Louisiana plans to cut Medicaid hospice program

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Hundreds of people on their death beds who can’t afford private insurance would have to go without end-of-life care in their homes this year if Louisiana goes through with Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to shutter the state’s Medicaid hospice program in February.

The cut would make Louisiana one of only two states that don’t pay for hospice care through its Medicaid program. Families of the terminally ill and health care workers planned a candlelight vigil Wednesday to protest Jindal’s plan.