Department News

Open enrollment for Healthy Louisiana begins June 15, 2018, and runs through July 31, 2018. During this time, people enrolled in Medicaid’s managed care program, known as Healthy Louisiana, have the opportunity to choose a new health plan or do nothing and remain with their current plan. There are five health plans that deliver physical and behavioral health care services to the nearly 1.5 million Healthy Louisiana enrollees.

The State of Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Health announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to help ensure that people with serious mental illnesses have the opportunity to live in a community setting.

The Louisiana Department of Health is seeking public input on key strategies to address Louisiana’s opioid epidemic. Over the next month, the Department of Health, in collaboration with local human services agencies, will hold a series of public meetings around the state.

The Louisiana Department of Health is seeking public input on key strategies to address Louisiana’s opioid epidemic. Over the next month, the Department of Health, in collaboration with local human services agencies, will hold a series of public meetings around the state.

Changing Lives. Saving Lives

Recently, the attorney general and others have made statements and have published letters that suggest my agency was premature in alerting nursing home residents and others of the possible impact on their health care and lives should the legislature not properly fund health care services.

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards was joined by Dr. Rebekah Gee, secretary, Louisiana Department of Health, Kristy Duffey, UnitedHealth Group Chief Clinical Officer and board member of United Health Foundation, and many leaders in health care, business, government, and other sectors to announce a statewide collaborative effort to address cancer in Louisiana.

Louisiana state health officials are investigating a confirmed case of measles in New Orleans. The illness was confirmed through laboratory testing in New Orleans resident who recently traveled out of the country. This case is not related to a positive measles case reported earlier in April of this year. In both cases, the individuals were not vaccinated.

In Louisiana, tens of thousands of elderly and disabled people could soon lose their Medicaid benefits. Betty Waller, 89, a polio survivor, says Medicaid is needed to cover the full cost of her care.

The Louisiana Department of Health will begin mailing notices tomorrow to nearly 37,000 Medicaid enrollees informing them their eligibility may end on July 1, 2018.