Gov. Edwards celebrates the 5-year anniversary of Medicaid expansion that continues to save lives, jobs, rural hospitals and reduce the number of uninsured Louisianans | Department of Health

Today Louisiana celebrates five years since Medicaid expanded coverage to the hardworking poor in our state. To date, more than 600,000 citizens have benefited from access to high quality health care that many would otherwise never have been able to afford. Governor John Bel Edwards first adopted the Medicaid extension as his first act as governor in 2016, making Louisiana the first Deep South state to participate. Since then, it has provided preventive and life-saving diagnoses and treatments for a wide variety of serious illnesses. This significant expansion in health care has dramatically changed the landscape for the better for vulnerable communities and the health sector, creating a critical safety net during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.

“As I have said many times, adopting the Medicaid extension was the easiest big decision I made,” said Governor Edwards. “Access to high quality health insurance for so many of our employees who worked day in and day out but simply couldn’t afford it was my top priority and has remained so to this day. Especially given the incredible difficulties the pandemic has brought, I can’t imagine what would have happened to our people if it hadn’t been for the expansion. It literally saved lives and jobs, kept our tax dollars at home, significantly reduced the number of uninsured Louisians, and helped our rural hospitals stay open. It was the right decision back then and it remains the right decision for our families and our state. “

Click here to watch the governor’s video.

As of July 1, 2021, more than 638,000 Louisiana residents are enrolled in the Medicaid expansion.

Prior to the expansion, Louisiana’s adult Medicaid eligibility had not changed since 2013, leaving most childless adults with no insurance coverage regardless of how low their income was.

Within the first year, more than 433,000 Louisiana residents who did not have coverage for basic health services and prescription drugs were covered due to the expansion of Medicaid. Since Medicaid’s expansion in 2016, the adult uninsured rate has fallen from 22.7% in 2015 to 11.4% in 2017. The 2019 LHIS survey found an adult uninsured rate of 11.1%.

Currently, Louisiana is below the national adult non-insurance rate, which is 15.6%.

The new coverage allowed residents to use their insurance to see a family doctor for an annual checkup, get prescriptions, and conduct spa visits and health checkups. Positive health benefits for Louisiana residents over the past five years include:

• An average of 72% of adults enrolled have seen a doctor’s office each year of the Medicaid expansion.
• More than 105,000 women have been screened for breast cancer
• Over 63,000 adults have received colon cancer screenings
• Approximately 100,000 adults were diagnosed and given options for treatment for diabetes or high blood pressure

The Medicaid extension was made available to the states on January 1, 2014 through the Affordable Care Act. Their goal was to offer insurance coverage to those who are most at risk of losing everything due to a medical stay or illness. The audit office also relieved the hospitals financially.

With Louisiana not expanding Medicaid in 2014 and 2015, Governor Edwards’ administration estimated the state had lost up to $ 3 billion in federal funds prior to adopting the Medicaid expansion in 2016. A study by the Urban Institute found that Louisiana would have continued to reject Medicaid’s expansion had the state lost $ 15.8 billion in federal Medicaid funds and $ 8 billion in hospital reimbursements.

Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Dr. Courtney N. Phillips said the fifth anniversary of Medicaid’s expansion marks a significant milestone in improving the health and wellbeing of Louisiana residents.

“Five years of Medicaid expansion has allowed us at the Louisiana Department of Health to improve outcomes, make our programs more robust, and provide financial stability for our health care sector,” said Dr. Phillips. “Most importantly, Medicaid’s expansion has enabled many more Louisians to have access to quality care. We’re committed to protecting communities at risk and providing a safety net for those who may lose their health insurance due to economic conditions or other events, and Medicaid was instrumental in protecting the communities in Louisiana during the COVID-19 crisis.

Visit the Louisiana Department of Health’s Medicaid Enhancement Dashboard for more information on the key health outcomes resulting from the Medicaid Enhancement.

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/gov-edwards-celebrates-the-5-year-anniversary-of-medicaid-expansion-that-continues-to-save-lives-jobs-rural-hospitals-and-reduce-the-number-of-uninsured-louisianans-department-of-health/