Louisiana again negotiating safety-net hospital term deals
BATON ROUGE - Louisiana is renegotiating the terms of deals with the private members of its safety-net hospitals and services, in what is becoming an annual bargaining session aimed at keeping state costs in check.
Gov. John Bel Edwards' lead negotiator, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, says drafts of the latest contract proposals are out for hospital managers to review.
The main issue in the negotiations is money, with the Edwards administration trying to ensure the deals have caps on the state's financial liability.
The contracts, negotiated by former Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration, will carry a nearly $1.2 billion price tag in the current budget year. Lawmakers reduced spending on the agreements by about 6 percent.
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One deal has been completed, with Louisiana Children's Medical Center, which operates the New Orleans hospital.