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HB971 • 2026

MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid reimbursement for rural health clinics (EN +$2,655,159 GF EX See Note)

MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid reimbursement for rural health clinics (EN +$2,655,159 GF EX See Note)

Budget Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Joe Stagni
Last action
2026-06-08
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 859
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid reimbursement for rural health clinics (EN +$2,655,159 GF EX See Note)

MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid reimbursement for rural health clinics (EN +$2,655,159 GF EX See Note)

What This Bill Does

  • MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid reimbursement for rural health clinics (EN +$2,655,159 GF EX See Note)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Filed

Plain English: SSHB971 4465 6140 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 971 2026 Regular Session Stagni MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid reimbursement for rural health clinics Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.

  • SSHB971 4465 6140 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 971 2026 Regular Session Stagni MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid reimbursement for rural health clinics Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.
  • Adds facility need review for types one and two rural health clinics.
  • 2.
  • Provides that the La.
Adopted

Plain English: HCAHB971 2549 4580 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Appropriations to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • HCAHB971 2549 4580 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Appropriations to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 971 by Representative Stagni 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 18, after "later than" and before "the Louisiana" delete "October 1, 2026," 3 and insert "ninety days after the effective date of this Act" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 5 On page 1, after line 19 insert the following: 6 "Section 3.(A) The provisions of Sections 1 and 2 of this Act shall become effective 7 when an Act of the Louisiana Legislature containing a specific appropriation of monies for 8 the implementation of the provisions of this Act becomes effective.
Draft

Plain English: HCAHB971 2549 4447 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Appropriations to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • HCAHB971 2549 4447 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Appropriations to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 971 by Representative Stagni 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 18, after "later than" and before "the Louisiana" delete "October 1, 2026," 3 and insert "ninety days after the effective date of this Act" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 5 On page 1, after line 19 insert the following: 6 "Section 3.(A) The provisions of Sections 1 and 2 of this Act shall become effective 7 when an Act of the Louisiana Legislature containing a specific appropriation of monies for 8 the implementation of the provisions of this Act becomes effective.
Filed

Plain English: 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1702 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 971 BY STAGNI CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/29/2026 Time: 11:29:10 AM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Adams Amedee Bacala Bamburg Beaullieu Berault Billings Boudreaux Bourriaque Boyd Boyer Brass Braud Broussard Bryant Butler Carlson Carrier Carter, R.

  • 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1702 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 971 BY STAGNI CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/29/2026 Time: 11:29:10 AM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Adams Amedee Bacala Bamburg Beaullieu Berault Billings Boudreaux Bourriaque Boyd Boyer Brass Braud Broussard Bryant Butler Carlson Carrier Carter, R.
  • Carver Chassion Chenevert Coates Cox Crews Deshotel Dewitt Dickerson Domangue Echols Edmonston Egan Farnum Firment Fisher Fontenot Freeman Freiberg Gadberry Galle Glorioso Green Hebert Henry, C.
  • Henry, D.
  • Hilferty Horton Illg Jackson Johnson, M.
Adopted

Plain English: SFAHB971 3005 4243 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator McMath to Reengrossed House Bill No.

  • SFAHB971 3005 4243 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator McMath to Reengrossed House Bill No.
  • 971 by Representative Stagni 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 2, change "R.S.
  • 40:2197.1" to "R.S.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-08 H

    Effective date: 06/08/2026.

  2. 2026-06-08 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 859.

  3. 2026-06-01 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-06-01 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-05-31 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-29 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 95, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

  7. 2026-05-27 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.

  8. 2026-05-26 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  9. 2026-05-26 S

    Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  10. 2026-05-21 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  11. 2026-05-20 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  12. 2026-05-20 S

    Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.

  13. 2026-05-14 S

    Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.

  14. 2026-05-13 S

    Reported favorably.

  15. 2026-05-06 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

  16. 2026-05-05 S

    Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  17. 2026-05-05 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 91, nays 6. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  18. 2026-04-29 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/05/2026.

  19. 2026-04-28 H

    Read by title, amended, ordered reengrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  20. 2026-04-27 H

    Reported with amendments (14-0).

  21. 2026-04-07 H

    Read by title, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations.

  22. 2026-04-01 H

    Reported favorably (9-0).

  23. 2026-03-17 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

  24. 2026-03-16 H

    Read by title. Lies over under the rules.

Official Summary Text

MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid reimbursement for rural health clinics (EN +$2,655,159 GF EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
ACT No. 8592026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 971
BY REPRESENTATIVES STAGNI, BERAULT, AND CHASSION
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 40:2116(B)(8) and 2197.1, relative to rural health clinics; to provide for
3 Medicaid reimbursement rates of rural health clinics; to provide for facility need
4 review; to provide for the promulgation and adoption of rules; to provide for a state
5 plan amendment; to provide for an implementation date; and to provide for related
6 matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 40:2116(B)(8) and 2197.1 are hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 §2116. Facility need review
10 * * *
11 B. The following healthcare providers shall be subject to facility need review
12 to determine the need for a new or additional facility, provider, program, service, or
13 bed:
14 * * *
15 (8) Types one and two rural health clinics.
16 * * *
17 §2197.1. Equality in Medicaid reimbursement rates for rural health clinics
18 A. The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health shall take all
19 necessary actions to equalize the Medicaid reimbursement rate between independent
20 rural health clinics, also known as type one rural health clinics, and provider-based
21 rural health clinics, also known as type two and three rural health clinics. In fiscal
22 years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, the Louisiana Department of Health shall increase
23 the encounter rate that is in effect in the previous fiscal year for independent rural
24 health clinics by forty-one dollars and fifty cents. The annual Medicare Economic
25 Index inflationary adjustment shall be applied to this rate.
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 971 ENROLLED
1 B. The Louisiana Department of Health shall prepare a state plan amendment
2 or promulgate and adopt rules, as necessary, to implement the provisions of this
3 Section.
4 C. The provisions of this Section are subject to the approval of the Centers
5 for Medicare and Medicaid services.
6 D. The Louisiana Department of Health shall submit a monthly report to the
7 legislature that provides the number of encounters per month for each individual type
8 one clinic and the total amount of monthly expenditures for each individual type one
9 clinic.
10 Section 2. Not later than ninety days after the effective date of this Act, the
11 Louisiana Department of Health shall take all necessary actions to implement the provisions
12 of Section 1 of this Act.
13 Section 3.(A) The provisions of Sections 1 and 2 of this Act shall become effective
14 when an Act of the Louisiana Legislature containing a specific appropriation of monies for
15 the implementation of the provisions of this Act becomes effective.
16 (B) The provisions of this Section shall become effective upon signature by the
17 governor or, if not signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become
18 law without signature by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the
19 Constitution of Louisiana. If vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the
20 legislature, the provisions of this Section shall become effective on the day following such
21 approval.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.