You are invited to take part in a research study analyzing the effects of Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion in 2016. This study is being conducted by Tulane and Louisiana State University. You have been selected because we believe you to be a primary care provider treating adult Medicaid patients from the state of Louisiana.

Participating in this study will require you to complete the following survey. Within the letter that contained this survey link we have enclosed a gift certificate worth $20 as a gift to you, which you may keep regardless of whether you complete the survey. There are no known risks or discomforts associated with this survey. Taking part in this study is completely voluntary, and your responses will remain confidential. You may skip any questions you choose not to answer. In total, this survey will be sent to 3,000 providers. Any report or subsequent paper produced using survey data will not include your name or any other identifiable information.

Please take the survey by clicking here: Tulane Medicaid Provider Survey

Or by directly accessing the following link: http://lsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cIqBzfbUzDHCI2V

If you have questions, please contact Dr. Janna Wisniewski at [email protected] or by phone at (504) 988-1942. If you would like to talk with someone who is not directly involved in the study, you can contact the Tulane Institutional Review Board at [email protected]. Completing this survey indicates that you are a primary care provider in Louisiana and that you consent to participate in the research.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Regards,

Janna Wisniewski, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Global Health Management and Policy
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

Note to providers who practice in multiple states: Please base your responses on your experience in Louisiana only.

Background: Louisiana Medicaid was known as “Bayou Health” from November 2011 until 2016. Broadly, Louisiana residents who were children, pregnant, or disabled, and whose income fell below 24% of the Federal Poverty Level were eligible for Bayou Health. Additionally, a special program called the “GNOCHC waiver” provided limited coverage to low-income residents of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines parishes who did not qualify for Bayou Health.

Louisiana expanded Medicaid on July 1, 2016 and re-named the program “Healthy Louisiana.” Under the expansion, residents who earn less than 138% of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible for Medicaid, including those who were previously on a GNOCHC waiver. When we refer to Louisiana Medicaid, we also mean Bayou Health, the GNOCHC waiver, and Healthy Louisiana, as they are all iterations of the same program. Currently, there are five Managed Care Organizations administering Louisiana Medicaid: Aetna Better Health Louisiana, AmeriHealth Caritas of Louisiana, Healthy Blue, Louisiana Healthcare Connections, and United Healthcare Community Plan.