Louisiana is one of a growing number of states seeking to overhaul its Medicaid system. I wrote about the subject a few days ago. (See States Take On Medicaid Reform)
Louisiana plans to propose changes designed to provide flexibility in its Medicaid program in order to treat more uninsured patients. The changes would likely increase out-of-pocket expenses for these patients.
Louisiana has a charity hospital system that treats uninsured patients, but some believe the system should be shut down. The implication seems to be that the charity hospital system is the source of the state’s problems with Medicaid, but Louisiana Health and Hospitals Secretary Fred Cerise says the issue is much deeper. From the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Louisiana spends more money on Medicare per capita than any other state, yet achieves the poorest results. Medicare patients, primarily senior citizens and the disabled, generally are cared for in the private sector. That data suggests that true reform will require changes in private and nonprofit hospitals, not just the state-owned hospitals that rely chiefly on Medicaid dollars for the poor and uninsured.
The state would certainly benefit from a program similar to West Virginia’s “personal responsibility contracts,” which focuses on preventive care and on giving patients incentives to stay healthy.
