Republicans on the House budget-writing committee are questioning the spending growth in Louisiana’s health department, The Associated Press reports.
Gov. John Bel Edwards proposes spending $14 billion on the health department next year, nearly half the money allocated in the state operating budget. Most of the health spending is federal money.
But Rep. John Schroder, a Covington Republican, said today the health agency is growing uncontrollably. He questioned whether programs financed through the budget are sustainable.
Health Secretary Rebekah Gee pushed back against the criticism, saying her agency’s budget has grown because Louisiana is offering Medicaid coverage to more people, particularly through Medicaid expansion. The expansion largely has been financed with federal money.
Louisiana’s state spending growth on Medicaid over the last 15 years is below the national average, according to a nonpartisan financial analysis.
