Attorney General Jeff Landry has agreed to take up a request from state lawmakers to look into the governor’s authority to enact $15 billion in Medicaid contracts through an emergency process.
Landry says his attorneys are researching the matter and working on a response. Sixteen Republican state senators asked Landry to determine whether Gov. John Bel Edwards can use emergency provisions to keep in place contracts for managed-care companies operating services for 1.5 million Medicaid patients.
Sen. Jack Donahue doesn’t believe Edwards can use the maneuver to sidestep lawmakers after House Republicans blocked the contracts.
Edwards is relying on a state law that allows for emergency contracting when an imminent threat to public health or safety exists. Edwards’ lawyer Matthew Block says the Jan. 31 expiration of the managed-care deals meet the emergency criteria.
