Louisiana Official Says Time Running Out For Deal On Medicaid Overhaul

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 12 Nov 2008 - 6:00 PST

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The "window is closing" on the potential for an agreement to overhaul Louisiana's Medicaid program before President Bush leaves office, state Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. According to Levine, "If we are not in a position to announce something next week, I think this becomes very, very difficult to get done." For the past several months, the state has been trying to negotiate an agreement with the federal government.

If a deal is not reached, the state will begin negotiations with the Obama administration, which could delay action for six months to one year, Levine said. State Senate President Joel Chaisson (D) said, "Our administration has been working hard to negotiate the best deal possible," adding, "I just think it has gone as far as it can go with this administration." House Speaker Jim Tucker (R) said as a result of Obama being elected president, "We need to be very cognizant that health care on the national level may move in another direction," adding, "Do we need to head off one way when the whole federal model goes in another?"

State House Appropriations Committee Chair Jim Fannin (D) said, "There's got to be a lot of discussion, and members have got to feel comfortable that they won't have a (health care) system that's worse than what we have," and "of course you don't know what kind of opposition you have out there, whether it be LSU, the hospital association." Last week, the Louisiana State Medical Society announced its opposition to the plan, saying, that it has a "lack of transparency," adding that the group has no access to plan design or documents spelling out "the intended plan to be implemented" (Shuler, Baton Rouge Advocate, 11/10).

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