Louisiana Physicians Sue State for Care Provided To Low-Income and Uninsured After Hurricane Katrina
Nearly 400 Louisiana physicians at a hospital outside of New Orleans on Monday sued the state for $100 million, saying they were never reimbursed for care they provided at no cost to low-income and uninsured patients after Hurricane Katrina. The lawsuit filed by 381 physicians, claims that Louisiana failed to reimburse them for treating indigent patients since the state-funded Charity Hospital in New Orleans closed on Aug. 29, 2005, following Hurricane Katrina. According to the suit, the state has "inappropriately shifted its responsibilities" onto private physicians while "depriving" doctors of compensation. The hospital is not a party in the lawsuit.
