Expanding access to child care in Baton Rouge

An additional 100 children in Baton Rouge will have access to local child care next school year because of private donations and dollars from Louisiana’s Early Childhood Education Fund. The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Charles Lussier explains how the fund works, and the impact early education has on a child’s future: 

The state fund, created in 2017, finances one-for-one matches for private donations that help teach economically disadvantaged children, from infants up to three years of age. … “We know from the research that few investments have a greater impact on a child’s future than high-quality early education. These funds help make that quality accessible—supporting working families today while strengthening economic mobility for the next generation,” said David Beach, president and chief executive officer of the Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation.

What’s in a name?

The financial arms race in college sports is prompting Louisiana higher education officials to consider selling the naming rights to LSU’s athletic facilities. The plan comes as LSU looks for new revenue to pay $75 million in buyouts owed to former coaches and administrators, while satisfying big contracts handed out to new coaches and meeting its NIL commitments. While college officials look for corporate sponsors, some state legislators are pitching a plan to have Tiger Stadium renamed after President Donald Trump – but only if the White House were to come through with federal aid. The Illuminator has the scoop:

The Legislative Fiscal Office estimates that Tiger Stadium naming rights could fetch about $10 million per year – or enough to offset Lane Kiffin’s annual salary. Smaller venues could be named after the president’s various children and top cabinet members. “How cool would it be for Tiger fans to someday drive across the Trump bridge to get to Trump stadium?” said state Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, who is co-sponsoring the measure. “It would add a whole new meaning to the phrase Death Valley.” 

Ensuring coverage for new moms enrolled in Medicaid

Pregnant and postpartum women are exempt from new strict Medicaid work reporting requirements and enhanced eligibility checks that were included in the federal tax and budget megabill. This means some states, for the first time ever, will need to identify pregnant and postpartum women in their Medicaid expansion populations. A new brief from the Urban Institute lays out recommendations states should take to ensure new moms are not kicked off their health coverage:

State Medicaid agencies could use claims and encounter data in a timely manner to identify enrollees who qualify for pregnancy-related exemptions, increase rates of ex parte redeterminations, and strengthen processes, such as by allowing enrollees to self-report pregnancy or postpartum status during renewal. … States could provide clear guidance to enrollees, health care providers, and maternal health stakeholders about OBBBA’s changes to Medicaid eligibility, pregnant and postpartum women’s entitlement to continuous coverage, and their exemption from work requirements and semiannual redeterminations.

Approximately 40% of new moms with Medicaid covered births in Louisiana in 2022 had expansion coverage during the month of their delivery, the second-highest share in the nation. 

Valuing the invaluable 

More than 900,000 Louisianans are caregivers for parents, spouses and other older adults, according to a new report from AARP.  These caregivers provide 920 million hours of care each year, which would be valued at $12.9 billion annually if paid in the marketplace. The report’s authors explain the vital role caregivers play: 

What unites all family caregivers is the substantial value their care provides—not only to those they support but to society at large. This unpaid care generates significant public benefit, including savings for taxpayers, yet it often does so at considerable cost to caregivers’ own health, well-being, and long-term economic security.

Number of the Day

-18.8% – Estimated reduction in Medicaid enrollment in Louisiana by 2035 due to new policies included in the federal tax and budget megabill, the fifth-largest decline in the nation.  (Source: RAND via Governing)