Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals | Bruce Greenstein, Secretary

LaHIPP stands for Louisiana Health Insurance Premium Payment and is a part of Louisiana Medicaid.  It may pay some or all of the health insurance premiums for an employee and their family if they have insurance available through their jobs and someone in the family has Medicaid.  Those getting Medicaid will also be able to have health insurance. 

LaHIPP will do a review of what the insurance costs and what it covers. LaHIPP then decides if it is “cost effective” for Louisiana Medicaid to pay the health insurance for the person who is working and the person who gets Medicaid. Cost effective means that it would cost less for Louisiana Medicaid to pay for the health insurance premium than it would be for Medicaid to pay the medical expenses of the person who gets Medicaid.

LaHIPP can help you in many ways.

• LaHIPP may pay all or some of the premium of health insurance from a job.
• LaHIPP may also cover other persons in your family under your health insurance who would not otherwise be eligible for Medicaid.
• The health insurance from your job may cover services that are not covered under the Medicaid program.

LaHIPP can help pay your share of the insurance premium.  The LaHIPP worker will look at what insurance plans your employer offers.  They will then decide if it is cost effective to pay for your share of the premium.  If it is cost effective, the children will have health insurance and Medicaid and you will be covered, too. 

The health insurance may cover services that Medicaid doesn’t cover. It saves you money by lowering what you would pay such as co-payments (amount that insurance will not pay) and deductibles (amount you pay before insurance pays). LaHIPP saves Louisiana money by lowering the amount it spends on Medicaid, because the insurance will pay first.

People who have Medicaid and can get health insurance from a job may qualify for LaHIPP.  Other people in the home who can join the health plan could also qualify.  LaHIPP will send the family a letter, an application for LaHIPP, and a copy of the Employer Health Insurance Information Form that must be filled out by a human resource representative where the adult in the family works.  After getting this information, the LaHIPP program looks at how much it would cost to join the health plan. If this is less than what Medicaid would pay for medical services for the person on Medicaid, then LaHIPP will pay some or all of the cost of the insurance from the job.

First, someone in the home must have full coverage Medicaid.  Then, that person and other people in the home like the working person, parents, legal guardians, step-parents, step-children, brothers and sisters, and grandparents may be reviewed for LaHIPP.  In order for someone to be reviewed for LaHIPP, the job must offer a health insurance plan that would cover them. Retirees and people who have recently lost a job who can get COBRA can also be reviewed for LaHIPP.

No.  If you or someone in your family is working and has Medicaid, the federal government requires that you give Medicaid all job insurance information.  If you do not cooperate in giving Medicaid this information, you could lose your Medicaid.  If you think that participating in LaHIPP will cause a hardship, then you can ask LaHIPP to excuse you from participating.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes, in most cases. You will pay for the health insurance, usually by having money taken out of your paycheck. LaHIPP will send you a check every month for all or part of what you pay for the insurance.

In other cases, LaHIPP will send the check directly to the employer or insurance company.

First, you or one of your dependents have to be certified for Medicaid.  In addition you must have or have access to group health insurance through an employer.  You do not apply for LaHIPP like other Medicaid programs.  A LaHIPP Specialist will decide if a LaHIPP application should be sent to you.  This is the only way you can get an application to apply for LaHIPP.

This means that your local Medicaid office let LaHIPP know that you have or there may be health insurance available from a job.

You must fill out the application for LaHIPP, and take the Employer Health Insurance Information Form to your job for them to fill out.  Federal law says that you must give LaHIPP information about health insurance from your job.  If you do not, your Medicaid may stop.

Return these two forms after they are completed and copies of your health insurance cards and insurance plan, if you have them, to LaHIPP.  The forms must be returned to LaHIPP by the due date shown on the letter you got from LaHIPP.  Your employer can send the Employer Health Insurance Information form and insurance plan directly to LaHIPP.  

If you have questions or need help with the application, please call LaHIPP at 1-888-342-6207.  Forms can be faxed to LaHIPP.  The fax number is on the letter you got from LaHIPP.

Yes.  If LaHIPP is paying for your insurance and it changes or you change jobs, you must tell LaHIPP and Medicaid right away.  It is important to call LaHIPP before YOU decide to make any changes to the insurance.

You must call LaHIPP, and Medicaid at the Medicaid hotline number at 1.888.342.6207 to let them know about the change.

This question is not easy to answer, because everyone’s case is different.  There are many things that can happen to affect how long the premium will be paid. 

The health insurance must always be cost-effective.  LaHIPP makes reviews when there are changes in your job or insurance, when your Medicaid case is renewed, and during open enrollment of your job’s insurance.

The premiums will be paid for at least 6 months, once approved by LaHIPP for payment of your insurance premiums. After a review is done by LaHIPP, payment of the premiums will be made as long as the insurance continues to be cost-effective.

Cost effective means that it would cost less for Medicaid to pay the health insurance premium for the person who gets Medicaid than it would be for Medicaid to pay for the cost of the same person’s medical expenses if they didn’t have insurance.

Take it to your job’s human resource office.  They must fill out this form.  They can send the completed form by mail or fax to LaHIPP or you can send it to LaHIPP.  A copy of the health insurance plan will also be needed.

Not all Medicaid programs give full coverage.  Full coverage Medicaid is the most complete or total coverage available from Medicaid.  Most medical services should be covered and paid by Medicaid.  If you have questions about what type of coverage you have, please call your local Medicaid office or the Medicaid hotline number at 1.888.342.6207. This number is a free call.

Prior to making any changes to your health insurance, LaHIPP must be contacted.  LaHIPP must be told of the following changes:

•  Losing a job;
• Getting a new job;
• Changes in the insurance carrier/company;
• Changes in who is covered on the insurance (adding or removing someone);
• Changes in the cost of the insurance;
• Changes in the open enrollment period of your insurance plan;
• Changes in your mailing address;
• Changes in your job’s mailing address; and
•  If your Medicaid ends.

Let your local Medicaid office know now about the insurance, so they can tell LaHIPP.

Call the LaHIPP phone number on the letter you got or call Medicaid's toll free number at 1.888.342.6207.

Before you sign your baby up on your insurance, contact LaHIPP to let them know you had the baby.

Call LaHIPP right away. You will have to send the check back to LaHIPP. If you have already cashed or deposited the check, call LaHIPP so you can repay the money.

Being able to keep a health insurance from a job you no longer have is called COBRA. Call LaHIPP so that they can decide if it is still cost-effective for them to pay the insurance premiums.