BATON ROUGE, LA (KTAL, KMSS, KSHV) – Courtesy: John Walton (KTAL, KMSS, KSHV)

The Louisiana Department of Health launched a new Medicaid enrollment and eligibility system.

It allows residents to submit an online application and be notified about their eligibility within minutes.

The launch comes a day after the state auditor’s office reported that the DOH may have overspent up to $85 million on recipients who were ineligible for Medicaid. 

“This transition is like upgrading from an old flip-style cellphone to a modern smartphone,” said Dr. Rebekah Gee, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. “The new system will better ensure eligibility by connecting with state and federal databases to automatically provide more information about income, disability, citizenship status, and other eligibility requirements. This is an exciting change, but we do ask recipients to be patient as we transition and respond to any hiccups along the way.”

The Louisiana Department of Health has been working to train eligibility team members on the new system for the last several months. In addition, the Department has implemented rigorous testing on the new system to make adjustments and to ensure a smooth transition. 

Medicaid patients can call 1-888-342-6207 if they have questions or need help navigating the new system.