Landry, Louisiana Republicans Can’t Be Trusted to Protect Medicaid Expansion

Landry, Louisiana Republicans Can’t Be Trusted to Protect Medicaid Expansion

Attorney General Jeff Landry falsely “blamed Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion for making the opioid crisis worse” and sued to end health care coverage for 494,000 Louisianans

After spending years fighting against the Medicaid expansion that has helped expand coverage to half a million working Louisianans, the Republican candidates for governor in Louisiana are working overtime to try to mislead voters about their opposition to this critical program.

At a forum this week, each of the candidates claimed that they would keep Gov. John Bel Edwards’s historic executive order expanding Medicaid — directly contradicting their own words and actions over the past seven years, and underscoring just how toxic their record of trying to claw back health care coverage for Louisianans really is.

Here’s where the candidates really stand on Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion:

Jeff Landry 

NOLA.COM: “Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry certainly caught a lot of people’s attention with his recent suggestions that Medicaid expansion is fueling the opioid crisis in Louisiana. The attorney general’s claim packs a punch politically, but there isn’t a lot of evidence, especially that which applies directly to Louisiana, to back up the statement. In fact, there’s data showing Louisiana’s opioid prescription use actually decreased after Medicaid expansion went into place, countering Landry’s comments.”

The Advocate: “A task force approved a report over Landry’s objection that warns the state stands to lose $3.6 billion in federal funding if Landry’s lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act is successful.”

WAFB: “…Attorney General Jeff Landry threw a punch. He blamed Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion for making the opioid crisis worse. ‘We have now doubled the number of prescriptions under that program,’ Landry said… despite expansion, the number of prescriptions across the state is on par or even less than the recent years.”

IHEART: “Landry, a Republican, says Medicaid costs the state about $500 per month per recipient and that Edwards, a Democrat, should apologize to Louisiana taxpayers for rushing to get people enrolled in the expansion program that created, in Landry’s words, ‘a multi-million-dollar mess.”

Sharon Hewitt

The Center Square:  “…Gov. John Bel Edwards’ management of the Medicaid system is failing Louisiana. He’s failing the taxpayers, on the hook for untold millions in waste, fraud, and abuse.”

John Schroder

The Advocate: “‘This is growing uncontrollably,’ said Rep. John Schroder, a Republican from Covington.”

Louisiana Illuminator: “Treasurer John Schroder was the only candidate not to commit to retaining Louisiana’s expanded Medicaid coverage. ‘Maybe,’ Schroder said when asked about retaining the status quo with Medicaid.”   

Stephen Waguespack

St Mary Now:  “Third, touch the Medicaid hot stove. Enough with the debate over Medicaid expansion. That decision is made. Start talking about how to reform it, snuff out fraud, incentivize the responsible use of it and promote a pathway to get off it.”