9/27/12 Medicaid stance not healthy for La. | Shreveporttimes | shreveporttimes.com JOBS CLASSIFIEDS: CARS HOMES APARTMENTS MARKETPLACE DEALS News FEATURED: Galleries Datacenter Archives Watchdog LOG IN Sports Life Entertainment DealChicken SUBSCRIBE Opinion ACTIVATE Blogs E-NEWSPAPER Obituaries HELP Multimedia SEARCH Find what you are looking for ... ADVERTISEMENT Medicaid stance not healthy for La. 11:00 PM, Sep 20, 2012 | Recommend 0 Recommend 2 Comments A Be the first of your friends to recommend this. A ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Commented More Headlines 1 LSU Notes: Les Miles softens stance on personal fouls at Auburn 2 Standoff causes police to evacuate Haughton neighborhood Privatization could affect Biomedical Research Foundation’s ability to succeed 3 4 Attorney: Wrong Cotton Valley fire station was searched 5 LSU Notebook: Another week, another hot Tigers tailback Patient Hugh Carmack (left) of Shreveport, speaks with Allison Robertson at the Martin Luther King Health Center in Shreveport in April. (Val Horvath Davidson/File/The Times) FILED UNDER Opinions Conversations Bobby Jindal Given the estimates in the latest American Community Survey released this week by the U.S. Census bureau showing growing poverty levels nationwide (and that includes Louisiana), it's time to reevaluate Gov. Bobby Jindal's refusal to allow the state to participate in the Medicaid expansion program that takes effect in 2014 as part of the federal Affordable Care Act. Jindal has thus far offered no sound reason for Louisiana to not participate in the program. Yet, we have plenty cause to be worried that it might hurt us badly. Indeed, we are already feeling the hits to our state's charity hospital system, and LSU Health Care System officials expect that will get worse once the program www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20120921/OPINION03/209210303/Medicaid-stance-not-healthy-La-?… Most Viewed PHOTO GALLERIES Sept. 25 CCC Bookings Bossier Booking Mugs Sept 24-26 1/4 9/27/12 Medicaid stance not healthy for La. | Shreveporttimes | shreveporttimes.com ADS BY PULSE 360 AdChoices 1 Shocking Tip To Kill Belly Fat Celebrity Doctor Uncovers 1 Simple Trick To A Flat Stomach. Read More... Overstock Laptops: $27.81 goes live. Jindal's stance reeks of political posturing. The first clue: the governor's administration has not offered any alternative solutions to dealing with the uninsured. The next clue: Get a new Laptop for $27.81. Limit One Per Customer. Grab Yours Now. Get details... communicating through a third party. Baton Rouge: Mom Makes Botox Doctors Angry nola.com, "Federal money isn't free, it's taking money away from our children and Louisiana: Mom Reveals Clever $5 Wrinkle Therapy That Makes Botox Doctors Furious SmartConsumerLiving.com In July Jindal spokesman Kyle Plotkin told grandchildren," in response to comments from Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell attacking Jindal's refusal to ADVERTISEMENT participate. "We're going to continue to stand up for Louisiana," Plotkin said. Maybe. Maybe not. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in four adults in our state under age 65 are currently without any form of health insurance even though hundreds of thousands of them have jobs. Taking part in the Medicaid expansion is an opportunity for this state to invest in its work force and the economy. According to a recent Louisiana Budget Project report, "more than 240,000 working Louisianans who today have no health insurance could be covered. "They would be eligible because the federal law changes the income requirements to qualify for Medicaid. Anyone making less than $14,850 per year (or $25,390 for a family of three) would qualify for coverage under the new law. Today, people who make over $2,860 for a family of three cannot receive coverage, and adults without children don't qualify at all." Jindal and his administration should rethink their position on the Medicaid expansion and carry it out. If they are really concerned about the health and well-being of the state's working men and women who are a key part of the state's economy, it's the least they can do. 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