LSU hospital privatization deals cost less than expected

Louisiana spent $52 million less than was budgeted for Gov. Bobby Jindal's privatization deals for the LSU hospitals that provide care to the uninsured in the recently ended fiscal year, according to data provided by the state health department. Jindal's health secretary, Kathy Kliebert, said the hospital's new managers are improving care while also running more efficient operations. "We feel really comfortable that they are managing their budgets, that their new cost structures that they're setting in place are working, and at the same time we're getting really good quality care," Kliebert said in an interview.