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Healthy Blue Exiting Louisiana Medicaid Market
2 Sep
Summary
- Healthy Blue plan will no longer be available to Medicaid recipients in 2027.
- Approximately 290,000 members must transfer to remaining four plans.
- This is the second health insurer to exit Louisiana's Medicaid program this year.
Louisiana Medicaid will see one of its five insurance plans discontinued at the close of 2027. The Healthy Blue plan, a joint venture of Elevance Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, will no longer serve approximately 290,000 members. These individuals are required to select a new plan from the four remaining options: Aetna Better Health of Louisiana, AmeriHealth Caritas, Humana Healthy Horizons, and Louisiana Healthcare Connections.
This decision follows Elevance Health's earlier announcement regarding its intention to withdraw from several state Medicaid markets. Healthy Blue is currently the second-largest Medicaid plan in Louisiana by enrollment. Affected recipients will receive notification letters by October 1, with an open enrollment period from October 15 to November 16 to choose a new plan.
This development signifies the second health insurance provider to exit Louisiana's Medicaid program in 2026, following UnitedHealthcare's departure earlier in the year. While some legislators suggest that a reduction in the number of Medicaid plans could streamline administrative processes for healthcare providers, state Medicaid enrollment has seen a notable decrease since the beginning of 2026.
