Healthy Blue Leaves Louisiana Medicaid Dec. 31. Its ABA Auths Carry Only 60 Days.
Members choose a new plan October 15 to November 16. The receiving plan honors Healthy Blue authorizations for up to 60 days, so every Healthy Blue client needs a new request.
On September 1, 2026, the Louisiana Department of Health's Informational Bulletin 26-12 said Healthy Blue's Medicaid managed care contract ends December 31, 2026. Healthy Blue members get a special enrollment period from October 15 to November 16 to pick a new plan. That window opened October 15. Anyone who doesn't choose is assigned automatically, effective January 1, 2027.
It's the second plan to leave this year. UnitedHealthcare's participation ended March 31 (IB 26-3). That leaves four plans: Aetna Better Health, AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, Humana Healthy Horizons and Louisiana Healthcare Connections.
Why this lands on your caseload
Louisiana Medicaid doesn't pay for ABA directly. Chapter 4 of the Medicaid Services Manual says "ABA services are provided through Managed Care Organizations (MCOs)" and "All PA requests must be submitted to the beneficiary's MCO." So every Healthy Blue child you serve gets a new payer on January 1, and the authorization you hold now won't last long under the new one.
The bulletin says Healthy Blue authorizations "will be honored for up to 60 days (or through the authorization end date, whichever occurs first) by the receiving MCO." Chapter 4 also requires reassessment at least every six months. A treatment-plan authorization approved this fall will usually run past that 60-day limit, so you'll need a new approval from the new plan before it runs out.
What IB 26-12 says
- Out-of-network protection: "The receiving MCO is prohibited from denying prior authorization solely on the basis of the provider being an out-of-network provider."
- Your job: providers submit requests for "concurrent reviews, continued stays, or new services to the new MCO prior to the expiration of the HBL authorization timeframe or within 60 days (whichever occurs first)."
- Eligibility checks: MEVS shows new assignments by November 23, 2026, when you search a date of service of January 1, 2027 or later.
- Healthy Blue-only providers: LDH tells them to "consider contracting with one or more of the remaining four Medicaid MCOs."
- Auto-assignment: it will "make every attempt" to keep families together and to assign members to a plan where they can keep seeing the same providers.
- Old claims and appeals: Healthy Blue keeps processing claims under its 365-day timely filing allowance, and handles disputes about services before January 1, 2027. Its provider call center stays open through June 30, 2028.
The dates
| Date | Who | What |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 15 – Nov 16, 2026 | Healthy Blue members | Choose a new plan |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Providers | New plan visible in MEVS |
| Dec 31, 2026 | Healthy Blue | Contract ends |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Receiving plans | Coverage starts; Healthy Blue PAs honored up to 60 days |
| Before the PA ends, or within 60 days | Providers | New authorization request to the new plan |
What you must know or do
- Owners: confirm which of the four remaining plans you're contracted and credentialed with. If any are missing, start contracting this week. Credentialing usually takes longer than the 60 days the transition gives you.
- Intake or billing lead: list every Healthy Blue client with their current authorization end date. The bulletin doesn't say when the 60 days start. If they start on January 1, any authorization running past about March 1, 2027 needs a new request to the new plan, and so does one that ends sooner.
- Clinic staff: tell Healthy Blue families the window closes November 16, and which plans your practice is in network with. The choice is theirs: myplan.healthy.la.gov or 1-855-229-6848.
- Billing lead: on November 23, check MEVS for each of those clients with a January 1, 2027 date of service. Send each new plan its authorization request in December, not in February.