Center on Budget

As the Legislature heads toward a long-anticipated special session, some conservatives have tried blaming Louisiana’s Medicaid program - instead of expiring temporary taxes -  for the state’s ongoing structural budget deficits.

Number of the Day

$115 billion - Estimated annual cost of the ongoing opioid crisis in 2017. Most of the cost is due to lost earnings and productivity from overdose deaths. (Source: Altarum via Axios)