A nationwide shortage of doctors means seeing your regular physician could become more difficult in the coming years. Halen Doughty has more…
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State Police investigated 10 fatal crashes resulting in the deaths of 15 people since Friday. Michelle Southern reports on the tragic weekend:
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Seeing a doctor could become more difficult in years to come, as a nationwide shortage of doctors is expected to impact Louisiana. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts we could see 88-thousand fewer doctors by 2025. Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans, Dr. Steve Nelson, says one reason for that is the increased need for medical services.
Nelson adds that doctors are also aging, which means there are fewer of them still able to practice. He says Louisiana ranks 15th in the nation for the oldest physician population. He says Medicaid expansion has also put a strain on doctors.
Nelson says the shortages are most pronounced in rural areas. He says LSU is doing what it can to keep medical students in Louisiana to practice, including giving tuition incentives to those who continue their training in the state. He says their efforts are paying off.
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Over a decade ago, legislators discussed placing an oil processing tax on Louisiana refineries. Amite Representative Robby Carter has filed that bill for the upcoming legislative session and knows it will face fierce opposition from the oil and gas industry. But Carter says all options should be on the table when it comes to addressing the state’s budget problems….
It’s unclear how much money this proposal would generate for the state, but Carter says the idea with the legislation is to create a larger tax base, so residents are paying fewer taxes…
Another measure filed by Carter would create a 2-percent tax on oil that passes through Louisiana pipelines to other states. Carter believes oil and gas companies have the money to pay for these additional taxes…
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State Police say it was a deadly weekend on Louisiana’s roadways. From Friday through Monday morning, troopers investigated 10 fatal crashes that resulted in the deaths of 15 people. Sgt. Jared Sandifer says these tragedies, which also claimed the lives of children and teenagers, were preventable…:
Sandifer says several of the crashes also involved vehicles crossing over into the opposite lane of travel. He says the high number a fatal crashes over this three day period is highly unusual as it’s not a holiday or a reason there would be more people on the roadways….:
A crash in St. Helena Parish claimed the life of a 3-month-old infant and the 27-year-old mother along with another individual. Sandifer says knowing that these crashes could have been avoided continues to frustrate law enforcement…:
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A statewide survey finds a majority of Louisiana residents support higher taxes if the tax revenues go towards public schools, colleges, health care and roads. But Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Michael Henderson, says their poll doesn’t mean taxpayers are completely fine with just higher taxes to fund government…
Henderson says their survey also found the public does not support higher taxes to pay for prisons, food stamps or other welfare programs. He says when it comes to raising taxes to pay for key services, it’s not clear what taxes the public would like to see raised…
Henderson says there’s more clarity when it comes to raising the gasoline tax to pay for highway improvements. He says a majority of respondents favor increasing the state’s tax on gasoline, but support from republicans falls when you ask about a 20 cent per gallon hike…