The full Senate has approved the state’s 26-billion dollar spending plan for the next fiscal year. It does not fully fund the TOPS scholarship program and it also cuts state funding for safety-net hospitals that provide care for the poor. Governor Edwards will push legislators to restore the cuts in a special session that begins next week.

A blind man from Metairie is suing McDonald’s after he was refused service when he walked up to a drive-thrue window. Michelle Southern has the story,…
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Patients would have direct access to a physical therapist without needing a doctor’s referral under legislation heading to the governor’s desk. Opponents said during the debate that physical therapists don’t have the training of a doctor and could miss diagnose a life threatening health problem. But Amanda Brewer with the Louisiana Physical Therapy Association says there’s been extensive research showing direct access to a physical therapist isn’t dangerous…
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Open enrollment is underway for a new expanded Medicaid program that officials say will be able to provide health coverage for an estimated 375-thousand Louisiana workers. Governor John Bel Edwards says it’s also a cost-effective way to insure more people…
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Information on enrollment can be found at healthy-dot-la-dot-gov.