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John Bel Edwards on Health Care
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Pro-life includes helping the poor get access to health care
In 2016, Gov. Edwards took advantage of the federal government's Medicaid expansion offer, the same offer his Republican predecessor had rejected. By the end of 2017, the number of Louisianans without basic health coverage was half
what it had been just the year before. The man himself sees a common principle at work: "The idea of not doing the Medicaid expansion,
I just couldn't reconcile that, because I am pro-life. And the pro-life ethos has to mean more than just the abortion issue.
[Abortion] is fundamental, and I understand how important it is, but it's got to go beyond that. The job isn't over when the baby's born if you've got poor people who need access to health care."
Source: America Magazine on 2019 Louisiana gubernatorial race
, Dec 14, 2018
Medicaid expansion addresses opioid crisis
Medicaid expansion continues to change lives. Most importantly, Medicaid expansion is saving lives. Additionally, expansion is helping us address Louisiana's opioid crisis by giving more people access to the treatment they need. Through expansion,
nearly 16,000 people have received inpatient or outpatient treatment for substance abuse. That's 16,000 more people who have a second chance at life and 16,000 fewer families who will have to suffer the heartbreak of losing a loved one to addiction.
Source: 2018 Louisiana State of the State address
, Mar 12, 2018
Medicaid expansion reduced uninsured by 43% & saved $200M
I cannot overstate how important this decision on Medicaid expansion has been for our state and her people. The numbers speak for themselves:- Nearly 417,000 individuals have received health coverage through Medicaid expansion.
- More than
77,000 individuals have received preventive care services since coverage began July 1, many seeing doctors for the first time in years.
- Louisiana's uninsured rate has dropped from 22 percent in 2013 to below 12.6 percent--a nearly 43 percent drop
in the uninsured rate. It is one of the greatest drops in uninsured rates in the entire country.
- In the process of doing all of this, Louisiana is projected to save nearly $200 million in the first year alone, and we're projected to save more than
$300 million in the next fiscal year.
Our state has reaped tremendous benefits from Medicaid Expansion. We are getting more people treatment, which doesn't just benefit the individuals that make up those statistics, but their families too.
Source: 2017 Louisiana State of the State address
, Apr 10, 2017
Don't delay Medicaid expansion; that ties up LA tax dollars
After the AARP Louisiana forum, the candidates continued the lively debate on Twitter:EDWARDS: @JayDardenne says he would delay Medicaid expansion and receipt of $16B of our tax dollars to submit waiver, delaying care.
DARDENNE: @JohnBelforLA has a
ton of promises, but not the experience nor the votes to get any of his proposals through. I can get it done.
EDWARDS: Thanks for pointing out that expanding Medicaid requires no vote. So no reason to stall, hurt citizens and waste tax dollars.
DARDENNE: Placing Louisiana on the hook, under the current ACA rules, is foolish and insolvent. Try putting Louisiana before party.
EDWARDS: Waiver removes flexibility in how to spend the tax $ we won't get for the 18 months you delay.
DARDENNE:
Untrue. Waiver that #PutLouisianaFirst gives us a chance to address the issue w/o breaking the backs of the taxpayers.
EDWARDS: Continuing to send our federal taxes to other states while we wait for waiver hurts taxpayers. Not the other way around.
Source: 2015 Louisiana gubernatorial debate on Twitter.com
, Aug 8, 2015
Universal health care with guaranteed coverage
Edwards indicated support for the following principles regarding health care.- Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
- Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- Support automatic enrollment of children in federal health care programs such as CHIP and Medicaid.
Source: 2006 State Congressional National Political Awareness Test
, Nov 1, 2002
Page last updated: Apr 17, 2020
