Aligning Public Health Infrastructure and Medicaid to Fight COVID-19

摘要

In 2016, Governor John Bel Edwards expanded Medicaid in Louisiana. As secretary of health, I oversaw the implementation of this historic expansion of health care coverage. As a result of the Medicaid expansion, more than 500 000 Louisianians have access to health insurance. The Medicaid expansion means that Louisiana’s uninsured rate has been cut by more than half, to 8%, and billions of additional federal health care dollars have enhanced our economy. The new dollars accompanying Medicaid expansion allowed us to make new investments in public health infrastructure while shielding our Office of Public Health from budget cuts. Louisiana continues to have a public health unit in every parish (or county), and statewide resources such as experts in epidemiology, infectious disease, and reproductive health advise these structures. Our commitment to public health combined with Medicaid expansion means that Louisiana has been positioned as one of the nation’s leaders in COVID-19 response.