Dive Brief:
- The governor-elect of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards (D), is changing course from that of outgoing predecessor Bobby Jindal (R) with an immediate plan to expand Medicaid.
- To reach an expansion date of July 1, his administration expects to grow the state health department by almost 250 additional workers to manage the enrollment, as well as work with healthcare providers to ensure they will accept the new Medicaid patients.
- Finding the funding is the primary issue in the state with significant budget issues. Jindal had argued expansion would be too expensive and an inappropriate growth of state government spending.
Dive Insight:
Edwards, set to take office Monday, stated he would immediately issue an executive order to begin expansion and that coverage for new enrollees would begin July 1.
However, he will have to contend with the state's Republican-led legislature, which could work to slow the efforts, notes the Associated Press.
In addition, as noted by Louisiana's incoming Health and Hospitals Secretary Rebekah Gee, it may take more time for patients to actually obtain care. Even assuming expansion does occur within six months, "I can't promise you that every single person with a Medicaid card can get seen that day," she said.
Gee estimates expansion will add about 300,000 people to the state's Medicaid rolls.