BATON ROUGE - The private operators of LSU's charity hospitals are in line for a $135 million boost in their payments as part of new deals struck by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration.

State lawmakers are being asked Friday to increase financing for the privatization deals to nearly $1.3 billion in the current budget year.

Part of the increase is coming from increased federal Medicaid financing.

The state needs to put up some money to draw down the federal dollars. It is using money from LSU's New Orleans and Shreveport medical schools, along with money from community hospitals that work with the privatized LSU facilities as the match.

The university's medical schools will benefit from the new financing, because the renegotiated hospital deals include more money for the services of LSU doctors.