Originally published: . Volume 8, No. 3. Source pages: 6.
Medicaid Enrollment Increases to 400K+
In a February 16 press release the state government officials say that Medicaid Expansion enrollment in Louisiana has reached 400,635 new members enrolled. Based on a recent Gallup report, the uninsured rate in Louisiana has decreased by nearly half to 12.5 percent in 2016, down from 21.7 percent in 2013, note the officials.
“Louisiana is ranked in the top 10 list of states with the largest reductions in uninsured rates,” said Governor John Bel Edwards. “The primary goal for Medicaid expansion was to ensure that more Louisiana residents had access to health care coverage and access to health care services. This report is conclusive proof that expansion is working.”
Medicaid expansion has reduced Louisiana’s number of uninsured residents, and has offered 400,635 newly covered adults the opportunity to seek care from a primary care physician instead of in an emergency room, according to the announcement.
Statistics compiled by the Louisiana Department of Health show that more than 58,700 adults have now received at least one preventive or primary care service after getting coverage under expansion.
To track enrollment and preventive data, the Department of Health has developed a dashboard tool on its Healthy Louisiana website, http://ldh.la.gov/healthyladashboard /. The dashboard shows total enrollment, enrollment by parish, by age and gender, and lives impacted by expansion and access to health care.
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