Louisiana Medicaid is changing: What families need to know before 2027

BATON ROUGE, La. — Hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents will have to deal with a new Medicaid health plan in the coming months, but the change does not mean they are automatically losing Medicaid.

The biggest immediate change involves Healthy Blue, which will stop providing Medicaid coverage in Louisiana on Dec. 31. More than 290,000 Medicaid members currently enrolled with Healthy Blue will have to move to another Medicaid health plan for 2027.

At the same time, Louisiana is reducing the number of private companies managing its Medicaid program, while the state's overall Medicaid enrollment has declined.

For people who depend on Medicaid to see a doctor, get prescriptions or pay for medical treatment, the changes can be confusing.

Here is what Louisiana residents need to know.

If you have Healthy Blue, your Medicaid is not automatically ending

This is the most important point.

Healthy Blue is leaving. Medicaid is not.

If you are currently enrolled in Healthy Blue and remain eligible for Medicaid, you will continue using your Healthy Blue coverage through Dec. 31, 2026.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, you will receive Medicaid coverage through one of four remaining health plans:

• Aetna Better Health
• AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana
• Humana Healthy Horizons
• Louisiana Healthcare Connections

The Louisiana Department of Health says the change in insurance company does not itself change a person's Medicaid eligibility.

Healthy Blue members have an important deadline

Healthy Blue members will receive information about the transition by mail.

The special enrollment period for affected members runs from:

Oct. 15 through Nov. 16, 2026

During that period, members can choose their new Medicaid health plan.

Members can make their selection online, through the Healthy Louisiana mobile app or by calling 855-229-6848.

What if you don't choose?

You will not automatically lose Medicaid.

Instead, Louisiana Medicaid will assign you to one of the four remaining plans.

State officials say the assignment system will try to keep family members together and place people in plans that include their current doctors and other providers.

Still, choosing a plan yourself gives you an opportunity to check whether it works with the doctors, hospitals and medications you use.

Before choosing, check your doctor

This may be the most practical advice for Healthy Blue members.

Do not choose a new plan based solely on the name of the insurance company.

First, find out:

• Does my doctor accept the plan?
• Does my specialist accept it?
• Is my hospital in the plan's network?
• Is my pharmacy included?
• Are my prescriptions covered?
• Will my current treatment continue?

Changing insurance companies can be more than changing a card in your wallet. It can affect where you receive medical care.

Louisiana says it will try to place members with plans accepted by their existing providers when members are automatically assigned.

What happens to people already receiving treatment?

Louisiana has established a transition protection for Healthy Blue members.

The new Medicaid plan must continue covering medical services that were previously authorized by Healthy Blue during the first 60 days of 2027. That includes previously authorized prescription medications.

That protection is designed to prevent patients from suddenly losing access to care simply because their insurance company changed.

Patients should nevertheless contact their new plan and doctors to make sure their records, prescriptions and authorizations have transferred correctly.

Why are two Medicaid companies leaving?

Healthy Blue is the second major private Medicaid insurer to leave Louisiana this year.

UnitedHealthcare left the state's Medicaid program at the end of March. Healthy Blue will leave at the end of December.

Together, the departures have affected hundreds of thousands of Medicaid members and forced the state to redistribute those patients among the remaining companies.

Louisiana began 2026 with six private Medicaid managed-care plans. Four will remain in 2027.

The four remaining companies are expected to take on additional members.

Louisiana will pay the remaining companies billions

The state has proposed new contracts totaling approximately $16.1 billion for 2027 for the four remaining Medicaid insurers.

Those contracts still require legislative approval.

The individual contracts range from about $3.2 billion to $5.8 billion.

That may make it sound as though Louisiana is spending more on Medicaid.

But there is an important distinction.

The state actually expects total Medicaid spending to decrease.

Louisiana projects Medicaid spending of approximately:

2026: $16.7 billion

2027: $16.1 billion

State Medicaid officials say the decrease is largely related to lower enrollment.

The remaining insurers are receiving larger contracts because they are taking on patients from companies that are leaving. At the same time, the total number of people enrolled in Medicaid has declined.

Medicaid enrollment has fallen

Louisiana's Medicaid enrollment has dropped by approximately 176,000 people this year, according to state officials.

Enrollment fell from about 1.5 million people in December to approximately 1.3 million this month.

That decline is important because losing Medicaid coverage and changing Medicaid plans are two different things.

Someone who moves from Healthy Blue to another Medicaid company is still covered if they remain eligible.

Someone whose Medicaid eligibility has ended faces a different situation.

That is why residents who receive notices about their Medicaid eligibility should read them carefully and respond to requests for information or renewal paperwork.

What if you don't have health insurance at all?

This is an important point for people who are uninsured.

You do not have to wait for the Healthy Blue enrollment period to apply for Medicaid.

Medicaid applications can be made throughout the year.

Louisiana residents can check their eligibility or take action on their Medicaid coverage through MyMedicaid.la.gov or by calling Louisiana Medicaid at 1-888-342-6207.

People who do not qualify for Medicaid may also be able to obtain coverage through the federal Affordable Care Act Marketplace.

The Marketplace's 2027 Open Enrollment period begins Nov. 1, 2026.

The regular enrollment period ends Jan. 15, 2027. People who enroll by Dec. 15 can generally have coverage beginning Jan. 1.

Some people can enroll outside that period if they experience a qualifying life event, such as losing other health coverage, getting married, having a baby or moving.

Don't assume you don't qualify

People who are uninsured should check their options even if they believe they make too much money for Medicaid.

Eligibility can depend on factors including household income, family circumstances, age, pregnancy, disability and the type of Medicaid program involved.

Children and pregnant women, for example, may qualify for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program even when other members of the household do not qualify for the same program.

There is another Medicaid change coming in 2027

The insurance-company changes are only part of the story.

New federal Medicaid requirements are also scheduled to take effect in 2027 for certain adults covered through the Medicaid expansion.

Those requirements include new rules involving work, education, community service or other qualifying activities for certain people, with exemptions for some individuals.

That means some Medicaid recipients will have additional requirements to meet to maintain coverage.

For those families, keeping Medicaid will require paying close attention to notices, deadlines and requests for documentation.

What Louisiana Medicaid members should do now

If you have Healthy Blue:

1. Watch your mailbox.
Healthy Blue says affected members will receive information about the transition.

2. Mark Oct. 15 on your calendar.
That is when the special enrollment period begins.

3. Compare the four plans.
Check your doctors, specialists, hospital, pharmacy and prescriptions.

4. Choose your new plan by Nov. 16.
Don't wait until the last minute.

5. If you do nothing, Louisiana will assign you a plan.

If you don't have insurance:

1. Apply for Medicaid now. You don't have to wait for Open Enrollment.

2. If you don't qualify for Medicaid, check the ACA Marketplace.

3. Remember Nov. 1, 2026. That's when 2027 Marketplace Open Enrollment begins.

4. Don't ignore letters from Medicaid or the Marketplace. A missed notice can become a missed deadline.

The bottom line

Louisiana's Medicaid system is changing, but not everyone is affected in the same way.

For the more than 290,000 people with Healthy Blue, the immediate issue is choosing a new Medicaid plan for 2027.

For people already enrolled in one of the four remaining plans, the Healthy Blue transition does not require them to change plans simply because Healthy Blue is leaving.

For people who have no insurance, Medicaid can be applied for year-round, while the 2027 ACA Marketplace enrollment period begins Nov. 1.

The most important message for Louisiana families is simple:

Don't wait until you need medical care to find out what insurance you have. Check your coverage, read your notices, know your deadlines and make sure your doctor and medications are covered.

For Medicaid information: Louisiana Medicaid — 1-888-342-6207.

For Healthy Blue members choosing a new plan: 855-229-6848 or the official Healthy Louisiana plan-selection site.