Proposals Make It Tougher To Cut Health Facilities

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Voters will make decisions in November that could set the course for state health care financing for years.

The Nov. 4 ballot includes two constitutional amendments to make it more difficult to reduce the dollars paid to private hospitals and nursing homes for taking care of Medicaid patients.

Supporters say the protection would stabilize funding for health care services and stop damaging cuts. They say the facilities generate dollars used to draw down even more in federal matching money.

But the measures have raised concerns about what happens if it's tougher to cut hospitals and nursing homes.

Critics say the amendments would protect some health care at the expense of home-based services and hospice programs. They say public colleges would become the least-protected area of the budget and more vulnerable.