US EditionLouisiana ending Medicaid contract with UnitedHealthcare — What this means for you
The contract ends amid allegations of overcharging Medicaid recipients, affecting 333,246 members who will transition to other plans starting Jan. 1, 2026.
- Medicaid Director Seth Gold said in a Dec. 2 letter that LDH will not renew its contract with UnitedHealthCare of Louisiana, which expires Dec. 31, initiating a member transition for January 1, 2026.
- State officials cite noncompliance and document disputes as the move follows litigation alleging insurers and pharmacy benefit managers overcharged Medicaid recipients.
- Public contract documents show Aetna's $2.59 billion deal is larger than UnitedHealthCare's $2.06 billion contract, with the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal siding with UnitedHealthcare.
- LDH says enrollees will be automatically reassigned to one of the five remaining Medicaid providers using an algorithm for plan assignment prioritizing families and primary care providers, and recipients have 90 days to switch .
- Lawmakers say they were blindsided when Gov. Jeff Landry's administration reversed course, leaving about 488,500 residents uncertain as transitions occur over the next two weeks and Christmas, with other private insurers expected to absorb enrollees.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Louisiana yanks a Medicaid contract, pushing 330,000 people to other plans
Louisiana has halted a contract with UnitedHealthcare to provide Medicaid coverage for roughly 333,000 people in Louisiana, less than a month before next year’s agreement was set to take effect.
Louisiana Illuminator
Louisiana abruptly cuts two Medicaid contracts, putting care options for 488,500 in limbo
The Louisiana Department of Health sent letters last week to Aetna and UnitedHealthCare announcing their contract extensions with the state had been dropped for 2026. (Getty Images)Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration is abruptly ending contracts with two of the six companies that provide Medicaid insurance in Louisiana, a move that could leave 488,500 residents uncertain of what health care they will have starting Jan. 1. Seth Gold, Louisiana’s M…
Louisiana cutting only one Medicaid contract after initially saying it'd end two, LDH confirms
BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration ended contracts with one of the six companies that provide Medicaid insurance in Louisiana after initially saying it would end contracts with two companies.Seth Gold, Louisiana’s Medicaid director, sent short letters last week to the CEOs of Aetna Better Health of Louisiana and UnitedHealthCare of Louisiana announcing their contract extensions with the state had been dropped for 2026. WBRZ obtained…
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