Jindalcare

If you were too filled with holiday mirth to check the morning papers  –  especially the Saturday before Christmas — you may have missed the fact that the venerable Public Affairs Research Council released a detailed analysis of the privatization of Louisiana’s charity hospitals.

But the 45-page report deserves a close reading, and not just because it echoes many of the concerns raised by LBP and others in the past year. While the jury is still out on whether the partnerships will improve quality and control costs, as Gov. Bobby Jindal touts, the report makes it clear that the deals lack sustainable long-term funding.

This, in turn, could lead to cuts in care, unless the Legislature is willing to make up the difference with an infusion of state dollars.