House Republican lawmakers grilled state health officials about the growing Medicaid budget and whether the state is doing enough to prevent waste or misspending. It was revealed during the hearing that 16-hundred people making at least 100-thousand dollars a year were covered by Medicaid, which is way above the income threshold.
Health Secretary Rebekah Gee says mistakes will be made with a large government program, but they are trying to control spending and pointed to the recent removal of 30-thousand people from Medicaid, because they made too much money…
Cut 4 (09) “…this program”
The House Appropriations Committee is hearing from every state agency as they put together a spending plan for next fiscal year. Baton Rouge Representative Rick Edmonds says they need confidence that money is spent wisely.
Cut 5 (11) “…we have.”
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After failing for five months on recognizing additional revenues, the Revenue Estimating Conference adopted an income forecast that will give lawmakers an additional 110-million dollars in this year’s budget to spend and another 119-million dollars in next year’s budget. Governor John Bel Edwards says the action by the R-E-C that Louisiana has an improving economy and budget surpluses.
Cut 8 (10) “…opinion on that.”
House Speaker Taylor Barras “Yes” vote broke the gridlock.
An Opelousas man is in jail suspected of stabbing his mother to death. Deputy Chief Eddie Thibodeaux says Arceneaux claims his mother tried grab the knife to stab him, slicing the suspect in the process. He then regained the kitchen knife and began to attack her.
Cut 11 (10) “…could stab her.”
Detectives arrested 28 year old Cody James Arceneaux on Monday.