The Governor’s administration and GOP legislators continue to exchange barbs over the decision to mail program cancellation warnings to 37,000 Medicaid patients. Lafayette Representative, Republican Nancy Landry, blamed the Medicaid budget cuts on John Bel Edwards.

“The governors objection to fully funding LDH exposes the political motivation behind the fake eviction notices sent to tens of thousands of our elderly citizens who are in nursing homes.”

Landry, who voted for the House budget that slashed healthcare spending, says the letters were completely unwarranted as the budget process is not yet finished.

“Governor Edwards needs to publicly apologize to the seniors of our state who received this fake, politically motivated threat of eviction on Mother’s Day weekend.”

But the Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne pushed back, arguing that the feds require Medicaid recipients to be informed of program cancellations ahead of time, so that they can try to find other programs to qualify for.

“The federal government requires that when you’re effecting eligibility programs, you have to make a redetermination of that individual’s eligibility for Medicaid.”

Dardenne says with a real threat from House lawmakers to cut these programs, it would have been wrong to wait any longer.

“…To be candid with people and not try to hide things and delay things. We don’t think it would be fair to wait until ten days before someone has to be removed from a nursing home to tell them that they have to get out.”

A special session that could replace the expiring revenue at the heart of these budget cuts is set to be called next Tuesday.

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