| June 14, 2006 - (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter sent a letter today to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the Secretary Fred Cerise of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals applauding the LRA for its reconsideration of bold reforms to Louisiana’s health care system. This letter follows up on one Vitter sent recently regarding the need for health care reform in the state of Louisiana. The text of the letter follows: June 14, 2006 VIA FACSIMILE AND U.S. MAIL IMMEDIATE ATTENTION REQUESTED The Honorable Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Governor of Louisiana P.O. Box 94004 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9004 Secretary Fred Cerise Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals P.O. Box 629 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0629 Dr. Norman Francis Chair, Louisiana Recovery Authority 525 Florida Street 2nd Floor Baton Rouge, LA 70801-1732 Dr. Mary Ella Sanders Chair, LRA Task Force on Public Health & Healthcare 525 Florida Street 2nd Floor Baton Rouge, LA 70801-1732 Dear Governor Blanco, Secretary Cerise, Chairman Francis, and Chairwoman Sanders: I am writing to follow up on my letter dated May 26, 2006, in which I expressed my very strong concern about the Louisiana Recovery Authority (the “LRA”) backing away from a historic opportunity to reform Louisiana’s health care system. I understand that reconsideration of this issue will now be an agenda item at your next meeting tomorrow, Thursday, June 15, and I applaud you for your reconsideration. Additionally, I was pleased to read in an Associated Press article dated June 13 that you now plan to present a detailed health care reform plan to the federal government by October of this year. This is a crucial step in gaining further support from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, who pledged the full support of his office to help Louisiana achieve bold, necessary, and fundamental reforms by waiving various federal requirements that would give Louisiana flexibility in using federal dollars. I would like to reiterate the importance of truly fundamental reform of Louisiana’s health care delivery system. I continue to urge the LRA and state government to push for a real overhaul of our system that emphasizes quality-based, integrated, primary, and preventive patient care. Specifically, the PricewaterhouseCoopers report recommends integrating Louisiana's two-tier system – moving from a system of private hospitals for the insured and the Charity hospitals for the uninsured into an integrated model of care that includes physicians, nurses, clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms. These are necessary and forward-looking reforms that will dramatically improve the health of all Louisianans. Again, I thank all of you as well as the other members of the LRA and others in Louisiana state government for your leadership and willingness to revisit these issues. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance. Sincerely, David Vitter United States Senator Cc: Secretary Michael Leavitt |