BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana senators shelved a proposal to let the state's legislative auditor use state income tax returns to check people's eligibility in the Medicaid program.
The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee voted 6-3 Tuesday against the House-backed measure by Rep. Tony Bacala, appearing to kill it for session.
Democrats opposed the bill, while Republicans backed it.
Bacala, a Prairieville Republican, described the bill as a way to combat Medicaid fraud and make sure money is spent wisely in a multibillion-dollar program.
Democratic senators said the proposal appears to target the poor.
Sen. Troy Carter, a New Orleans Democrat, says existing audit programs already allow review of Medicaid eligibility and he considered the measure a duplication of efforts. He says the state can't afford that.
