Media Contact:
SarahJane Guidry and Raegan Carter, Co-Chairs
CARE Louisiana
care@wecarelouisiana.org
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August 14, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARE Louisiana Urges CMS to Reconsider Medicaid Community Engagement Rule, Warns of Coverage Losses for Eligible Louisianans

Louisiana – The Coalition of Access, Respect, and Excellence (CARE Louisiana) submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expressing serious concerns about the federal Interim Final Rule establishing Medicaid community engagement requirements for certain Medicaid beneficiaries.

CARE Louisiana, a statewide coalition dedicated to protecting and expanding access to healthcare, warned that the rule will create significant administrative barriers for Medicaid members and the organizations that support them, resulting in eligible Louisianans losing health coverage despite meeting program requirements.

In its comments, CARE Louisiana highlighted four major concerns with the rule:
Restrictive Medical Frailty Standards – CMS’s definition of “medical frailty” adds burdensome and unclear requirements that go beyond those established in statute. The rule would require providers physicians and care coordinators to make difficult determinations about an individual’s functional capacity using standards that remain undefined.
Significant Documentation and Reporting Challenges – Many residents encounter barriers such as limited broadband access, long eligibility processing times, difficulty submitting verification documents, and challenges navigating complex administrative systems.
Unrealistic Implementation Timeline – CMS released the rule on June 1, 2026, with an effective date of July 31, 2026, while requiring states to be fully operational by January 1, 2027. This timeline gives states only six months to develop new eligibility systems, modify technology platforms, train staff, and educate the public. Louisiana’s Medicaid eligibility system is already experiencing processing delays, making successful implementation within the prescribed timeframe highly unlikely.
Serious Human and Economic Consequences – Coverage losses would affect not only individuals and families but also healthcare providers and communities across the state. The coalition warned that people who lose coverage often delay preventive and routine care, leading to more costly health complications and increased reliance on emergency departments.

“Medicaid is a cornerstone of Louisiana’s healthcare system, providing coverage to more than 1.3 million residents,” said CARE Louisiana Chair SarahJane Guidry who also serves as the Director of Policy & Advocacy for CrescentCare Community Health Center in New Orleans. “While most adults enrolled through Medicaid expansion are already working, this rule risks taking healthcare away from eligible people due to reporting challenges and system limitations.”

Co-Chair for the coalition and Director of Health Policy & Governmental Affairs for the Louisiana Primary Care Association, Raegan Carter, also sees the community engagement requirements as a threat to the patients who need Medicaid the most and to the providers who keep them healthy. “Without thoughtfully planned processes and clear language, Louisiana’s most medically vulnerable patients are at risk for losing healthcare coverage. The worst part is that we know that individuals without coverage only get sicker as they delay care, miss appointments, and skip taking regular prescriptions. Six months is simply not enough time to ensure that does not happen.”

CARE Louisiana urged CMS to reconsider the rule and adopt policies that preserve healthcare access while avoiding unnecessary administrative burdens for Medicaid members, providers, and community organizations.

About CARE Louisiana
The Coalition of Access, Respect, and Excellence (CARE Louisiana) exists to advance and protect access to healthcare for all Louisianans. Its members include healthcare providers, consumer advocates, rural health organizations, disability and chronic disease advocates, workforce development organizations, and community-based groups that assist residents in accessing and maintaining healthcare coverage. Founding members of CARE Louisiana include the American Cancer Society, CrescentCare Community Health Center, Invest in Louisiana, the Louisiana Primary Care Association, the Louisiana Public Health Institute, Volunteers of America – Southeast Louisiana, and United Way of Southeast Louisiana.

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