states should move quickly to create state insurance exchanges in order to ensure a higher level of state control, but this notion is an illusion. The law’s provisions would actually require Louisiana and its citizens to cede decision-making power to the federal government.
Although the Supreme Court let most of the ACA stand, Louisiana policymakers can still play an important role in the health care reform debate. Most importantly, they should refuse to expand the state’s Medicaid rolls and take a wait-and-see approach to state insurance exchanges.
Last week the Louisiana Budget Project (LBP) published a response to our critique of the health insurance exchange proposed by Sen. Karen Carter Peterson in SB744. We have reviewed their arguments in favor of the exchange and find them unpersuasive.
Louisiana should not devote resources to a program it won’t control and may soon be rendered obsolete This evening, Louisiana’s Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to hear SB744. This bill would require Louisiana to create an “exchange” to facilitate the purchase and sale of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as...
In response to a “Dear Friend” letter Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) sent to constituents reiterating her support for President Obama’s health care law, one of her Republican counterparts is calling for an “incremental” approach to health care reform that expands consumer choice and lowers costs
Medicaid costs continued to rise in 2011, consuming a greater percentage of overall state spending. This was a result of federal stimulus money, heightened health care expenses and increased enrollment.
The 2009 Stimulus allocated money for states to improve their information technology systems, with the ideal result being enhanced care, readily available patient information, and up-to-speed communication.
Even as they differ over the merits and defects of health care exchanges, state officials from across party lines continue to express concern over the regulatory uncertainty attached to ObamaCare.
'Government-financed health care does not have to be government-run.'
[Ryan's plan] reforms the currently-unsustainable Medicare and Medicaid programs, and targets the inflated costs which have distorted the market beyond recognition.
The specter of even more pronounced rising costs, as evidenced by Kaiser's study, may not only keep the economy stagnant, but exacerbate the already fragile situation.
Republicans did not do enough to advance free market reforms within the health care system when they last controlled both houses of Congress, some of the medical doctors who now serve in the House have said. Rep. Fleming and Rep. Cassidy are both calling for reforms built around "price transparency."
Gov. Jindal estimates that transitioning towards coordinated-care will save the state $135 million annually. It would also lead to improved health care quality.