A plea for Medicaid coverage for our suffering citizens: Letter

We believe the Legislature should prevail upon Gov. Bobby Jindal to reconsider his decision not to expand Medicaid and ask him to reverse the changes made to the program Jan. 1, 2014. We ask that everyone at or below the federal poverty level who has diabetes, hypertension and heart or respiratory disease receive medications to control these diseases.

This will improve the qual­ity of their lives and minimize the costs of treating the future preventable complications. The state and the city of New Orleans did a remarkable job of opening community health clinics in New Orleans after Katrina. What sense does it make for some of our patients to come to the clinics, receive high quality care, and leave without the means to treat their medical problems?

Jennifer Avegno, M.D.

Clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine Interim LSU Hospital New Orleans

Joseph Kanter, M.D.

Chief resident, emergency department, Interim LSU Hospital

New Orleans

Elmore Rigamer, M.D.

Medical director of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans

New Orleans


http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2014/03/a_plea_for_medicaid_coverage_f.html

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2014/01/medicaid_expansion_kicks_off_b.html