LSU seeks company to handle health plan
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LSU will this month seek a firm to handle the administrative functions of a managed-care health insurance plan it is gearing up to launch, an LSU system vice president said Thursday.
The move comes as LSU positions itself to be a player in the Jindal administration’s proposed health-care delivery system restructuring for the poor, said Dr. Fred Cerise, who oversees LSU’s medical education and public hospital programs.
Cerise told the LSU Board of Supervisors that nine national firms have expressed interest in administering LSU’s network of health-care service providers.
The state Department of Health and Hospitals is in the midst of negotiations with federal officials for approval of an experiment under which Medicaid managed care plans would be established in the Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lake Charles and Shreveport areas.
Gov. Bobby Jindal wants approval by year’s end when there will be a change in the administration in Washington.
Medicaid is the government health insurance program for the poor and uninsured.
Under the plan, there would be medical networks of care. The state would oversee managed care networks that public and private health-care providers would put together. Primary-care physicians and clinics would provide “medical homes” and act as gatekeepers, referring patients to specialists and hospitals as needed.
Today, the state relies on the LSU public hospital system to care for the poor and uninsured.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt has said he wants the state to stop relying so heavily on the charity system for care delivery.
Cerise said LSU has the network of providers to be a major player in the Medicaid experiment through its established medical programs.
“We think we have the ability to participate in any of the changes happening in Medicaid right now,” Cerise said.
Cerise said LSU will request proposals from companies to operate the business function of the managed care operation, including members services and paying claims.
Nine nationally-recognized groups responded to an earlier solicitation to gauge interest by firms in doing the work, Cerise said.
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