SLS 16RS-377 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 4
BY SENATOR BARROW
HEALTH SERVICES. Continues the task force to study and make recommendations
concerning health services delivery and financing in the Baton Rouge region.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To continue and provide with respect to the task force to study health services delivery and
3 financing in the Baton Rouge region created by House Concurrent Resolution No.
4 129 of the 2015 Regular Session of the Legislature.
5 WHEREAS, through House Concurrent Resolution No. 129 of the 2015 Regular
6 Session, the legislature formed a task force to study health services delivery and financing
7 in the Baton Rouge region; and
8 WHEREAS, the task force is composed of nineteen members who individually and
9 collectively, possess significant expertise in major aspects of the state's healthcare system,
10 such as direct provision of health services, healthcare financing, development of healthcare
11 workforce, and public health advocacy; and
12 WHEREAS, since its inception, the task force has held regular public meetings to
13 examine issues related to health services delivery and financing in the Baton Rouge region
14 including, without limitation, the following:
15 (1) Barriers to access to healthcare faced by low- to moderate-income persons.
16 (2) Impacts of cuts to federal disproportionate share hospital funding provided
17 through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that finance expansion of Medicaid
18 programs of states which elect to participate in Medicaid expansion.
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SLS 16RS-377 ORIGINAL
1 (3) Effects on public health of the closure of the state-operated public hospital in
2 Baton Rouge and privatization of the services formerly delivered there.
3 (4) Impacts on private hospitals which do not operate under a cooperative endeavor
4 agreement with the state of providing uncompensated care.
5 (5) Policies which could expand the capacity of public and private urgent care clinics
6 to meet the healthcare needs of medically underserved populations; and
7 WHEREAS, considering the profound changes in healthcare delivery and financing
8 in Baton Rouge that have occurred in the past several years, dramatically impacting access
9 to care in the city and surrounding region, the efforts of this task force are vitally important
10 at present and will remain so in the near term; and
11 WHEREAS, as evidenced by final passage of House Bill No. 1493 of the 2010
12 Regular Session requiring reports to the legislature relative to privatization of services of the
13 Earl K. Long Medical Center, which was the first of nine hospitals in the state's ten-hospital
14 system to be privatized, and by extensive debate concerning the state health system in every
15 session since 2010, the legislature continues to express deep concern about the fiscal and
16 public health consequences of hospital privatization since the outset of the privatization
17 efforts; and
18 WHEREAS, these circumstances are of serious concern to policymakers at the city,
19 regional, and state level; and
20 WHEREAS, for the foregoing reasons, continuation of the task force's efforts is a
21 priority of the legislature.
22 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
23 continue the task force to study and make recommendations concerning health services
24 delivery and financing in the Baton Rouge region created by House Concurrent Resolution
25 No. 129 of the 2015 Regular Session.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative authority for the task force shall
27 continue through December 31, 2017.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the membership and purposes of the task force
29 shall continue as provided in House Concurrent Resolution No. 129 of the 2015 Regular
30 Session.
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SLS 16RS-377 ORIGINAL
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
2 mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish, the chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge
3 Area Foundation, the chief executive officer of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical
4 Center, the chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge General Health System, the chief
5 executive officer of Lane Regional Medical Center, the chief executive officer of Ochsner
6 Health System, the coroner of East Baton Rouge Parish, the administrator of East Baton
7 Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services, the chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge
8 Area Chamber, the president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, the lead organizer of Together
9 Baton Rouge, the president of the Capital Area Medical Society, the president of the
10 Campaign for Healthcare for Everyone - Louisiana, the president of the Louisiana Center for
11 Health Equity, and the secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Angela L. De Jean.
DIGEST
SCR 4 Original 2016 Regular Session Barrow
Continues and provides with respect to the 19-member task force to study and make
recommendations concerning health services delivery and financing in the Baton Rouge
region created by HCR No. 129 of the 2015 Regular Session.
Specifies that the membership and purposes of the task force shall continue as provided in
HCR No. 129 of the 2015 Regular Session.
Provides that legislative authority for the study committee shall continue through December
31, 2017.
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