How did we get here

Obviously Governors Kennedy and Landry and Henry consider this ancient history by now. But it's nonetheless worth noting how we got here.

Templeton, the New Iberia chief for IMC, said the downturn in the oil and gas industry has hurt the Acadiana economy, including those who provide health care. But, he said, the real economic crusher for the state’s medical community has been Louisiana’s reluctance to expand Medicaid coverage for the poor.

That situation is changing: On Wednesday, Louisiana started enrolling more people in Medicaid, the federal health insurance for poor people.

Templeton said, “For many years, we left significant federal matching dollars on the table,” which “caused significant stress on all of the health care providers across our state.”

Medicaid expansion was blocked by former Gov. Bobby Jindal, who sought to fortify his conservative bona fides for a run at the Republican presidential nomination.