Published: Friday, October 3, 2014 at 6:26 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, October 3, 2014 at 6:26 p.m.

Two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot could help secure more reliable health care funding for Louisiana's poor and uninsured residents, but critics say the changes could negatively impact other major areas of the state budget such as higher education.

The amendments have generated organized support and opposition on a level usually reserved for more hotly contested congressional and Senate races.

Passed during the 2013 legislative session, the amendments must be approved by a majority of voters statewide before taking effect. Fourteen total amendments are on the Nov. 4 ballot, which also includes congressional elections and a U.S. Senate race.

Both of the proposed amendments affecting health care would allow the state to take fees charged to health care providers and leverage them for matching federal money to compensate for care of the uninsured.

Constitutional Amendment 1 would give additional protection to the Louisiana Medical Assistance Trust, an existing pool of money designed to be a state match to draw down federal money through the Medicaid program.

To fund the trust, the state assesses a fee on nursing homes, community pharmacies and care facilities for the developmentally disabled. The state uses that money to draw down matching federal funds, then pays those dollars back to the providers to cover the costs of providing uninsured care.

Louisiana has collected the assessments since 1993 and similar systems are used in all but a handful of states. Over the years, however, Louisiana lawmakers have dipped into the fund to cover other health care costs instead of repaying the providers who paid the fees.

Constitutional Amendment 1 would protect the money in the Louisiana Medical Assistance Trust from being diverted to other areas of the budget and ensure that the matching federal money flows back to the providers. The amendment would not increase the current fees medical providers pay, nor would it cost taxpayers any additional money.

The goal of the amendments is to strengthen our healthcare system without increasing healthcare costs for patients or businesses, the Louisiana Hospital Association says in its promotional materials urging voters to approve both amendments.

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Health care amendments generate controversy