An Un-PHO-gettable Experience
October 17, 2018
Quick Questions for the People in Charge | Ernie Griffin
October 17, 2018
CHABERT DISCUSSES THE STATE SURPLUS, HEALTH CARE AND MORE
The Legislative Session is over in Louisiana. It has been so for some time.
But politics are always spinning — especially given the current budgetary climate in the state.
State Senator Norby Chabert took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss some happenings in the current political arena.
In this wide-ranging Q&A, he discusses the current budget surplus, as well as giving his thoughts on the state of health care in Louisiana.
Q: What are some things going on in the healthcare realm right now that are worth noting?
A: Well, we just recently got a $30 million grant to combat Opioid addiction in our state. We’re very happy about that. This, as you know, is a major problem in our state and in our country right now. In Louisiana, the rates are particularly high. (By the time this publication comes out), we will have had a committee meeting and one of the things we’re going to be talking about is that grant and why it’s needed here. From my understanding, it will be spread out over multiple agencies. I think that’s great. Another thing worth noting and another area that I think is starting to finally get some recognition and some funding is mental healthcare services. That area has long needed some focus and concentration and I’m happy to say that there’s new attention being brought to how we can provide that better for our people, as well. There are a lot of non-profits in the area that have taken advantage of federal grants. That’s something we should be proud of locally. And another thing is the Chabert/TGMC/Ochsner partnership. That is continuing to be the model for the state in terms of the new version of governmental healthcare delivery services and how it should look. The doctors at SLMA are doing a wonderful job of administering health care to our region. They’re winning awards. They’re outperforming Ochsner’s metrics. It’s truly impressive. I’ve always said that Louisiana had the perfect form of health care delivery from a governmental standpoint. It just needed to be tweaked, but the delivery model was right on. While it was not working in a lot of areas, it sure was working on our bayous. That Ochsner partnership has come in and streamlined a lot of things and they have that business mindset to get the most for our taxpayer dollars.
Q: There are reports of a sizable surplus in Louisiana’s government budget. Can any of that be used for some of this health care push?
A: The budget surplus can’t be spent on health care. It can only be spent in a handful of ways and they’re debt-oriented or construction-oriented. Direct effect for the healthcare industry will be non-existent with the surplus.
Q: Hospitals have been cut so heavily in years past. Can they continue on at a high level of service if things do not change?
A: Well, I want to say out-front that I don’t know if I agree with you. In terms of Department of Health and healthcare funding being hit when we’re in times of budget deficits, yes, you’re right. They’ve felt it. However, you’re talking about a $10 billion portion of our budget. The cuts they’re taking don’t even equate to a percentage point. There’s a lot of fat — and look, I know the word fat is not the right word to use — but for lack of a better term, there’s a lot of areas where they can cut fat administratively to where it doesn’t affect patient care, which is the No. 1 priority. Frankly, I think legislators have managed to realize that you can only cut so much in healthcare before you start affecting patient care and we have never let it get to that point. We’ve cut other services and we’ve budgeted more responsibly — all while taking into account the needs of the patient.•
BY CASEY GISCLAIR
