Recent editorials from Louisiana newspapers:
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Jan. 17
The Times-Picayune on a study that found Louisiana will use up its money for the Children’s Health Insurance Program by the end of February:
Congress voted shortly before Christmas to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program through March. But a new study found that Louisiana and 10 other states will use up their money for CHIP before the end of February.
That means they would not be able to cover all children in their programs beyond the end of January without additional funding, according to researchers at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. There is a pool of money meant to help states cover that gap, but it is unclear how long that money will last and which states will get it.
Unless Congress approves long-term funding for CHIP this month, nearly 1.7 million children in a total of 21 states could lose coverage by the end of February, the study found.
“As February 1 approaches and Congress has still not taken action, some states are likely to send notices to families alerting them that their child’s coverage is in jeopardy and may begin procedures to freeze enrollment,” the study says.
The Georgetown analysis should bring a sense of urgency to Congress. But a growing impasse over funding for the entire federal government doesn’t provide much hope for a quick solution.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program expired at the end of September when Congress failed to reauthorize it. The program got a short-term reprieve Dec. 21 when $2.85 billion in extra funding was approved. As the Georgetown study points out, though, that money won’t go as far as hoped for some states.
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy is among those pushing for quick action by Congress. He sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Dec. 14 asking him to make reauthorization of the program a priority.
“Let’s go do it now. We know we’re going to do it. It’s scaring some people, and we need to just go do it now,” he said Jan. 5 on WVUE Fox 8.
“These are kids, and every kid deserves a chance,” he said.
Louisiana’s version of the program, called LaCHIP, has made a dramatic difference in the lives of tens of thousands of children. Roughly 121,000 children and pregnant women in Louisiana who don’t qualify for traditional Medicaid services are covered by LaCHIP currently. Over the past two decades, the program has cut the number of uninsured children in Louisiana significantly.
When CHIP went into effect in 1998, more than 180,000 children statewide lacked insurance. By 2015, that number was down to 45,000, LSU’s Louisiana Health Insurance Survey found.
The state’s rate of uninsured children dropped from 11.1 percent to 3.8 percent between 2003 and 2015, according to the governor’s office.
In a Dec. 12 letter, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and 11 other governors from both parties tried to make Congress understand the importance of continuing the program. The governors’ letter also emphasized the historically strong bipartisan support for CHIP.
States have been looking for ways to continue coverage for children and pregnant women, “but we will need federal support to continue the program. Resources are nearly exhausted and some states already have begun to inform families that their children’s coverage may end on January 31,” the governors’ letter said.
Louisiana would have to come up with $126 million to continue LaCHIP without federal help, Gov. Edwards has said. With the state facing a possible $1 billion gap in the budget year that begins July 1, that seems impossible.
The U.S. House passed a bill in November that would extend CHIP for five years, but there was disagreement over how to pay for the services. The Senate was expected to tackle the legislation and look for funding, but that has yet to happen.
Sen. Kennedy is right. Congress seems certain to reauthorize CHIP eventually. So, do it now - and stop making families worry about losing coverage.
Online: http://www.nola.com/
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Jan. 16
The Advocate of Baton Rouge on the New Orleans Saints losing in the playoffs:
In the early weeks of football season last year, player protests prompted lots of fans to complain that there was more drama on the sidelines than on the field.
But that certainly wasn’t the case with Sunday’s heart-pounding and ultimately heart-breaking playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis.
The game was a reminder of why Americans watch football in the first place - for the prospect of seeing two highly skilled teams face each other in a contest that contains plenty of suspense.
Suspense was surely the order of the day on Sunday, as the Saints, down 17-0 at halftime, rallied to a 24-23 lead with 25 seconds on the clock. Those seconds left just enough time for the Vikings’ Stefon Diggs to score a touchdown. The final score, 29-24, ended the Saints’ hopes for a return to the Super Bowl this year.
The Saints’ loss will be debated a long time, and many fans have already lamented it as a disaster. But a state touched by hurricanes and floods knows what a real disaster looks like, and Sunday’s stunner at U.S. Bank Stadium is, by comparison, something Who Dat Nation can handle.
We congratulate the Saints on an exciting season. Now it’s time to seek the comforts of Carnival.
Online: http://www.theadvocate.com/
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Jan. 17
Daily Comet of Thibodaux on state business licensing:
Gov. John Bel Edwards has not enjoyed the best relationship with the state’s business community.
But he recently put forward some signals that he is willing to make some common-sense efforts toward ending the current state of over-regulation by Louisiana’s government.
Our state’s burdensome licensing for businesses across the board is a hindrance to commerce and has a negative impact on the very consumers these requirements are supposed to protect.
For instance, why would the state have an interest in licensing florists (where we are the only state that does so) or interior designers (where we are one of just four states)?
Is there a grave danger involved in having furniture placed improperly around a room? Would consumers suffer damage if they purchased poorly designed flower arrangements?
Of course not.
These requirements are simply overreaches for a government that has, or should have, other, higher priorities.
Edwards said this week of the regulation of florists: “I’m not sure why we do that.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t have to wait for a government interest to defend the law.
Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain’s office administers the floral licenses and others.
“If you’re running a floral business, you have to have a license - you have to know what you’re doing,” Strain said. “(Without licensing), you’re going to set up a situation where anybody can open a floral shop and there’s no method to regulate the industry and protect the public.”
The obvious question is, from what? What is the down side to having the market decide which florist creates the most beautiful arrangements? Why is there a government stake in esthetic decisions that can easily be made by individuals?
Keeping the license requirements does have real-world impacts. For instance, by creating an artificial barrier to those who would enter the business world, the regulations work to weed out competition and hike the cost to consumers. Anyone who has to pay for a license is going to charge customers to recoup that cost.
It also has a cost to taxpayers overall. The Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Interior Designers spends tens of thousands of dollars each year that could be better spent on just about any other government expense.
People who buy flowers, hire interior designers and make thousands of other market decisions are capable of doing so without the interference and cost of government involvement.
Certainly, some licenses ensure that people who perform potentially dangerous tasks are equipped and trained to do so. But in many instances, Louisiana would be better off without these onerous requirements.
Let’s hope Edwards and the Legislature are able to work together to forge a better path forward for a state that has endured these laws for far too long.
Online: http://www.dailycomet.com/
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