Reports: Legislative

LDH is required to publish a quarterly report containing data directly related to payment for health care services through the implementation of a health coverage expansion of the Louisiana medical assistance program, in addition to directed payments and other supplemental payments made to hospitals.

In response to Act 207 (SB 305) of the 2003 Regular Session, LDH is required to submit certain information regarding the Medicaid Buy-In Program to the legislature, including the status of the buy-in program, a report relative to the estimated value of the state, federal and FICA taxes paid by the participants in the buy-in program, and any recommendations for expanding coverage in the buy-in program.

The Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP) is an optional Medicaid program that provides healthcare coverage to uninsured children up to age 19 and enrollees in the LaCHIP Unborn Option (Phase IV) which provides prenatal care services, from conception to birth, for low income uninsured mothers who are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid.

In response to Act 710 of the 2018 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature, the “Healthy Louisiana Claims Report” is submitted to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget and the House and Senate Committees on Health and Welfare.

Senate Bill (SB) 259 of the 2022 Regular Legislative Session, known as the “Public Benefit Integrity Law” requires annual reports from state agencies administering federal and state social services and financial assistance programs on the policies and procedures in place to enhance program integrity; to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse of federal and state resources.

A public health emegerncy (PHE) was declared on March 11, 2020, due to COVID-19. This PHE provided the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) with the authority to expand the list of provider types that can order home health services to include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physician assistants. Act 181, passed in the 2021 Regular Session, promulgated the expansion of providers that LDH was already allowing to order home health services due to the PHE. The claim and encounter data shows an increase in overall utilization of home health services. However, due to the disruption to the healthcare system caused by the COVID pandemic, it is not currently feasible to isolate specific impacts of Act 181.

SB 689 of the 2004 Regular Session and HB 369 of the 2005 Regular Session required DHH to provide an annual written report to the governor and to the legislature regarding the cost of administering the preferred drug list, including the cost of administering the prior authorization function, the costs of development and maintenance of the preferred drug list and aggregate funds returned to the federal government related to pharmaceutical rebates, and an analysis of the utilization trends for medical services provided by the state and any correlation to the preferred drug list.

The charge of Act 158 of the 2015 Regular Legislative Session was to provide transparency relative to Medicaid managed care programs. Within the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH), this involves the Coordinated System of Care (CSoC) program.

This report is submitted pursuant to Senate Bill 298 of the 2022 Regular Legislative Session, which requires the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) to conduct an annual review of all medications and forms of treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD) that are eligible for coverage under the Louisiana Medicaid program.