Of the $16.4 billion annual Medicaid costs for Louisiana, state taxpayers kick in about $3 billion, according to the Legislature. The new law would halt some of the tools Louisiana uses to pay that $3 billion, requiring the state to pour in extra money or let some people go without health insurance.

With federal lawmakers weighing cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, health care leaders in Louisiana are sounding the alarm, warning that reductions in funding could devastate access to care for hundreds of thousands of residents.