Louisiana House Republicans delay Medicaid contracts that cover 1.6 million people

Louisiana House Republicans who sit on the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget refused to approve five Medicaid contract extensions that manage health care for 1.6 million people Friday (Nov.3).

The House GOP leadership said the state Department of Health needs to find a way to save more money and they would revisit the contracts in December, after health officials have had more time to cut costs. This was second time the Medicaid contracts haven't gone through in the past three weeks.

The contracts are collectively worth $15.4 billion, roughly a quarter of the state's operating budget, for 23 months. More than half of the funding for them comes from the federal government and they expire Jan. 31.

If they don't end up being approved, it's not clear how the state will manage Medicaid for most people who are enrolled in Medicaid, about 900,000 -- or more than half -- of which are children. GOP leaders said they expect the contracts to eventually be approved, they just want them picked over more thoroughly. Nevertheless, Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration painted a doomsday scenario.

Read more: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/11/louisiana_house_republicans_bl.html