Louisiana, CMS sign agreement to allow pre-release Medicaid enrollment under '11/15' reentry waiver

Bruce Greenstein, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, and Dan Brillman, director of Medicaid at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, joined Governor Jeff Landry at a press briefing July 8 to announce a signed agreement advancing Louisiana’s ‘11/15 reentry waiver,’ which officials say will allow Medicaid eligibility and care to be arranged before people are released from prison.

Greenstein said the waiver will permit the state to determine Medicaid eligibility while people remain incarcerated and to begin non-acute treatment — including substance-use disorder treatment and care for chronic conditions — so people can leave custody with prescriptions and a path to continued care. “We’re announcing the future approval of the 11/15 reentry waiver,” Greenstein said, describing the policy as a way to create continuity between in‑custody and community health care.

The nut graf: State officials argued that enrolling people into Medicaid before release will reduce costly emergency-department use after discharge and lower recidivism by ensuring continuity of care. The waiver is intended to cover chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and COPD, mental-health care and substance-use treatment; officials said it applies to prisons, jails and youth facilities.

Governor Jeff Landry framed the effort as part of his administration’s broader goal to move people “from dependence to independence,” saying the waiver will help people “out process” from custody with a health-care file and prescriptions so they can reenter society productively. “We want them to be 1 and done,” Landry said, describing the aim of reducing returns to incarceration.

During a brief question-and-answer session, a reporter asked whether inmates will be able to complete the Medicaid administrative process before release. Greenstein answered yes: the state will determine Medicaid eligibility while people are still in custody so they can depart with Medicaid cards and be enrolled in a health plan. A later exchange clarified that the waiver is not intended to pay for acute emergency services delivered inside a facility but to support non-acute, ongoing care and transition planning.

Officials did not provide a specific pre-release enrollment window in their remarks. A questioner said “90 days,” and Greenstein replied that the state “has determined a number of days” but described the timing only as happening in advance of release with enough time to begin treatment and provide prescriptions. Dan Brillman said officials hope the approvals and implementation work will be finished “later in the summer,” and that teams are already planning the systems changes needed.

The event included a ceremonial signing of the agreement between CMS and the state. Participants confirmed copies had been signed and coordinated distribution of signed documents and pens.

What the announcement does not specify: officials did not outline funding sources, a statewide roll‑out schedule, enrollment capacity limits, or the exact advance-enrollment window; those details remain to be released as implementation proceeds. The state said the waiver resulted from about two years of work with the legislature, the Department of Corrections and federal partners.

The signing is the most recent procedural step; officials said implementation and system changes are next. Reporters were invited to submit additional questions after the briefing.