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Louisiana Sees Steep Drop In Uninsured Rate Two Years After Medicaid Expansion

File photo: Governor John Bel Edwards
Wallis Watkins
File photo: Governor John Bel Edwards

When Governor John Bel Edwards came into office in 2016, one of the first steps he took was signing an executive order expanding Medicaid in Louisiana. Under the new rules, more people qualified for the health insurance plan. A recent survey by LSU shows since then, the number of uninsured in the state has been cut in half.

Prior to Medicaid expansion, Louisiana's uninsured rate consistently hovered above 20 percent. Since the expansion in July 2016, the portion of Louisiana's population still without health insurance has dropped to just above 11 percent, and program participation has increased by an additional 450,000 people.

This week on Capitol Access: Stephen Barnes, the lead researcher of the 2017 Louisiana Health Insurance Survey and Director of the Economics and Policy Research Group at LSU, discusses the impact of Medicaid expansion in Louisiana.

Copyright 2021 WRKF. To see more, visit WRKF.

Wallis Watkins is a Baton Rouge native. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Louisiana State University in 2013. Soon after, she joined WRKF as an intern and is now reporting on health and health policy for Louisiana's Prescription.

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