Kaylee Poche Archives - Louisiana Budget Project

June 1, 2018

House budget with major holes advances to the Senate

TOPS scholarships, mental health services, substance abuse treatment and local sheriffs are just a few of the priorities that would be hit by severe cuts in the latest version of the 2018-19 budget that cleared the House on Thursday.

Number of the Day

25 - Number of inmates who died in East Baton Rouge Parish Jail from 2012-16 - a rate that is 2.5 times the national average. (Source: Reuters)

February 8, 2018

Medicaid spending lower than expected

Louisiana’s Medicaid program has become a scapegoat for fiscal conservatives, who falsely blame the federal-state health care program for the state’s structural budget shortfall. In reality, state spending per enrollee is relatively low compared to other states and the Medicaid expansion is saving state general fund dollars.

Number of the Day

23.49- Percentage drop in Louisiana’s total enrollment in individual marketplace plans between 2017 to 2018, the largest drop of any state. (Source: National Academy for State Health Policy)

February 2, 2018

A fiscal reality check

A common refrain among state House leaders is that Gov. John Bel Edwards is not looking hard enough at spending when confronting the state’s fiscal problems. But that’s largely Washington D.C.-style rhetoric, says Stephanie Riegel with the Baton Rouge Business Report.

Number of the Day

62 - Percentage of Americans who believe government does not provide enough help to poor people, while 64 percent believe government provides too much help to wealthy people. (Source: Pew Research Center)