BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Gov. Bobby Jindal has been viewed as a health care policy wonk, and he's tried to build on that image ahead of a likely 2016 presidential campaign, positioning himself as the candidate with substantive ideas. <\/p>\n
But his administration's handling of health care matters at home could undermine his bonafides in the subject area and threaten his efforts to sell himself as a health care expert. <\/p>\n
Jindal's former health secretary Bruce Greenstein was indicted last week for lying about his involvement in the awarding of a $200 million Medicaid contract, a deal the administration didn't cancel for several years despite ongoing questions about Greenstein's involvement. <\/p>\n
The Republican governor's privatization of the LSU charity hospital system remains under scrutiny with federal officials, who rejected the first set of financing plans for most of the deals and who continue to raise questions about the rewrite. <\/p>\n
Plus, the Jindal administration's management of the health insurance program that covers 230,000 state workers, public school teachers, retirees and their dependents is facing heavy criticism, as the program continues to drain a reserve fund to cover expenses. <\/p>\n
Not exactly the kind of stories Jindal will want retold in New Hampshire and Iowa and in his political speeches to Washington power-players. <\/p>\n
In the most recent news, Greenstein was indicted on nine counts of perjury, tied to sworn testimony about the state's now-canceled contract with Client Network Services Inc., or CNSI. <\/p>\n
The company was selected by the state in 2011 for a 10-year Medicaid claims processing contract. The deal sparked controversy as soon as CNSI was chosen, with state lawmakers questioning the involvement of Greenstein, a former CNSI vice president. <\/p>\n
Under questioning in a confirmation hearing with senators three years ago, Greenstein acknowledged that a decision he made in the bid solicitation process made CNSI eligible for the contract. <\/p>\n
But the Jindal administration proceeded with the deal until a federal subpoena seeking information about the contract award became public in March 2013. <\/p>\n
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Analysis: Jindal under fire in La. on health care<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Gov. Bobby Jindal has been viewed as a health care policy wonk, and he's tried to build on that image ahead of a likely 2016 presidential campaign, positioning himself as the candidate with substantive ideas. Continue reading