Healthcare

Appearing on the national news program Meet the Press, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Sunday that Louisiana would not implement federal health care reform, including an expansion in Medicaid eligibility to cover the working poor and childless adults for the first time. This is a misguided policy that could deprive as many as 400,000 low-income Louisianans of health coverage, and would also hurt health care providers and the state’s economy.

A survey out this week from the Small Business Majority (SBM)—a national advocacy group founded by small business owners—shows that small business owners in Louisiana are in favor of setting up a health insurance exchange. The exchange is one of the main parts of the federal health care law and the majority of owners surveyed say that it would offer real benefits for business.

With the April 17 tax deadline looming, it’s a good time look not just at what we pay to the government each year but what we all get in return. Because while no one especially enjoys paying taxes, they are the  essential building blocks of a fair and open society that gives every citizen the chance to reach their full potential.

While most other states exempt working-poor families from the income tax, Louisiana is one of a small number of states that continue to levy an income tax on working families living in poverty. By reducing state income taxes for working-poor families, Louisiana could help these families work their way toward the middle-class, according to an annual report on state income tax trends.