Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget anticipates LSU hospital savings

BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday his proposed $24.7 billion budget for next year relies heavily on privatization plans for LSU's charity hospitals to offset the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Medicaid funding.

Congress cut Louisiana's Medicaid payment rate last year, and the drop in federal financing is a significant factor in the state's more than $1 billion budget gap next year.

Jindal said his budget will include "significant savings" in the LSU hospitals by turning many of them over to private management, under deals that aren't complete and with financing arrangements that haven't been explained in detail.

The Republican governor gave a brief overview of his spending proposals for the upcoming 2013-14 fiscal year that begins July 1. The full details will be outlined Friday to lawmakers.

"We're presenting a budget that's balanced, that protects our priorities," Jindal said.

More at http://www.shreveporttimes.com/viewart/20130221/NEWS01/130221051/Gov-Bobby-Jindal-s-budget-anticipates-LSU-hospital-savings- .