On
June 1, by a vote of 31–8, the Louisiana Senate approved HCR75,
sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Rep. Charles E. Kleckley (R). Under the
resolution, if the state expands Medicaid by April 2016, the Department of
Health and Hospitals (DHH)
will levy and collect fees from certain hospitals in fiscal year 2017. The
revenue generated from the fees will be used to pay a portion of the state’s
costs associated with Medicaid expansion.
Although
the current governor has no plans to expand Medicaid, HCR75 will give the next
governor of Louisiana the opportunity to finance the expansion of Medicaid
without the state having to come up with the full cost share.