The state Medicaid Office has a new enrollment and verification system online today that provides instant feedback on whether or not you’re eligible, that’s for people who apply for the healthcare program online. Louisiana Medicaid Director Jen Steele says it should cut down on wait times for applicants.

Cut 6, 11 seconds, that time

The new program will also check Medicaid recipients wage eligibility quarterly, instead of every 12 months.

The price at the pump continues to decline.  The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.34 in Louisiana today, down nine cents since last week, putting prices just two cents higher than a year ago.  Gas Buddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan says there are two main contributing factors to the continued drop.

Cut 4 (11) “…bite pretty hard.″

Today is recognized as the Great American Smokeout, an observation started by the American Cancer Society in 1975.  Spokesperson for Louisiana’s Smoking Cessation Trust Jim Pittman says the observation was started in an effort to get tobacco users to kick the habit in favor of using money spent on smoking toward charity. According to a recent report, about 23% of adults in Louisiana smoke.  Pittman says he believes the organization is winning in the battle to get smokers to make the effort to quit.

Cut 11 (12) “…enrollees every month.”

To find more info, visit the organization’s website SmokeFreeLA.org

Attorney General Jeff Landry announces he’s running for re-election, putting an end to his flirtation with the 2019 governor’s race that started in late summer.