Lafayette Clinic Closed With Medicaid Expansion To Reopen

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana health clinic that closed when Medicaid was expanded is reopening.

Local news outlets report that Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic used to provide free treatment to people without insurance. It closed after the 2016 Medicaid expansion under Gov. John Bel Edwards meant it lost its patient population.

But some Medicaid patients have a hard time finding providers who will accept their insurance, and Medicaid expansion has also translated into an increased patient load at University Hospital & Clinics for primary care providers.

The clinic is slated to reopen in late 2020 under the name Lafayette General Healthcare Clinic. It will treat both Medicaid and private insurance customers.

The area where the clinic is located has been identified as one with a strong need for primary care options.