Last verified November 1, 2026, against Louisiana Department of Health sources listed at the end of this article. LDH has said it will update its guidance, so check the official pages before acting.
What is happening
On September 1, 2026, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) announced that its Medicaid managed care contract with Healthy Blue will end on December 31, 2026. Healthy Blue members keep their coverage through 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2026, and move to one of the four remaining Healthy Louisiana plans on January 1, 2027.
LDH has stated that the change does not affect anyone's Medicaid eligibility. It also applies only to Medicaid members: private coverage through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is not affected.
The four Healthy Louisiana plans from January 1, 2027:
- Aetna Better Health
- AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana
- Humana Healthy Horizons in Louisiana
- Louisiana Healthcare Connections
This is the second plan exit in a year. LDH did not renew UnitedHealthcare's contract beyond December 31, 2025, and reassigned its members to the remaining plans.
Key dates
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Book a Strategy Call →| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 15 to November 16, 2026 | Special enrollment period. Healthy Blue members can choose a new plan by phone (1-855-229-6848), online at myplan.healthy.la.gov, or in the Healthy Louisiana app. |
| By November 23, 2026 | MEVS shows each member's new plan when you search a date of service on or after January 1, 2027. |
| By December 2026 | New plans mail welcome packets and ID cards. Members can also get a digital card in the LA Wallet app. |
| December 31, 2026, 11:59 p.m. | Healthy Blue Medicaid coverage ends. |
| January 1, 2027 | Members are covered by their new plan. |
| Up to 60 days after January 1, 2027 | Receiving plans honor Healthy Blue prior authorizations, or until the authorization end date if sooner. |
| Through June 30, 2028 | Healthy Blue's provider call center stays open for run-out support. |
What it means for a behavioral health practice
1. Check your contracts
If Healthy Blue is your only Healthy Louisiana contract, LDH's provider bulletin encourages you to consider contracting with one or more of the four remaining plans if you want to keep serving Medicaid members. Contracting, reimbursement, and network questions go directly to each plan.
2. Re-verify every Healthy Blue client for January
Every current Healthy Blue client will have a different plan for appointments on or after January 1, 2027. From November 23, 2026, MEVS will show the new assignment. Check it for every client with a January appointment, and confirm your practice is in network with their new plan before the session.
3. Review prior authorizations now
The receiving plan must honor Healthy Blue prior authorizations for up to 60 days, or through the authorization end date if that comes first. It cannot deny prior authorization solely because your practice is out of its network.
After that window, you are responsible for submitting requests for continued services or new services to the new plan before the Healthy Blue authorization runs out.
For clients in ongoing treatment, list every active authorization, its end date, and the client's new plan, so nothing lapses in February.
4. Keep billing Healthy Blue for 2026 services
Healthy Blue will keep receiving and processing new claims through its 365-day timely filing allowance, and will handle corrected claims, adjustments, and disputes for services before January 1, 2027. Bill dates of service through December 31, 2026, to Healthy Blue as usual.
5. Talk to your Healthy Blue clients before November 16
Clients who choose a plan themselves can pick one your practice is contracted with. Clients who do nothing are assigned a plan by algorithm. LDH says it tries to keep members with plans that let them see the same providers, but that is not guaranteed.
The UnitedHealthcare transition earlier this year shows why this matters. Of nearly 280,000 UnitedHealthcare members, just over 36,000 chose a new plan during their special enrollment period. The rest were assigned one. Expect most Healthy Blue clients to arrive in January with a plan they did not choose and may not know.
An intake checklist for January
- Ask every new and returning Medicaid client which plan is on their card. Do not assume it matches your records.
- Check MEVS for the date of the appointment, not today's date.
- Confirm network status with the new plan before scheduling.
- Flag any client whose Healthy Blue prior authorization ends within 60 days of January 1, 2027.
- Tell clients who have not received a new card that a digital version is available in LA Wallet.
This is exactly the kind of uncertainty that causes Medicaid inquiries to drop off at intake. In Gwinnett County, Georgia, Medicaid-panel inquiries drop off at intake at a 40% higher rate than commercial-insurance inquiries, mostly because of verification delay.
Read more about the Medicaid effect on intake, or see how BHSAI checks eligibility at first contact for Louisiana practices.
Sources
- Louisiana Department of Health, "Louisiana Department of Health announces transition for Medicaid Healthy Blue members ahead of contract's conclusion", September 1, 2026.
- Louisiana Department of Health, Informational Bulletin 26-12: Important Information Regarding Healthy Blue Transition, September 1, 2026.
- Louisiana Department of Health, Medicaid Health Plan Transition 2027.
- Louisiana Department of Health, "LDH Announces Update to Medicaid Managed Care Contracts for 2026", December 12, 2025.
- Louisiana Department of Health, "LDH closes out contract with UnitedHealthcare, reassigns members", March 31, 2026.
This article is general information for practice operations, not legal or billing advice.