Gov. Edwards to Louisiana Senators: Louisiana Uniquely Harmed by BCRA

In the seven years since the Affordable Care Act was passed, more than 575,000 Louisianans have gained health care coverage. This includes more than 433,000 newly covered adults who are enrolled in Medicaid in the past 12 months, and another 143,000 plus people who have gained private health coverage through the ACA exchange, or the Marketplace.

This gain in enrollment has caused Louisiana’s uninsured rate to drop from 21.7 percent in 2013, to 12.5 percent in January of this year. This is one of the largest reductions in the uninsured rate for any state. Furthermore, when this report is updated to include new Medicaid enrollees who got coverage from January 2017 to today, our uninsured rate will drop even further.

When look at how those who are newly covered under Medicaid expansion in our state fare, you can easily see that these individuals are taking advantage of primary and preventive care, getting screened to diagnose cancer and other chronic diseases, and getting early, life-saving care. You can view the statistics at www.ldh.la.gov/healthyladashboard.

Gov. John Bel Edwards recently sent a letter to the U.S. Senators from Louisiana, Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, urging them to oppose the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). In the letter, Gov. Edwards outlines how the bill will result in loss of coverage for millions of Americans, punishes Louisiana for running a lean Medicaid program, and effectively eliminates our state’s Medicaid expansion resulting in hundreds of thousands of Louisianans losing lifesaving primary care access. 

Click here to read the letter.