Health-care plan called misdiagnosis

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Dec 3, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Members of a panel advising the Jindal administration on its health-care revamp questioned key parts of the proposal Tuesday.

The advisers voiced reservations about the basic idea of moving to a premium-based private insurance model and said Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan fails to address the major stumbling blocks to improving the health-care system used by a quarter of Louisiana’s population.

They specifically mentioned physician shortages and low payments that keep many providers from participating in Medicaid — the government’s health insurance program for the poor.

Also Tuesday, the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics filed a lawsuit in Baton Rouge’s state district court asking state officials to respond to a Nov. 7 public records request seeking information on the Jindal plan.

Tuesday’s meeting of the Medicaid Reform Advisory Group was the first since Jindal and state health chief Alan Levine released a “concept paper” outlining the health-care plan on Nov. 14.

The proposed health-care experiment would move Louisiana away from the “fee for service” program, in which billings are based on services provided.

Jindal wants a system in which state government pays premiums to private insurance companies. The private insurers then would contract doctors, hospitals and other providers to provide medical services in what is called a managed care network.

Levine said the new system would improve people’s health and reduce costs.

The state Department of Health and Hospitals is working on an application to be filed with federal officials seeking a “waiver” to go outside regular health-care regulations to implement the change.

At the advisory meeting, DHH Deputy Secretary Sybil Richard sought comments from panel members on the health-care proposal, launching a two-hour discussion.

Pediatrician Keith Perrin questioned the soundness of the approach.

“I understand you don’t fundamentally appreciate this model,” DHH executive Tony Keck replied. “But we can’t continue to have this conversation about ‘we don’t like this model.’ ”

Keck suggested moving on to discussing the finer points of implementing the plan.