The Times Picayune in its "Briefing Book" of November 1 published the following: The high powered Washington D.C., lobbying firm of Patton Boggs has been brought in to help Governor Jindal's administration to convince Congress to give Louisiana a break from a costly change in the Medicaid match rate. "We need representation up there that goes beyond our own delegation, Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said." This is related to the issue that Louisiana may be forced to make deep cuts to its health care budget because the federal Medicaid match rate is scheduled to drop from 80% to 63% in January 2011.
State officials have argued for months that the formula that determines the match rate is unfair to Louisiana because the state's average personal income was artificially inflated after Katrina by the influx of federal relief dollars. The state can not legally hire a lobbying firm so Levine enlisted the help from private health-care providers who thru LRA Support Foundation hired the lobbying firm and is paying for it. It was noted in the article that the private health-care providers would be the biggest financial losers if the state is forced to make deep cuts to its health-care budget.
The state of Louisiana is represented in Congress to serve the people on issues such as this yet the state is getting involved with a lobbying group financed by the private health-care industry who will be looking out for their own well being and not the state and its people. In other words hire a lobbying firm instead of relying on the people's representation to handle the problem. How can lobbyist know more about the problem than our elected officials? The answer is they don't but money talks which is why our elected officials should be outraged if they have any character. Government for the people, by the people has become government for the lobbyist, by the lobbyist.
Maybe Governor Jindal does not have the time to go to Washington himself and speak on behalf of the people of Louisiana and the state because he spends so much of his time outside the state seeking campaign contributions. Leaders have to lead, that is why they are elected. Once again the people of our state come last. The status quo is alive and well. That says it all.
