This is appalling...
The Louisiana Department of Health will send official notificationsThursday (May 10) to 37,000 elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients who could lose their benefits that pay for nursing homes and home care on July 1.
"This letter is scary, but it's not a tactic," said Jay Dardenne, commissioner of administration and chief budget officer for the governor. "I would imagine there is going to be an extreme, adverse reaction from anyone who gets this letter and I don't blame them."
Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Legislature could still prevent this cut from happening, but the latest version of the state budget proposal doesn't include funding for four Medicaid programs that mostly provide long-term care services.
Those who could be affected by the Medicaid cuts -- who are expected to receive the notices -- include about 19,000 people who live in nursing homes, 2,700 people with developmental disabilities and at least 7,600 home health care patients. Another 7,200 people would also be affected, though it's unclear what services they receive.
People who require 24-hour medical care and have lived in nursing facilities or group homes for decades will be scrambling to find new homes if the cut is implemented, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.