For all that he has showcased school vouchers and improved national rankings for ethics laws (whatever that means), the most transformative change that Gov. Bobby Jindal is responsible for, even if not taking credit for, is the ongoing dismantling of the public health care system that was the major legacy of Huey Long. The LSU Board of Supervisors would agree with that. Its members, nearly all appointed by Jindal, roundly praised the plan by university hospital officials, in response to a sudden loss of federal funding, to close beds, lay off a quarter of the workforce, and partner with non-state hospitals to treat uninsured inpatients and train doctors, though they shared few details of how they would do it. Janet Hayes of New Orleans would also agree that Jindal has been undoing Long’s legacy. During public comments, she told the board, “I hope that when you all high-five yourselves in the backrooms later on, you’ll think about the people who will die from your decisions.” It’s been this administration’s long-term plan all along to privatize as much of public health care delivery as possible, starting with the Bayou Health managed care plan for children and mothers, and looking long-range to partnering LSU hospitals with community and private hospitals. Though it had critics, the plan did get Louisiana more in line with how American health care and Medicaid work. Read the full column here.
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
