by Halle Parker, Verite, Louisiana Illuminator
July 15, 2025

Now, Louisiana could lose up to $35 billion in federal Medicaid dollars over the next decade under the sweeping cuts to the program in the latest budget reconciliation law, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Policy analysts with the nonprofit KFF estimate that more than 200,000 Louisiana residents could lose their insurance in the next decade as the provisions of the law unfold.

Griffin and other community health providers in New Orleans worry there won’t be enough funds to provide care when the number of uninsured patients starts to rise.

“We know that our uninsured population is going to go up, so how do we cover the cost of care for those individuals?” Griffin said. “ We don’t want them going to the emergency room, which is going to cost the whole system and the state more money.”

Community health centers aim to lower emergency room visits and increase access to preventative care by reducing barriers, such as cost, distance or language. They also help patients enroll in Medicaid or plans subsidized under the Affordable Care Act.

After Louisiana expanded Medicaid eligibility, the number of uninsured people plummeted by 60% in the following four years. By 2023, more than a third of New Orleans residents were enrolled in Medicaid.

Under the new law, Medicaid recipients will eventually be required to work at least 80 hours a month and verify their eligibility twice a year. Both provisions will steeply increase the administrative burden on both patients and community health care providers. Griffin said the paperwork requirements could lead to people losing their insurance, and he said New Orleans residents are especially vulnerable because of the sizable self-employed population.

“ How do our musicians, our artists, our culture bearers, who work at their own rate and pace, prove that they’re doing work 20 hours a week?” he said. “ It’s very important that they stay healthy just like everyone else.”

The New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic, which has served artists and culture bearers for more than 20 years, is also bracing for the changes.

Peggy Honore, president of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation, said even the addition of $35 copay for some services — another impending change to Medicaid — could determine whether an artist can receive care.

“ It’s going to be an increased burden on us from a fundraising perspective to make sure that musicians continue to have access to health care,” she said.

Griffin said it isn’t yet clear how to implement the law’s provisions or how much funding community health clinics will receive to help with compliance. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is expected to provide guidance within the next six months. Although Congress has allocated $475 million to help with implementation of the work and eligibility requirements as well as $50 billion toward rural health, Griffin said that money won’t be enough to offset $1 trillion of cuts to the program over the next decade.

Many of the law’s most significant changes to Medicaid, including the work and eligibility requirements, don’t start until the end of 2026 or later. Meanwhile, SarahJane Guidry, CrescentCare’s policy and advocacy director, said the federally qualified health clinic’s team will focus on preparing their patients for the new requirements and training staff to work under the new system.

“ We’re preparing to make sure that that human impact and that burden is as small as it possibly can be,” Guidry said.

On Friday, top Democratic congressional leaders gathered in New Orleans at CrescentCare on Canal Street. U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, joined by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other representatives, said Democrats will try to use any legislative tool available to roll back changes to Medicaid, especially if they gain a majority after midterm elections in 2026.

”We’re gonna find every opportunity to tweak, change and repeal,” Carter said.

As Congress works through a dozen appropriations bills for the next couple fiscal years, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who sits on the appropriations committee, said Democrats plan to propose amendments to reverse parts of the new law. But any such amendments would face an uphill battle in the Republican-led House and Senate.

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The post Louisiana’s community health clinics brace for Medicaid cuts appeared first on lailluminator.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article primarily emphasizes the challenges faced by Medicaid recipients and community health providers due to recent federal Medicaid cuts and new work requirements. It highlights concerns about reduced access to healthcare and increased administrative burdens, while presenting viewpoints from health advocates and Democratic lawmakers who oppose the cuts. The framing is sympathetic to Medicaid expansion and critical of program reductions, which aligns with Center-Left perspectives that favor expanded social safety nets and healthcare access.