Insured: A new study shows the number of Louisiana adults without health insurance has been cut in half since the state expanded its Medicaid program. The Louisiana Health Insurance Survey has been conducted by LSU annually since 2003. It found 11.4% of non-elderly adults in the state were uninsured in 2017. In 2015, the rate was 22.7%. Gov. John Bel Edwards’ decision to enact the Medicaid expansion added 474,000 adults to government-financed insurance since July 2016. About 53% of Louisiana adults have health insurance through their employers, while Medicaid covers about 21%. Read the full story.
Dredging: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week signed the final report needed to justify a project that would deepen the Mississippi River Ship Channel to 50 feet, according to an announcement from the governor’s office. If fully funded, the project will provide a draft of 50-feet from the Gulf of Mexico upriver 256 miles to the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. In addition, the material dredged from thirty miles of the project will be used to create an estimated 1,462 acres of new marsh habitat. The federal share of the project would be $118.1 million, while the estimated non-federal share would be $39.4 million.
Retail looks up: The latest retail sales report from the government augurs well for small and independent retailers for the fourth quarter. Overall retail sales rose 6.4% in July from a year ago, and sales from non-store retailers, which include online merchants, soared nearly 9%, according to the Commerce Department. Sales at stores that specialize in merchandise like clothing, electronics, furniture and home furnishings also had healthy gains, between 3.5% and 6.4%. With the end of the year the busiest time of year for many retailers, consumers’ willingness to spend freely during the summer is cause for optimism. Read the full story.
