Louisiana’s health department today refused to say what services it proposes to eliminate or scale back if Gov. Bobby Jindal demands deep budget cuts to close a $1.6 billion state funding gap.
The agency declined to provide any documents about possible cut scenarios, in response to a public records request filed by The Associated Press. The department claimed records, spreadsheets and emails discussing the cuts were shielded, saying they fall under a public records exemption because they were offering guidance to Jindal.
“DHH contends that these records are exempted from disclosure under the (public records law) for a period of six months from date of creation as pre-decisional advice and recommendations of a department headed by an unclassified gubernatorial appointee,” department lawyer Michael Coleman writes in a letter to The AP.
Spending on services that take care of Louisiana’s poor, elderly and disabled could fall by as much as $800 million in lost state and federal funding for the year that begins July 1, under the scenarios up for consideration by the Jindal administration. The cuts are even steeper than the budget slashing that is worrying higher education officials.
Ask the state Department of Health and Hospitals how it would divvy up such large reductions and agency officials refuse to describe which services might be on the chopping block, instead answering only with generalities.
“Everything is on the table, and we’re looking at every piece of the program to see what we can do to meet the cut that is required of us,” says Jeff Reynolds, undersecretary for the department.
The governor will present his recommendations for closing the $1.6 billion gap in the upcoming fiscal year to lawmakers on Feb. 27.
The Jindal administration has said the health department faces a cut of up to $300 million in state financing. If all those cuts hit Medicaid programs that generate federal matching money, the slashing would be as much as $793 million to programs and services. The Department of Health and Hospitals has a $9.5 billion budget this year. Read the full story.
