The bill enacts a new section, R.S. 46:460.76.1, to establish a pilot program under the Louisiana Department of Health that allows Medicaid recipients to utilize portable oxygen concentrators. Currently, Medicaid covers these devices for beneficiaries under the age of twenty-one if deemed medically necessary, but for those over twenty-one, coverage is limited to travel for medical appointments. The new legislation aims to expand this coverage to improve the quality of life for individuals who require oxygen and are mobile within their homes or communities.

Under the pilot program, portable oxygen concentrators will be covered similarly to stationary oxygen systems, provided they are prescribed by a licensed physician. The Department of Health has the authority to limit the number of concentrators covered each fiscal year and is required to submit a utilization report to the legislature prior to each session. This report will detail requests for coverage, the number of devices covered or denied, funding utilized, and demographic information of the enrollees involved.