Finally, under a Democratic Governor, Medicaid was expanded
in Louisiana. Article: The Louisiana Department of Health announced on Thursday
that enrollment is at 400,635 new enrollees. A recent Gallup report found the
uninsured rate in Louisiana fell by nearly half from 21.7 percent in 2013 to
12.5 percent in 2016.According to stats from LDH, more than 58,700 adults have
now received at least one preventive or primary care service after enrolling in
the expansion. Sixty-seven women have been newly diagnosed with breast cancer,
and 1,193 adults newly diagnosed with diabetes, among other outcomes cited. Michele
Kidd Sutton, president and CEO of North Oaks Health System in Hammond, said in
the LDH release that the hospital has seen a 60 percent increase in mammograms
for Medicaid patients, 61 percent increase in bone density screenings and a 26
percent increase in cervical cancer screenings. These are all real people, with
real needs, who have had their lives changed for the better.
