LA Medicaid

Louisiana Medicaid Crisis – The Perfect Financial Storm

In the absence of any congressional intervention, Louisiana will experience a cataclysmic reduction of approximately a billion dollars in federal funds for Medicaid services in 2011-2012 as compared to 2009-2010 .  Former Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) Secretary Alan Levine has repeatedly indicated that this level of funding reduction would require the elimination of entire “optional” Medicaid programs and the discontinuation of Medicaid services to entire “optional” populations (i.e., beneficiaries).  

FMAP Legislation:

On August 10, 2010 President Obama signed into law House Resolution (H.R.) 1586 that will limit the shift in federal funding to 3.2 percentage points from January through March 2011 and by 1.2 percentage points from April through June 2011.

Louisiana also needs to become more efficient with its resources and discontinue its reliance on segregated large institutions.

Ø  Medicaid Crisis read specifics in article from TriAngle Newsletter – October 2009 .

Ø  FMAP Brief from DHH Sept. 2009.

Ø  Resources

Medicaid Spending

Ø  Louisiana Ranking in Medicaid Spending for People with Developmental Disabilities 

•       Louisiana ranks among the bottom of states in how it uses Medicaid funds to support people with developmental disabilities in their own homes and communities.  Unfortunately, Louisiana uses vast resources to maintain large facilities that segregate its citizens from society while ranking among the bottom ten states in the use of funds to support people in their homes and communities where they want to live.