CASSIDY/GRAHAM BILL: Since Congress failed to replace and repeal the Affordable Care Act known as “Obama-Care”, the question on everyone’s mind is what will happen when it reconvenes in September? One area of concern for many states and especially here in Louisiana is what will happen to healthcare coverage programs like Medicaid, a health insurance program for the financially disadvantaged. When Governor John Bel Edwards expanded Medicaid in Louisiana in 2016, nearly 450,000 people signed up. But looming on the horizon is a shift-in cost to the states and this week Republican Senator Bill Cassidy shared some thoughts on the matter with the Baton Rouge Rotary Club. Cassidy and Graham’s bill has been looked at by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities which releases an analysis today. An early look at their study, says the bill would implement a state-block grant system to cover the cost of care for medicaid recipients, but according to one analyst- the grant would be lower than the amount of money states are receiving now and cuts would continue to grow with Louisiana seeing a $2.3 billion cut in 2026.
