Changes coming to Louisiana Medicaid

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Changes to Medicaid are taking effect in the new year for some recipients.

Starting Jan. 1, most working-age adults on Medicaid in Louisiana will have to show at least 80 hours a month of work, school, job training, volunteering, or some combination of those to keep their coverage.

State leaders say the goal is to move more people from dependence to independence—and to cut down on waste and abuse.

Those at SWLA Center for Health Services say they have seen patients come in with questions.

“A lot of our patients come in worried because we do have a lot of patients that don’t necessarily understand the paperwork or they don’t check their mail as much as they should. So they are worried,” said Jasmine Abel, Outreach Department Manager for SWLA Center for Health Services.

Brenda Thibodeaux, a Medicaid specialist at the center, says missing official mail is a common issue.

“We have a lot of people that come and say, ‘Oh, I don’t open my mail; I just let it pile up.’ And they have to open their mail, because it’s always like the renewals; they won’t know that it’s time for renewal. And then, when they go to the doctor, and then they say, ‘You don’t have Medicaid anymore.’ And that’s how they find out,” Thibodeaux said.

Another major change hits retroactive coverage—the safety net that pays medical bills from before you officially applied for Medicaid. Right now, Medicaid can cover qualifying bills up to three months back. But starting January 1st, that window shrinks.

“With the retroactive part, the adults 19 to 64 with no disabilities or anything like that, they’ll have one month. And the other ones, the disabled or the children, will have two months. It won’t be the three months anymore,” Thibodeaux said.

Officials say it is important to keep your current information updated and look out for any correspondence involving Medicaid so there is no lapse in coverage.