WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - Two former Louisiana health care secretaries are urging Gov. Bobby Jindal to reconsider his opposition to the Medicaid expansion allowed under the federal health overhaul.

David Hood was secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals under Republican former Gov. Mike Foster. Fred Cerise was DHH secretary under Democratic former Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

The two men were featured Friday in a newspaper ad run in The Advocate newspaper calling the Medicaid expansion a good deal for Louisiana.

Hood and Cerise say the inclusion of up to 400,000 uninsured people in the government-run insurance program would improve people's health, be a good financial deal for the state and help Louisiana's health care delivery system.

Jindal says the expansion is an improper growth of a costly and inefficient government entitlement program.