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Nursing home residents across state face eviction if state budget passes

Ville Platte Gazette - 5/11/2018

With a proposed state budget that was passed by the House, thousands of nursing home residents will receive eviction notices because of a cut to Medicaid benefits.

"The Louisiana Department of Health is beginning the process of notifying all impacted enrollees that some people may lose their Medicaid eligibility," Department of Health spokesman Bob Johannessen said. "The goal of the department is to give notice to all affected people as soon as possible in order that they begin developing their appropriate plans."

The budget bill is now before the state Senate, where it faces stiff opposition. Such opposition is from Senate Finance Chair Eric LaFleur. "This make us look heartless," said the Ville Platte native.

"This sounds like mass chaos," said Senator Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, who called the letter notification "very troublesome."

"What type of people are we in Louisiana if we put people out who built Louisiana?" Senator Greg Tarver, D-Shreveport, said of the potential evictions. "This is horrible."

Republican state senators expressed similar reservations. Senator Bodi White, R-Baton Rouge, said he believes sending the notification to nursing home residents and others in long-term residential care is premature. "I don't see how in good conscience they can do that to these older folks," he said.

Senator Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, said the Department of Health should be focused on identifying fraud and saving money there "rather than kicking grandma out of the nursing home."

The Town Talk previously reported this week, "Next year's budget begins July 1, which is when the evictions could technically begin."

"The budget passed by the House and sent to the Senate contains deep cuts to healthcare because of a shortfall of between $550 million and $648 million, depending on who's doing the calculations," continued the Alexandria newspaper. "Next year's shortfall was created because about $1.4 billion in temporary taxes expire June 30. The bulk of the expiring taxes, about $880 million, comes from a one-cent sales tax."

The measure would affect between 300 and 350 residents here in Evangeline Parish as well as 350 residents in Acadia Parish and 400 residents in St. Landry Parish, according to figures from KLFY-TV.

The Lafayette television station also reported "Previously, anyone with a monthly income of $2,250 or less was eligible for Medicaid. Now, only those with monthly income of $750 or less are eligible for Medicaid.

"Almost seems too bad to be true. You know you hear some things are too bad to be true...this seems too bad too be true," says Acadia St. Landry Guest Home Administrator Brian Hensgens.

According to KLFY-TV, "Hensgens said the evictions are coming unless a special session is called by legislators before the end of next month."

As far as a possible special session, The Town Talk reported, "(Governor John Bel) Edwards, House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, and Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, have agreed on the concept of ending early and convening a Special Session in mid-May, but they haven't made a concrete commitment."

"Nothing is more important than fixing this budget and we can't do that in the Regular Session," Edwards said last week.

According to the Louisiana House of Representatives Website (http://house.louisiana.gov/) voting for the bill was Representative Phillip DeVillier and voting against the bill was Representative Bernard LeBas.

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