Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.

Louisiana has the highest car insurance rates in the South.

I'll dig into the causes and possible solutions.

And Louisiana voters will weigh in on a controversial amendment to the state's constitution.

Louisianans are at high risk for kidney health issues.

We'll hear from experts during National Kidney Month.

Plus, a new exhibit highlights 80 years of the iconic Little Golden Books.

I'll take you on a tour.

You ready?

Yep.

Let's do it.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Karen Lichtblau, and I'm Dorothea Wilson.

Much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana, the state we're In.

But first, a recent report ranks Louisiana's auto insurance rates as the highest in the South.

Residents pay, on average, $500 more than people in other states.

This week, I'm kicking off a three part series, Driving Into Debt, which takes a deep dive into the causes, concerns and solutions to the auto insurance crisis.

Here's the first report looking at what's driving up consumer cost.

That was before the accident.

1596.

And then when I got my policy renewal, I saw that it went up to 2867 for a six month policy on two vehicles.

Kristen Coogan married mother of four rear ended an uninsured motorist.

No paramedics were called.

There was no there was no sign of emergency or like, you know, dire need of medical attention.

So, you know, I, I had no idea like, that would have been coming.

Months later, Kristen found out the driver and passenger both made bodily injury claims on her auto insurance.

Had no idea that, my insurance was, you know, in litigation with the passenger's attorney, I guess, and that they were going for my policy limit $50,000 for bodily injury.

Obviously, I was shocked when Andrea told me, you know, the payout was 46,000, which obviously explain why my premium almost doubled.

Do you feel taken advantage of?

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Andrea Allen is Kristen's new insurance agent.

She found Kristen a more affordable policy after the accident.

Unfortunately, the person that she rear ended, which was really just a little bit of a bump or tap, did not have any auto insurance.

So again, going back to the no pay, no play, that in and of itself, in my opinion, should have just stopped.

It should have stopped the claim and any type of potential litigation at all.

I think that, you know, if you are not paying into the system, you should not be able to receive payouts.

According to the Insurance Research Council, in testimony before the Louisiana House Insurance Committee.

14% of motorist in Louisiana are uninsured.

Which tracks the national average.

However, Louisiana has one of the highest rates of under insured motorist, meaning their limits of coverage are not sufficient to make a person whole after an accident.

Unfortunately, on that one, Louisiana stands out as the fourth worst in the country.

In Louisiana, that was in excess of 35%.

So in more than twice the the countrywide average.

So under insurance certainly was a concerning point for your state.

A recent report released by leaders for a Better Louisiana found that although Louisiana drivers pay an average of $500 more than the average policyholder nationwide, it's not because of bad roads or a disproportionate amount of fatal accidents compared to other states.

The amount of bodily injury claims and the amount of litigation per insured, you know person in the state were the two biggest outliers.

The report found that Louisiana has three times more bodily injury claims than the U.S. average, often resulting in lawsuits to pay for medical bills and pain and suffering.

Senator Luno, you are a practicing attorney and you engage in auto insurance litigation.

What do you think are the root causes of auto insurance rates being so high in Louisiana?

Well, because we've allowed them to unfortunately, we have very little regulation of insurance industry in Louisiana.

And insurance companies make a lot of money here.

What we've been trying to do for the last 40 or so years is tort reform.

And that hasn't worked a single time.

And so it's time that we try something different, in my opinion.

Lawmakers convene on April 14th for the regular legislative session, with insurance reform as a major issue on the agenda.

Medical utilization dramatically higher as well, of course, 50% higher than countrywide.

So this is speaking to the number of times people are going and getting MRI is going up.

Visiting chiropractors, significantly more utilization after those higher quantity, bodily injury claims are being made.

One of those, things to do would be to bring what is the usual customary cost of medical treatment into the claims process and being transparent about what that is and, not inflating that claim.

And, that would certainly help lower, rates in Louisiana and, and would bring carriers to Louisiana.

Insurance reform calling for transparency in medical bills would inform jurors of the actual or customary cost of medical services and treatments, so they'll not only see the inflated invoices, but they'll actually hear this is the amount that would actually be paid on those in the legal profession.

There is an entire industry built on litigation finance where companies purchase proposed medical payments and a lawsuit after paying the medical provider at a lower rate.

The profit is in the difference between the inflated bill and the actual bill.

A lot of times it's sold to a litigation finance group.

The litigation finance group, in turn, will pay the facility or the doctor whatever the going rate is.

So if it's a litigation finance company who's involved, the jury should have a right to know who's going to get this money, when it's distributed.

The high rate of bodily injury claims and litigation in Louisiana are red flags to insurance companies, and contribute to a less than competitive marketplace.

But just like everything else, if you don't have competition, then they're going to drive the prices up.

So that to me is the biggest challenge is we just don't have enough companies that are willing or able to come into the market right business here.

Do you personally struggle with finding affordable coverage for your clients?

There's no doubt about that.

With the limited number of carriers that we have, I'm certain that in many instances, as rates are going up, folks are having to cut corners.

Do with how elsewhere and what can we do differently?

Well, one thing is we can put some regulations in place that makes sense.

I disagreed with the commissioner when the first act he did as commissioner was to remove the rules that said insurance companies can't can't charge excessive rates.

I thought that was a big mistake, because we know now that the loss ratio in Louisiana is one of the lowest in the South, which means that insurance companies are profitable when their loss ratio is low.

There are other things that we can do.

We could give the insurance commissioner more power to regulate the industry, to look at specific things, things like how insurance companies set their rates.

One of the things that's very controversial in Louisiana is almost all insurance companies use credit ratings and credit scoring.

Kristen is hoping lawmakers gives serious consideration to no pay, no play legislation she believes will help countless Louisiana households detour from driving into debt because of high auto insurance premiums.

I don't know all the all the rules and all the legal ins and outs of everything, but to me it's it's ridiculous and it's fraudulent.

From hashtags to headlines.

Here's what's trending this week.

Bad news for frequent fliers.

Everyone is talking about this, and it pains me.

Oh, yeah.

Bad news indeed.

In southwest.

They're having a tough time right now.

Just recently, they laid off 1700 of their employees.

Now the airline is ending their popular bag fly free policy.

Now.

The airline previously allowed each passenger to check two bags for free, but that will all end in my birthday month.

Any customers who use a southwest credit card?

However, if they splurged on higher priced seats, they'll get to check one bag free.

All right, so I, for one, am a frequent southwest flier for that reason.

Now to long last year, southwest got rid of its open seating policy, opting for assigned seats.

And they started charging more for seats with leg room and it's just really kind of representative of what's going on in the airline industry.

Consumers feel like they're being nickel and diming us.

Oh, it's so true.

All right, well, crawfish season is in full swing.

And to celebrate, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser held the annual pardoning of the crawfish.

That's right.

It took place at Pat's Fisherman's Wharf restaurant in Henderson.

The crawfish was named Heuvel in honor of the restaurant's founder and the city's first mayor.

And now, instead of being someone's crawfish boil who've always said free in a state park to live his life.

All right.

Yeah, you've all.

And Mother Nature just won't cooperate with all outdoor events.

It looks like this week in Saint Patrick's Day parade could be rained out.

All right.

Well, I am riding in the Saint Patrick's Day parade, so I have insider information.

It is moved to Sunday.

The wearing of the green parade in Baton Rouge.

It's rescheduled for Sunday at noon, which I'm happy about.

I'm not up for that early morning parade that typically happens.

Now, it's also affected Saint Patrick's Day parades and other areas, including New Orleans and Covington.

And this also comes, by the way, after several Mardi Gras parades had to be rescheduled, or shortened because of strong wind and rain.

All right, Mother Nature, do not rain on our parade.

That's right.

Don't do it.

Now, onto other news.

Louisiana voters will head to the polls in just a few weeks to weigh in on several constitutional amendments.

The most complicated amendment two has spurred lawsuits claiming the ballot is using Miss leading language.

I spoke with experts and lead attorneys to break it all down.

Louisiana voters are familiar with casting ballots for constitutional amendments.

But amendment two on the March 29th ballot is unlike any other.

It represents not just a small change to part of the Constitution, but a total rewrite of article seven of Louisiana's Constitu section of 1974, which addresses various elements of state and local finance.

Barry Erwin, from leaders for a Better Louisiana, says voters will definitely need to do their homework on this one.

Well, this is a big change, and it's really unlike anything voters have ever seen unless they were around to vote on the Constitution back in 1974.

Article seven is the longest section of Louisiana's constitution, and has undergone the most amendments for various reasons.

It has become a focal point for advocates pushing for a complete rewrite of the state constitution and the 115 page amendment is up for the challenge.

What it does is take a lot of things that are in the Constitution, particularly tax exemptions and some special funds or savings account type things, and takes them out of the Constitution and puts them into statute.

Really, I think, of streamlining that part of the Constitution and giving the legislature more flexibility, especially over fiscal issues, to deal with things that otherwise they would have to go to voters and pass constitutional amendments to do.

Teacher retirement savings.

Pay raises.

Religious and nonprofit exemptions are among the most common areas of concern.

The way things are right now, teachers have been getting a temporary pay stipend over the last couple of years instead of a permanent pay raise.

Now we have huge debt in the teacher retirement system, and it's costing school districts tons of money each year to have to deal with that.

So what this does is pay off a big chunk of that debt, but then it tells the districts you have to use that money to make that temporary teacher pay raise or stipend permanent.

That's about $2,000 per teacher, about $1,000 for other school support personnel.

And this is the way that the legislature is kind of going about doing a couple of things, paying off a big part of debt, which is really good.

And then also using those savings to give teachers a raise.

That's been temporary, but make it permanent.

Now.

I also had a talk with Melinda Dilnot, research director at PA, and she weighed in on the exemptions portion of amendment two.

She says while there will be changes to protections, exemption status will not go away.

And the bottom line of that is it makes it so that if the legislature wanted to change some of those rules in the future, they would not have to go back to the people and ask them to vote on it.

It would give the legislature the authority to make changes on its own with a two thirds vote, instead of requiring another constitutional amendment.

So it doesn't change any level of property taxation that people currently have any special status, any exemption they currently get would be maintained.

It's just obviously some people are skittish because it would move their exemptions, like for nonprofits, their exemptions would be moved into state law, which is a lesser level of protection than if it's in the Constitution.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit has recently been filed challenging the amendment, claiming it removes protections and employs confusing jargon to mislead voters into supporting it.

William Most, the lead prosecuting attorney, argues that the amendment's warning violates constitutional rights.

Amendment two on that ballot is not truthful with voters.

It says it will keep certain things that it would actually destroy.

For example, the ballot language says it will retain the exemption for religious organizations.

But that's not true.

They would actually see their protection substantial, narrowed.

And a lot of church and religious ministry property would be open to taxation.

Attorney most says they will go all the way with this one, because the outcome they want is simple truth.

The plaintiffs in this case are asking that if we're going to change the state constitution, which is the foundational document for our state, that we make sure that we're following the rules and how we change it, and making sure that we're truthful with voters when we're asking them to vote.

Because democracy only works if voters are told the truth about what they're being asked to vote on.

Now Wednesday, a state judge refused the state's request to throw out the lawsuit over amendment two.

Now, it's unclear whether the case will be settled before the March 29th deadline.

March is National Kidney Month, aimed at raising awareness of kidney health and to encourage people to register as kidney donors.

I spoke with a registered nurse who specializes in renal care to see why Louisiana ranks first per capita in chronic kidney disease and how we can improve.

March is National Kidney Month, and joining me in studio is Chris Robertson.

He is the executive director of the Renal Association of Baton Rouge to tell us about this important topic of kidney disease and donating a kidney and why we need awareness.

Which brings me to my obvious question why is there a month focused on the kidney?

It's it's a grown up epidemic, Karen.

Louisiana ranks first per capita in chronic kidney disease.

And this is an issue primarily caused, by diet management.

The food we we love our fried foods.

We love our gravy causes.

Maybe if we overdo it to be a little unhealthy.

So Louisiana lifestyle is a big contributor to kidney disease.

Correct?

And when we say kidney disease, what are we talking about?

What actually happens to the kidney.

So chronic kidney disease is is basically a filter.

And over time that filter wears out.

And if you're not filtering your blood, it's going to become, toxic.

And is it live?

Well, I mean, it is it is a fatal disease, without your kidneys, you will pass away.

What is the mortality rate with those living with kidney disease?

This is something they can live with the rest of their life.

Is there a short lifespan associated with this?

No.

Not necessarily.

Chronic kidney disease can go on, for a long period of time.

And that's even one more reason why you need to get checked up, because it can't be managed for quite a lengthy time before you get to end stage renal disease and stage renal disease, you've got to either going dialysis or get that kidney transplant.

The statistics are pretty dismal in Louisiana.

Obviously, there is a need for kidney donors 100%.

There are over 100,000 people on the transplant waitlist for kidney.

Typically only 17,000 of those will get a kidney.

So it's a big shortage.

And I will say that a lot of people are apprehensive about donating their kidney.

Yes, they have a spare, but oh my goodness, what does that do to their health?

It's scary.

Without a doubt.

But there's going to be very thorough testing prior to you ever donating your kidney.

Now, for those considering donating a kidney, where do they start?

There are a couple of places you can look online.

I would start with Louisiana Organ Procurement Association.

I think that's low for.org.

But also just National Kidney Foundation NQF, and they can get you on the path to, get getting your testing started to see whether you can give a kidney.

What are some of the warning signs of kidney disease?

What should people look for initially?

Again, hypertension is a big one.

It's the second leading cause of kidney disease.

Diabetes is the other one.

So if you have either those two conditions, you should be monitoring your blood pressure on a regular basis.

You should be managing your blood sugar daily, either through diet or medication.

And you should be having regular checkups with your physician.

And there are tests that you can specifically ask for from your physician.

Correct.

They're going to do a blood test that's going to check your kidney function.

And at the same time, you will do a urinalysis that's going to check the protein in your urine.

Well, here to spread the word march is National Kidney Month.

Stay on top of your health.

If you have any of these symptoms, certainly go get your kidneys checked and do the test.

And if you are considering donating, we got some great resources and now's the time to think about it.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you.

A beloved piece of childhood nostalgia is on display at the LSU Museum of Art.

The new exhibit highlights the iconic Little Golden Books and celebrates their impact on generations of readers.

I took a tour of the exhibit to learn more about the history behind the Little Golden Books.

Take a look.

The LSU Museum of Art is taking visitors on a walk down memory lane by showcasing Golden Legacy original art from the 80 years of Golden Books.

We're really happy to have this exhibition, which is on loan to us and the National Center for Children's Illustrative Literature in Abilene, Texas.

The exhibition showcases 60 original illustrations that have inspired generations, inviting people to discover the rich history of Little Golden Books.

Museum curator Michelle Schultz notes the first issue debuted in 1942 at the height of World War Two.

Golden books enabled children to escape from the turmoil of their surroundings, becoming a cherished gift passed down through generations.

It's really a show about nostalgia, and it's really about remembering and having these core memories from your childhood.

And I can honestly say the first book that I remember my mother reading me was a Golden Book, and she was a child of the of the 40s when they first came out, and I read new books myself when I was a child of the 70s.

And then I went on to read them for my son in the 2000.

One visitor, Linette guitarist, walked through the exhibit nearly in tears as she recalled a childhood memory from when she was only two years old.

This is a special memory for me as a child.

It was a, family joke that when people would come to visit, they would say, oh, we have a two year old that can read.

And this was my favorite book, and I knew every word and knew exactly when to turn the page.

I could not read.

I memorized it, but they would say watch.

You can read the whole book.

And I would sit there and I would read the whole book and turn the page on exactly the right time.

And people were astounded that a two year old could read, but I could not.

I was just memorizing this lovely book.

What a great memory.

I love that until this season it goes to show these books are their true time.

And I have grandchildren now and we just love the little Golden Books.

Michelle walked me through the 80 year history of Golden Books, and how the books have evolved over the years.

So this is the beginning of the exhibition.

Okay.

Right here we have these images.

These are scenes from the Three Bears.

This was a book that was done in 1948, and it was illustrated and authored by Theodore Bozeman Koski.

Again, he he basically took a fairy tale that we all knew and love back in the 40s.

And he reimagined the version in his own head.

As we strolled through the exhibition halls.

Michelle emphasized the various authors and illustrators who brought the books to life, highlighting the significant role women played in orchestrating these works.

While many men were away at war, if we come over here, we're going to look at some more pieces.

By Tibor.

Good girly.

And so this is another piece.

This is Garfield, the tugboats.

Okay.

This is another iconic character from Golden Books.

Okay.

And timber, he was responsible for both of those characters.

Of course, there was an author involved in this case is Gertrude Crampton.

Again, a woman, which I always find really, really, satisfying.

Yeah.

Think during that time, again, there's a whole outfox of men also going off to the war and then on the hand saying, oh, that makes women that are supporting these businesses.

But again, women were really the expert in childhood literature and childhood education.

They were the ones that are making discoveries and learning how kids learn.

And so when you're creating a line of children's books that either a child can read to themselves or a parent can read to a child, they wanted to put these educational methodologies to use, when crafting the stories, she discussed the many partnerships that Golden Books have established over the years, including ongoing collaborations with PBS and the Taylor Swift biography, which sold a million copies within the first week of its release.

Something that Golden Books did that was very, very important was their partnerships or affiliations with businesses.

And, you know, just like Disney and Mattel, they partnered with with companies that were targeting children are already are targeting family bases already with their content, but they also ended up doing some partnerships with businesses because, again, they were very smart.

At the conclusion of the tour, I also partnered with Golden Books to create my own Golden Book, which will be on display until the exhibit ends on May 25th and.

That's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are with our LPB app.

That's right.

And you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Karen LeBlanc and I'm Dorothea Wilson.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together, we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.

Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.