House Budget Leader Jim Fannin Criticizes Jindal Health Care Proposal

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A House budget leader says Gov. Bobby Jindal's 2014-15 health care budget proposal includes $680 million in piecemeal financing that puts services in a precarious position.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Fannin says he's worried about how the Department of Health and Hospitals will replace that money a year later and keep services intact.

DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert says the Jindal administration is working on proposals to generate more federal financing to help replace the patchwork financing in future years without impacting services.

During the health care review, the Appropriations Committee learned the governor's budget overestimated the tax amnesty money available to spend on health care next year by $40 million.

Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols says other dollars are available to cover the shortfall without making cuts.