An audit finds $112 million was spent on Medicaid recipients who live out-of-state from 2016 to February of this year. Brooke Thorington has more.
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Changes could be coming again to the structure of the high school football playoffs. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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A Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s report reveals more than $100 million was paid for Medicaid coverage for individuals who don’t even live in the Bayou State. Data Analytic Manager Chris Magee says the payments were made to the insurance companies that provide managed care for Medicaid recipients.
The audit was on data from 2016 to February of this year.
Magee says the Louisiana Department of Health cites COVID as one reason for the oversite. During the pandemic the federal government would not allow states to end Medicaid coverage for recipients, however, living out-of-state was an allowable reason to end coverage.
Another problem the audit uncovered is that the health department does not use driver’s license data to identify individuals who’ve moved out of state. As a result, Magee says their office is recommending the offices share such data and LDH has agreed to do so going forward.
As for recovering the millions spent on out-of-state recipients, because the program is federally driven Magee says the state was following eligibility rules. He says only if it’s proven an individual committed Medicaid fraud can those funds be recouped.
Magee says a previous audit revealed that providers were providing services for out-of-state recipients and that prompted this to see if out-of-state recipients were receiving coverage.
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Summer wildfires that started August 14 in Sabine Parish have been contained but crews are still keeping an eye on fire lines. Office of Emergency Preparedness Director Scott Gowen says fires have charred acres of land across the parish…
One of the Sabine fires near Florien, consumed 14 structures and 19 vehicles, 10 or 11 families were displaced but there were no injuries or fatalities. Gowen says excessive heat continues to be a threat.
Firefighters from Baton Rouge, St. George, and Scott are on hand to provide assistance to crews in Sabine. Gowen says the parish has also requested help from the governor’s office. While there are three fire departments in the parish, he says the wildfires have been hard to handle with only volunteer firefighters.
A state burn ban has been in place since August 7.
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The high school football season begins next week and it’s unclear what the playoff brackets will look like in November. A Baton Rouge judge has ruled the LHSAA can’t use the current definition that determines a “select” school. Plaintiffs’ attorney Brian Blackwell says the LHSAA will likely need to call a special meeting so high school principals can make that determination…
Last year, the LHSAA Executive Committee changed the definition of a “select” school which resulted in dozens of traditional public schools switching from non-select to select and competing against private schools in the playoffs. Blackwell says high school principals never had a chance to vote on this major change to the LHSAA’s constitution…
Blackwell represents nine public schools from Rapides Parish and the Monroe area that filed the suit. The LHSAA executive committee redefined a select school as any school that has a magnet component, is a charter school, or is an open-enrollment parish.
Blackwell is not sure what this means for the high school football playoffs in November and December, but he believes a special meeting should be called, so high school principals can vote…
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The State Department of Transportation says motorists can do their part in preventing grass or wildfires. Spokesperson Rodney Mallet says cigarette butts or chains being dragged off trailers can throw sparks into hot and dry grassy areas
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Looking ahead there appears to be no relief from the oppressive temperatures and the chance of any significant rain is practically nill. Wildfires have easily started due to the harsh conditions and Mallett fears another blaze is merely a spark away…
The statewide burn ban remains in place and Louisiana is under a State of Emergency due to the heat until September 9th. Mallet says you should never be littering or throwing a cigarette out the window, to begin with…
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Even though the cause of the blaze has yet to be determined, the Lafayette Fire Department has responded to eight grass fires within a 48-hour period.
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