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• Gov't report: Tax cheats getting paid by Medicaid

  August 2, 2012 3:38 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of Medicaid health care service providers still got paid by the government even though they owed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal taxes, congressional investigators say. A legal technicality is making it harder for the IRS to collect. In a report being released Thursday, the... more »

• Kenner Doctor Arrested, Accused of Medicaid Fraud

  July 28, 2012 2:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The owner of a medical clinic in Kenner has been booked with two counts of Medicaid fraud. Attorney General Buddy Caldwell said Friday that 78-year-old Dr. George A. Farber Sr. surrendered to his office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit on Thursday and was booked into the... more »

• LSU Health System Hit Hard by Medicaid Cuts Play Video

  July 19, 2012 11:17 PM

  The LSU Health System has a number, but no plan, on how to strip $329 million from the hospital system. The cuts total $523 million for the state's health care system, handed down by Governor Bobby Jindal's administration last week. Of that, two-thirds falls on the LSU Healthcare System. ... more »

• Dentist convicted of Medicaid fraud

  July 5, 2012 6:33 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A Shreveport dentist has been placed on probation for five years, including two years of home incarceration, for Medicaid fraud. The Advocate reports that State District Judge Lou Daniel also ordered Dr. David Earl Reed to pay a $1,000 fine and $1,100 in restitution, and... more »

• State approves Medicaid claim firm

  March 2, 2012 8:40 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Jindal administration has approved a $185 million multi-year contract with Maryland-based company called CNSI to take over Medicaid claims processing. The Advocate reports the signing of the contract came eight months after the state Department of Health and Hospitals chose the firm and after... more »

• Federal Agency Approves Medicaid Contract

  February 15, 2012 9:50 AM

  A proposed $185 million contract with a firm to handle Louisiana's Medicaid claims processing has been approved by the federal government's health agency. The Advocate reports ( http://bit.ly/zeQRsm ) state health agency officials have been waiting for months for the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to agree to... more »

• 2 companies protest La Medicaid contract choices

  August 10, 2011 9:10 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Three companies have protested Louisiana's choice of other companies to run managed care networks for $2.2 billion of the state's Medicaid program. Aetna Better Health and Coventry Health Care of Louisiana Inc. filed protests Monday, said Lisa Faust, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and... more »

• 51 arrested in Medicaid prescription probe

  June 23, 2011 9:04 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Fifty-one people have been arrested in connection with a Medicaid fraud investigation in Louisiana. The state attorney general says 50 of those arrested were Medicaid recipients. The other was a former pharmacist in Metairie. Attorney General James D. Caldwell says charges include Medicaid fraud and... more »

• Jindal Medicaid Revamp Hits Wall of Criticism

  January 19, 2011 2:48 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan to turn over large chunks of Louisiana's Medicaid program to private managed care companies is coming under heavy criticism from lawmakers and health providers. They say the plan will divert resources to insurance company profits and away from health services. Health... more »

• Latest Medicaid shortfall won't prompt cuts

  January 3, 2011 8:10 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The state health department will reshuffle dollars within its budget to fill a $19 million shortfall that has emerged in the state's Medicaid program, without making new budget cuts, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday. Also, the Department of Health and Hospitals plans to reverse cuts... more »

• Louisiana Gets Medicaid Bonus

  December 29, 2010 1:31 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gives Louisiana a $3.5 million performance bonus for "significant progress in enrolling uninsured children in Medicaid." State Medicaid director Don Gregory tells The Advocate that Louisiana didn't expand eligibility - it did a better job of enrolling... more »

• Bidding Process Slated for Louisiana Medicaid Business

  December 13, 2010 7:45 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Jindal administration has decided to seek competitive proposals from health insurance companies that want to offer taxpayer-funded policies to about 830,000 Medicaid patients, mostly children. The change came after physicians, hospitals and other health-care providers objected to the initial plan, which allowed any company... more »

• La. Attorney General sues drug companies over inflated costs

  November 1, 2010 5:08 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is alleging that 18 drug companies inflated drug costs Louisiana paid through the Medicaid program by hundreds of millions of dollars. Caldwell said Monday that he filed a lawsuit on Oct. 28 against the companies in state court in Baton... more »

• Attorney General Caldwell Sues Drug Companies for Overcharging Louisiana Medicaid

  November 1, 2010 3:35 PM

  Attorney General Buddy Caldwell filed suit in the 19th Judicial District against 18 drug companies, alleging they unlawfully inflated drug costs paid by Louisiana taxpayers through the Medicaid program. The lawsuit alleges that the pharmaceutical companies deliberately misreported drug price information in order to increase reimbursements made by Louisiana's Medicaid... more »

• Groups fight Louisiana Gov. Jindal's Medicaid plan

  October 19, 2010 7:39 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Hospitals, emergency responders, physicians and other medical providers have stepped up their opposition to the Jindal administration's planned restructuring of the state's Medicaid program. Louisiana Ambulance Alliance, Louisiana Hospital Association, Louisiana State Medical Society and other groups Monday announced the organization of the Coalition to... more »

• Public Meetings Held For Medicaid and LaCHIP

  April 7, 2010 6:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE -The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is holding events statewide, April 6-11, to educate those eligible for Medicaid and Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP) about their options and encourage Louisiana residents' participation. Medicaid and LaCHIP representatives are canvassing communities across the state, especially in low-income... more »

• Jindal Proposed $300 Million Cut To Medicaid

  March 30, 2010 12:26 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Family members and health providers for the most vulnerable Louisiana residents, the developmentally disabled, are pleading with lawmakers to reverse budget cuts and health care changes proposed in Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget. Some are asking for a reversal of the Department of Health and Hospitals'... more »

• Louisiana Medicaid Recognized

  November 20, 2009 10:26 AM

  Louisiana Medicaid Recognized as a National Best Practice for Administrative Efficiency Despite one of lowest administrative costs in nation and 15 percent reduction in eligibility staff, Louisiana Medicaid shows significantly lower error rates, keeps nearly 100 percent of qualified kids on rolls BATON ROUGE- Louisiana Department of Health... more »

• DHH tackles the Medicaid budget shortfall

  November 3, 2009 12:14 PM

  Being faced with a $308 million budget shortfall in the Medicaid Program is serious, and the Administration has had to make tough, strategic decisions to ensure that core programs within Medicaid remain intact to protect critical healthcare services for those in need. On behalf of the Louisiana Hospital Association... more »

• Medicaid rolls grow at higher rate

  October 16, 2009 12:16 PM

  More people than expected are enrolling in Medicaid in Louisiana, adding to an expected shortfall of funds in the government insurance program for the poor. That's according to state Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine, who told lawmakers on Thursday that 22,000 people signed up for program... more »

• Jindal asks for rejection of unfunded mandates

  October 1, 2009 1:24 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal sent a letter to Louisiana's congressional delegation urging them to oppose any national health care overhaul that would require states to pick up part of the tab. Jindal sent the letter Wednesday, echoing the concerns of several governors who say they... more »

• Health secretary expecting Medicaid deficit

  September 22, 2009 9:16 AM

  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's health secretary says costs of the state Medicaid program are running over expectations, and he expects a mid-year deficit that will have to be closed. Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine wouldn't put a dollar figure on the deficit projection Monday, but he says... more »