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Landry-backed insurance bill passes
Opponents say measure will drive insurers out of the state 2025 LEGISLATURE
BY TYLER BRIDGES
Staff writer
Over the strong objections of Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple and the insurance industry, the House deferred to Gov. Jeff Landry and gave final passage to a bill Tuesday that he says will make it harder for insurance companies to raise rates. Temple objects because he says the measure, House Bill 148, will allow the insurance commissioner to reject rate increases without justification. That, he adds, will discourage companies from investing in Louisiana, and the
reduction in competition will make it harder to keep rates down — the opposite of what Landry says. Allstate and State Farm officials met privately with the governor to express their opposition to a provision added in the Senate late May 21 that will require insurance companies to reveal rate-setting information that has been secret. The provision is so bad that it will
Gov. Jeff Landry says legislation passed Tuesday by the House will make it harder for companies to raise car insurance rates.
outweigh any of the measures passed this year and last year by Landry and legislators that they said would hold down property and car insurance rates, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, which represents 38% of the insurance market share in Louisiana, wrote in a letter to the governor Tuesday. The bill is “likely to decrease competition by discouraging insurers from devoting capital to the state,” said the letter. Another group, the Insurance
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
ä See INSURANCE, page 4A
School food legislation advances
More than 100K in La. could lose Medicaid House bill requires 80 hours a month of work to qualify
BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer
chasing American agricultural products for school meals, which it says would bolster the economy and give students access to fresher food. The effort to get more local produce into schools could be complicated by recent cuts by the Trump administration to U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that help food banks and schools purchase food from local farmers. Related bills include Senate Bill 117 by Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, which seeks to ban “ultra-processed” foods from school breakfasts and lunches, and
Tucked inside the “big, beautiful bill” recently advanced by the U.S. House is a first-ever federal work requirement for Medicaid recipients. Starting at the end of 2026, the legislation would require that most childless adults document 80 hours a month of work, school or volunteering before they can enroll in the government health insurance program for people with limited incomes. The Congressional Budget Office projects the change would save about $280 billion over six years. In Louisiana, however, it could also knock 139,000 to 158,000 adults off Medicaid in the first year — one of the largest per capita losses of any state, according to a study from the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that conducts economic and social policy research. Roughly 1.6 million Louisianans, or one-third of the population, currently relies on the program. Proponents such as House Speaker Mike Johnson say the mandate will curb fraud, restore the “dignity of work,” and ensure taxpayers aren’t funding coverage for able-bodied adults who can support themselves. Critics argue that most adults on Medicaid already work or qualify for exemptions. They fear the new
ä See FOOD, page 5A
ä See MEDICAID, page 4A
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Among the bills being considered by the Legislature are proposals meant to eventually prohibit public schools and private schools that receive public funding from serving or selling highly processed food and drinks.
State’s effort aligns with U.S. health secretary’s agenda BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer
Louisiana lawmakers want schools to serve more locally made, nutritious meals and get rid of highly processed products, as they join the Trump administration in pushing for healthier food options. An assortment of bills and resolutions making their way through the state Legislature aim to reshape Louisiana food policies to align with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, which seeks to reduce chronic illness and obesity. Among the legislation are propos-
als meant to eventually prohibit public schools and private schools that receive public funding from serving or selling highly processed food and drinks. The state House of Representatives on Thursday passed two resolutions by Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, focused on school meals. One calls on the state education department to study the potential costs of banning certain artificial ingredients and additives from school foods and drinks, including some food dyes, and report back with their findings ahead of next year’s legislative session. The other resolution calls on Congress to support giving schools funding to prioritize pur-
Judge calls for dismissing parts of suit against Acadian Ambulance BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
breach. Magistrate Judge Carol Whitehurst, U.S. District Court, Western A federal magistrate judge is District of Louisiana in Lafayette, recommending the dismissal of made the recommendations May some parts of a federal class- 19 on Acadian Ambulance’s motion action lawsuit against Acadian to dismiss a consolidated amended Ambulance for a cybersecurity class action lawsuit over a 2024
Staff writer
WEATHER HIGH 84 LOW 73 PAGE 6B
data breach of customers’ and employees’ personal information. A cybercriminal organization, Daixin Team, allegedly stole as many as 2.9 million Acadian customers’ and employees’ personal information, including Social Security numbers, birth dates and
medical records, and sought a ransom. When Acadian refused to pay, Daixin Team claimed it published the information on the dark web where it could be used by identity thieves. The plaintiffs allege Acadian was negligent, breached an implied
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contract, breached its fiduciary duty and violated the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices and consumer protection laws. They also sued for declaratory judgment and equitable relief and asserted
ä See ACADIAN, page 5A
100TH yEAR, NO. 332