Louisiana’s ongoing budget battle received national attention last week, when the office of Gov. John Bel Edwards sent letters to thousands of elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients, warning spending cuts proposed by Republican lawmakers could result in the cancellation of critical health programs — including funding for nursing homes and long-term care.
News of the letters, mailed Thursday to 37,000 people, was picked up by several national media outlets, including CBS News, Huffington Post and CNN, which ran a story under: “Tens of thousands of Louisiana residents could face eviction from nursing and group homes.”
The Edwards administration sent the ominous notices in response to a balanced budget Republicans in Louisiana’s House advanced in April, which slashed state Medicaid funding. Republicans reacted furiously, saying Edwards was interfering with the budget process and using the sick and elderly as political pawns.
The decision to send the letters as lawmakers were working through the budget process was an “unprecedented, irresponsible political move,” Republican state Rep. Lance Harris said.
Amid the hysteria over the idea of elderly residents being kicked out of nursing homes, the Louisiana Senate’s finance committee proposed a budget that fully funded the state department of health at $12 billion — an increase over 2017 funding levels. A balanced budget, the proposal included across-the-board cuts of roughly 25 percent to most other state government departments, The Advocate reported.
In a blow to Edwards and Democrats, who had demanded consideration of additional revenue, the Republican-controlled Senate passed the finance committee’s proposal in a 27-10 party line vote on Tuesday. The bill would normally move to a conference committee where both chambers would iron out their different versions, but the proposal will be tabled while lawmakers discuss additional revenue measures in a special legislative session beginning May 22. – READ MORE
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