Alan Levine, secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, probably has the most daunting daily to-do list in state government, says John Maginnis. Levine’s main goal is overhauling the state’s public health care system. But he’s being sidetracked by numerous obstacles, including the potential for massive cuts in the federal Medicaid match, a vicious turf battle between LSU and Tulane over control of a new charity hospital in New Orleans and a dispute with FEMA. “There are days when Levine’s plight seems like that of Sisyphus, the mythical king condemned to push a giant boulder uphill, only to have it roll back down over and again. The difference is that Levine, rather than being beaten down, seems ready to hit the rock each morning with wonkish enthusiasm, ready to talk health care with whoever will listen,” Maginnis says. Read the column here.
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
