Louisiana has been recognized as one of the toughest states on fighting Medicaid fraud. Michelle Southern has more…
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After last week’s heavy rain, we could see an uptick in the mosquito population. Halen Doughty has more…
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Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law a measure to allow video poker machines to accept 100 dollar bills, up from the current law of only 20 dollars. Video Poker Lobbyist Alton Ashy says the main reason for the legislation is the convenience factor for patrons and businesses.
Critics say upping the amount allowed into gambling machines would increase the chances for an addiction but Ashy says statistics do not back that opinion up.
Plaquemine Rep. Chad Brown brought forth this legislation so gamblers at truck stops do not have to break a 50 or 100 dollar bill if they want to bet more than 20 dollars at a video poker machine. Ashy says the only reason for this measure is so a patron is not required to ask a cashier for smaller bills.
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We can expect to see more mosquitos out and about after more than a week of continued rain. LSU AgCenter entomologist Kristen Healy says more rain equals more mosquitos, and different types of mosquitos at that. She says a lot of rainfall can lead to hatching of so-called flood water mosquitos.
But Healy says they also see the southern house mosquito, which is known to carry diseases like the West Nile virus. She says while we haven’t seen local transmission of the Zika virus yet, that’s also a possibility.
Healy says unfortunately mosquitos will always be a concern in Louisiana, especially during the summer months when people spend more time outside. She recommends that everyone take steps to protect themselves from these pesky critters.
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The Trump Administration recognizes Louisiana as one of the toughest states on fighting Medicaid fraud. Chief of Staff with the Louisiana Department of Health Andrew Tuozzolo says they’re doing everything they can to prevent, detect, and prosecute fraud. The US Inspector General reviewed 225 cases of suspected fraud in Louisiana.
Tuozzolo says they refer 200 to 400 cases to the state Inspector General’s Office every year, which limits the liability for taxpayers. He says they use state-of-the-art software with pattern matching algorithms to look for potentially fraudulent billing practices.
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Louisiana was one of only four states to pass this audit since 2014. Lawmakers have suggested Medicaid fraud was one culprit of the state’s budget problems. But Tuozzolo says there’s only around $50 million in fraudulent claims annually in a $10 billion program.
The feds could not make any recommendations for Louisiana to improve fraud detection.
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Budget negotiations are going down to the wire at the State Capitol as the House and Senate seek an agreement over how much money to spend. Publisher of La-politcs-dot-com, Jeremy Alford says House Republican leaders do not want to spend all of the dollars that are available
If the state doesn’t spend all of its available resources, the governor and senate are worried cuts will be made to health services, colleges and child welfare programs. Lawmakers have until 6 PM to reach a budget deal, if not, the governor will call for a special session to begin at 6:30 PM. Alford says many legislators are ready to go home
Alford says the Senate is willing not to spend 50-million dollars, which could be used if Louisiana hits another mid-year budget deficit next year. But the House wants to hold back much more than that and Alford says legislators also must pass a bill that finances construction projects
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