March 4, 2015

Why Louisiana Is Facing A Health Care Disaster

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/03/04/3628712/jindal-healthcare-obamacare/
"Because Jindal has refused to set up a state health care exchange or expand Medicaid, as many as 250,000 Louisianans could lose their coverage.
The damage could be exacerbated if the state legislature approves the budget Jindal released last week. Faced with a $1.6 billion budget shortfall and unwilling to raise any taxes, the Governor’s new proposal would further slash spending from an already struggling state health care system. Louisiana’s hospitals say they need a $142 million increase in funding to be able to serve the population — especially the poor and uninsured who turn to emergency rooms for primary health care. Instead, Jindal’s budget cuts funding for the Department of Health and Hospitals by nearly $15 million.
Soon, these cuts will have a real impact. In less than a month, the emergency room at Baton Rouge General Hospital — which saw more than 45,000 patients last year — will close its doors. Urgent care clinics in the area are currently scrambling to expand in time to take on those additional patients. And if the legislature can’t find about $10 million in funding, a network of health clinics that serves about 60,000 New Orleans-area residents will also shut down."