Louisiana legislature opens 2026 session with insurance, education, AI, and carbon capture battles on the agenda

Staff Report BATON ROUGE — Louisiana lawmakers convene Monday at the State Capitol to kick off the 2026 fiscal session, with more than 1,300 bills filed on topics ranging from economic incentives and infrastructure to school safety.  Insurance reform, …

New Louisiana programs shifts pregnancy appointments from the waiting room to the living room

Over the course of a typical pregnancy, a woman is supposed to see her care team roughly 14 times. But for some moms, checkups requiring time off from work, transportation to appointments and help with child care can get pushed to the bottom of the …

Quin Hillyer: Louisiana law is keeping seniors from the nursing homes they need

If you have an elderly parent with health needs requiring nursing home care, but you live in a parish with no nursing home beds available, well … tough luck. That, essentially, is the reality of a cruelly wrongheaded state law in Louisiana which doesn’t …

How Trump’s Medicaid, food stamps overhaul could squeeze Louisiana’s budget

Louisiana is expected to spend an extra $42 million to administer food stamps next year under a provision in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. And another $1.1 billion in Medicaid funding could be at risk because of the law, according to …

Louisiana reaches $45M settlement with CVS Health ending lawsuits

By Greg LaRose Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com) – Louisiana officials have reached a $45 million settlement with CVS Health over a trio of lawsuits the state brought against the national pharmacy chain and its benefits management subsidiary. The …

Audit shows Louisiana Medicaid fiscal efficiency improved

Jura Health, winner of Louisiana Start Up Prize, expands to Shreveport

Penny Lewis wishes that the Jura Health rare disease genetic test had been available during the years that her son Jacoby suffered from a malady that could not seem to be identified. Even now that her son has been diagnosed with the very rare Malan …

Guest Column: Louisiana is fighting Biden-era rule on disability treatment. It shouldn’t be.

My son Connor is a young man with severe disabilities. He lives at home because he receives services through a Home and Community-Based Services, or HCBS, waiver. That waiver is not a bonus program. It is what allows him to wake up in his own bed, spend …

1 In 5 Pregnant Women Say ICE Activity Has Kept Them From Prenatal Care

A new BabyCenter poll of more than 500 pregnant women finds that 1 in 5 say recent ICE activity has deterred them from seeking prenatal care. (Photo by Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) Pacific Press/LightRocket via …

Louisiana budget could face hundreds of millions in shortfalls starting in 2027

Gracie Thomas, Dakota Laszlo, and Kylah Babin | LSU Manship School News Service Federal and state budgeting policies could force Louisiana into structural budget shortfalls approaching $300 million in fiscal 2027 and more than $1 billion by 2029, the …