Louisiana Medicaid contracts proposed for 2-year extension

BATON ROUGE- Louisiana's health department wants to keep the five managed-care companies that coordinate health services for most state Medicaid patients in place for another two years.  The contract extensions are expected to cost $15 billion, financed with federal and state dollars.  Lawmakers on the joint House and Senate budget committee consider the request Friday.  The contracts have been in place since February 2015, enacted by ex-Gov