Louisiana’s six leading gubernatorial candidates agree that mental health services and preventive care must be a priority for whoever takes office next year Health care costs make up the bulk of Louisiana’s annual state operating budget. It is filled.Just the Medicaid budget In the last budget cycle, it was nearly $18 billion. It provided health insurance to 2 million residents, including more than half of the state’s children and one-third of its adults.
Finance Secretary John Schroder, one of the Republican candidates running for governor, said of health care, “This is the only area of government where we spend billions of dollars.” John Bel Edwards’ decision to expand Medicaid in 2016 was one of the earliest and most important decisions of his administration. Before the coronavirus outbreak, nearly half a million more people were added to government-sponsored health insurance programs, and the uninsured rate across Louisiana plummeted. None of the candidates running for governor have said they intend to reverse the $5 billion Medicaid expansion. Last accounting cycle. Even Attorney General Jeff Landry — He once sued the federal government to reverse Medicaid expansion “As governor, I will ensure that much-needed health care services for our state’s most vulnerable people are not jeopardized,” Landry said in a written statement to the Illuminator.
Five of the six leading gubernatorial candidates were interviewed last month about their health care priorities. Landry responded to questions sent to his campaign via email.
Medicaid changes
Repealing Medicaid expansion may not be on the agenda, but the candidates had several suggestions for how to change the program.
Schrader said the state needs to focus on making Medicaid more efficient and combating fraud in the program. State Sen. Sharon Hewitt (R-Slidell) wants Louisiana to improve its projections of the state’s Medicaid population so it can more accurately predict state spending.
Sean Wilson, Edwards’ former transportation administrator and only Democrat, said the state is hiring more nurses and other health care providers to ensure it has enough health care providers to treat people with Medicaid insurance. He said there is a need to train medical professionals. Attorney Hunter Lundy, who is running as a political independent, said the state should increase reimbursement rates for health care providers who treat Medicaid customers to encourage more professionals to accept Medicaid patients. Said it was necessary.
When it comes to that, Ongoing Medicaid disenrollment, none of the candidates expressed interest in tweaking that process, which includes checking the status of all state Medicaid enrollees to see if they qualify for the program. State lawmakers originally wanted to speed up the process from 2014. The timeline was shortened from one month to nine months, but the Edwards administration postponed it. The disenrollment, which will see tens of thousands of people lose Medicaid coverage, is now on track to end in April. “The decommissioning program will be largely complete by the time we take office,” Landry wrote. “I’m going to focus on the people on our team moving forward, rather than doing what’s happened in the past with an armchair quarterback.”
Landry, a leading candidate for governor, did not respond to questions about whether he might pursue work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, a controversial measure pushed by Republicans in the Legislature.
Currently, only one state, Georgia, requires Medicaid recipients to have a job, take classes or do volunteer work in order to access government benefits. Even in that state, work requirements are imposed only on new Medicaid enrollees, not those already in the program.
Medicaid work regulations It would cost Georgia taxpayers more to implement than the traditional Medicaid program..
Improving mental health and preventive careAll candidates have said the state needs to expand mental health services in Louisiana, and “we need to put significantly more money into addressing the mental health crisis,” Hewitt said. Ta. “People who don’t get the services they need right now are going to end up in hospitals or prisons,” said former business lobbyist and Republican candidate Stephen Wagspack. He said the school district should be rewarded with financial aid. .
Wagspack also said Medicaid programs need to use more “carrots and sticks” to encourage people to participate in preventive health programs. For example, women should be encouraged to see a doctor early in pregnancy so that complications can be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
Hewitt said states need to do more to encourage Medicaid enrollees about preventive health services that are often free. I don’t know what I’m getting,” he said. “We’re already paying for services that they’re not using.” Landry also said he would prioritize preventive services. “It’s 2023, and Louisiana’s maternal mortality rate is roughly twice that of the rest of the nation. That’s unacceptable,” he wrote. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. People on Medicaid are entitled to preventive services, not just treatment for disease.”more optionsWagspack, who has a child on the autism spectrum, said if elected governor he would also focus on expanding services and opportunities for adults with disabilities. The Louisiana Workforce Commission should develop a database of potentially suitable employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Wagspack added that safer housing needs to be developed for adults with disabilities. These types of developments can be encouraged by the state through tax credits and other benefits.
Lundy also said he would like to attract more private health insurance companies to Louisiana. The creation of three or four more large health insurance companies should make the state’s health insurance market more competitive and lower premiums for businesses and consumers, he said.
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