Baton Rouge – Poll after poll has demonstrated that citizens and voters are highly concerned about the state of health care in Louisiana. As soon as our next Governor takes office, he or she will be faced with decisions that impact more than a million citizens and have multi-million dollar consequences on the state’s budget.
To help candidates for governor and legislative offices, the Department of Health has created a special section on its Web site, Information for Candidates. The site condenses a vast array of information into several documents. Included on the Web site (that can be found at http://www.dhh.state.la.us) are: Policy and Budget Priorities, a presentation that outlines the agency’s strategic plan for the future; TheMedicaid 2003 Financial Report detailing where the money goes; Medicaid Annual Report, a comprehensive review of the $4.5 billion Medicaid program; the Health Report Card outlining the health status of our citizens; and six Issue Briefs providing glimpses at key health care issues.
LDH Secretary David Hood hopes this Web site will generate further discussion about health care and allow candidates to become as informed as possible. Hood said he is disappointed there has not yet been a vigorous discussion of what Louisiana needs and does not need in order to improve its health care system.
"There is no doubt that our citizens are very concerned about health care and how we pay for it," he said. "In addition, because the subject is so complex and the need for improved health outcomes so critical, we thought it wise to provide as much help as possible to those who soon might be faced with making difficult decisions."