The federal health department says hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi can get $22 million in stimulus money to help cover costs for poor and uninsured patients.

The U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals says it is giving an extra $18.3 million to Louisiana and an additional $3.7 million to Mississippi for hospitals serving a disproportionate share of low-income or uninsured people.

It says states must show they’ve used all their “disproportionate share” money for fiscal 2009 before tapping into the new money, and must ask for it as part of their quarterly Medicaid budget request.