Displaying items by tag: Louisiana healthcare

How challenging for the State of Louisiana is Covid-19's omnipresent Delta variant? What impact is it having upon the state's premier health system? 

Today, the President and CEO of Ochsner Health, Warner Thomas, was a guest on Morning Joe to discuss the raging Covid-19 Delta virus. Thomas said it is the fourth surge in Louisiana.  During the interview, CEO Thomas talked about the impact the virus was having upon medical services, even to the point that over the past ten days, Ochsner had to turn away 300 transfer patients from other facilities due to the level of COVID patients Ochsner is treating and due to the level and pressure on staffing.

Ochsner is Louisiana’s largest nonprofit academic health center and is the state’s largest private employer. The health system has facilities in New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, Kenner, the River Parishes, Baton Rouge, the Northshore, the West Bank, Raceland, Houma, St. Bernard, Shreveport, and in Mississippi.

A report last year delivered sobering news: “Louisiana has the worst health care system in the country,” according to Jill Gonzalez of WalletHub. Given that analysis, it is tempting to assume that any action Washington takes is bound to help our state. After all, there is no other state to pass on the way down.

But that assumption contains a crucial misdiagnosis. The goal is not to “do something,” it is to “accomplish something” and make the health care situation -- here and throughout the country -- better. Unfortunately, the approach that Beltway lawmakers are considering would make it worse. 

The Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL) has released the following statement in relationship to the Louisiana House of Representatives, led by Republicans, passing a budget that makes major cuts to Louisiana higher education and healthcare. The budget is consistent with the party's philosophy to spend no more than is anticipated and to not raise taxes. Here is the statement:

One million dollars down the drain to pay for a special session of the Louisiana legislature. And all for naught. The Governor is hollering that the financial sky is falling and the state is in dire fiscal straights. Legislators protest that their hands are tied by too many constitutional dedications. And since there is little appetite for trimming the budget, the legislature now begins its regular gathering at the state capitol with a shortfall of over one billion dollars.

Today, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards released his $25.3 billion “doomsday” Louisiana operating budget outlining the worse case scenario for the upcoming budget year. The budget would devastate health services and sharply cut into the TOPS program.  After the budget was released, the Democrats released a statement concerned about what they call $2.4 billion dollars in cuts.

Edwards wants the Republican-controlled legislature to pass a replacement tax package.

According to a recent report on retirement, Louisiana ranks the 7th worse in the nation.  WalletHub, which issues regular reports released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst States to Retire.

The report scored best with Adjusted Cost of Living and worse with life expectancy.

Based upon findings from WalletHub, Louisiana's healthcare delivery might be approrpiately be considered needing intensive care.Specifically, WalletHub claims it is in last place in the nation.  in fact, WalletHub's findings indicates that since 2016, it has dropped from next to last place, to dead last.

Louisiana dead last in healthcare rank claims Wallethub