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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for specific ambulatory surgical center procedures
Last action · June 2, 2026: Effective date: 06/02/2026.Sponsors: Michael Echols and 4 others
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What This Bill Does
The Louisiana Department of Health must develop and implement a plan by October 1, 2026, to increase Medicaid managed care and reimbursement rates for gastroenterology, dental, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology procedures performed at .
performing specialized gastroenterology, dental, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology services will receive higher state Medicaid payments, subject to legislative funding appropriations.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
ambulatory surgical centers
Ambulatory surgical centers will have their Medicaid managed care and fee-for-service reimbursement rates adjusted based on outpatient hospital rates or Medicare rates.
Medicaid enrollees
Medicaid enrollees receiving gastroenterology, dental, ophthalmology, or otolaryngology procedures at ambulatory surgical centers are subject to the updated service reimbursement framework.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What procedures are covered by the increased Medicaid reimbursement rates?
By what date must the plan be submitted to the legislature?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
27 actions- Jun 2, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 626.
- Jun 2, 2026HouseEffective date: 06/02/2026.
- Jun 1, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by the President of the Senate.
- Jun 1, 2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
- May 31, 2026HouseEnrolledEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- May 29, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, roll called, yeas 87, nays 6. Senate amendments concurred in.
Show 21 earlier actions
- May 28, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and returned to the Calendar, subject to call.
- May 28, 2026SenateCalled from the Calendar.
- May 28, 2026SenateFloorSenate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 32 yeas and 2 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- May 28, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate with amendments.
- May 28, 2026HouseScheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.
- May 27, 2026SenateFloorRules suspended. Reported with amendments. Rules suspended. Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 27, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- May 21, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.
- May 20, 2026SenateCommitteeReported favorably.
- May 6, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
- May 5, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 88, nays 7. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- May 5, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Apr 29, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 05/05/2026.
- Apr 28, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, amended, ordered reengrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseReported with amendments (17-1).
- Mar 23, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, amended, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations.
- Mar 18, 2026HouseReported with amendments (14-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
- Feb 20, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.
- Feb 18, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 18, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Benchmarking Medicaid to Medicare
The law ties ambulatory surgical center reimbursement rates directly to outpatient hospital rates or 100% of the Medicare rate.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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