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T h u r s d ay, d e c e m b e r 11, 2025
La.’s Medicaid contract decision has deep roots
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UL leader says deficit reduced to $10.5M
At town hall, Kolluru outlines steps taken to address shortfall BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
ment asked lawmakers last month to renew it — Attorney General Liz Murrill has tied it to another issue: a lawsuit over pharmacy benefit managers. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, negotiate drug prices on behalf of health plans. OptumRx has provided that service for the state government, and its parent
In a packed town hall Wednesday afternoon, University of Louisiana at Lafayette interim President Ramesh Kolluru outlined for faculty and staff the steps that have been taken to address the school’s financial woes. During the hour-and-a-half town hall, Kolluru told the more than 200 attendees that he and previous interim President Jai“It has been a mie Hebert had taken steps to eliminate most of UL’s $25 very difficult million deficit and $25 miltime. We know lion recurring annual budget the magnitude shortfall. Through cost-cutting mea- of the problem. We know we sures, including contract cancellations and position are going to eliminations, Kolluru said the collaborate. We deficit for the current fiscal are going to year was down to about $10.5 come together million. to solve that “It has been a very difficult time,” he said during problem.” the meeting. “We know the magnitude of the problem. RAMESH KOLLURU, University We know we are going to of Louisiana collaborate. We are going to come together to solve that at Lafayette problem.” interim president Kolluru’s announcement came with a caveat and a plea: Getting to that financial position is, in part, contingent on departments cutting 10% of their spending. “If we don’t implement that financial discipline that we agreed upon at the beginning of (the fall 2025 semester), that number will not be achievable,” he said. “When that number is not achievable, that bottom-line number becomes much more daunting.”
ä See CONTRACT, page 5A
ä See DEFICIT, page 5A
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill have been embroiled in a legal battle with major health companies over prescription drug prices.
Dispute stems from drug prices, pharmacy benefit managers BY ALYSE PFEIL
Staff writer
Louisiana’s last-minute decision this month not to renew a $4.2 billion contract with UnitedHealthcare to provide Medicaid benefits for roughly 330,000 people is the latest front in a larger battle some state officials are waging against major health companies over prescription drug prices.
That decision, made weeks before new health policies are set to take effect, caught legislators off guard and raised concerns about disruptions for patients. The Louisiana Department of Health has said it will transition recipients to one of the five other existing companies providing Medicaid services. The problem does not appear to be with the UnitedHealthcare contract itself — in fact, the Health Depart-
N.O. sees fewer arrests, quieter protests in Border Patrol sweep Local businesses report labor shortage concerns to officials BY JAMES FINN
Staff writer
When U.S. Border Patrol agents descended onto New Orleans one week ago as part of President Donald Trump’s federal immigration crackdown, local organizers and Democratic officials braced for
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mass arrests. Images from Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina, foreshadowed what could happen. Border Patrol agents in recent months made thousands of arrests, wielded aggressive tactics and clashed with protesters in both cities. But so far in Louisiana, where the Border Patrol operation is dubbed “Catahoula Crunch,” agents appear to have netted fewer arrests — with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security citing the overall number as dozens
without giving specifics. They’ve targeted home improvement store parking lots, worksites and a car wash. Some U.S. citizens and permit-holders have been taken for questioning and then released. And despite criticism from advocates and some local Democratic officials, the scope of the arrests around New Orleans — and the intensity of responsive demonstrations — has remained more muted than in other cities, where mass
ä See SWEEP, page 4A
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Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, center, walks with Border Patrol agents in Kenner on Friday. STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
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