August 29, 2019 Department of Health to seek emergency contracts for Medicaid health plans

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Aug 29, 2019 - LDH announced today that it is moving to implement emergency contracts with the five health plans that are currently under contract to serve the state’s 1.5 million Medicaid recipients.

This will ensure that Medicaid enrollees and the providers who serve them have continuity when the current contracts expire at the end of the year.

The protests filed by two managed care companies that were not selected in the state’s recent procurement process triggered an automatic stay imposed by law preventing the Department from taking any action to move forward with any new contracts.  The Department had asked the Division of Administration to lift the stay but that request was denied. Due to the complexity of the appeals the Department is taking the prudent and conservative approach in order to maintain the existing contracts until the protests are finally resolved.