Louisiana Changes Course on PPACA Medicaid Funding

Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has withdrawn Louisiana's application to receive federal funding for a program meant to enhance Medicaid coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a Politico report.

State officials sent an application to CMS last year for funds to implement Community First Choice, a reform program that boosts Medicaid match rates by 6 percentage points for certain services to improve community- and home-based care for elderly and disabled beneficiaries, according to the report.

Louisiana withdrew its application after consulting with CMS concerning the statutory requirements for participating states, CMS spokesman Brian Cook told Politico. State officials decided against the program because the expansion of care services would have overwhelmed its infrastructure and could open the state up to lawsuits, Calder Lynch, policy director for Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals, told Politico.

About a dozen states have pursued funding for Community First Choice, according to the report. Although most of them are led by Democratic governors, Texas and Arizona have also shown interest in the program.

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