Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is fighting with his state’s top health official over how his Obamacare overhaul bill would affect healthcare access.
Louisiana Secretary of the Department of Health Rebekah Gee wrote to Cassidy on Monday, saying the harm to Louisiana from the bill “far outweighs any benefits.” Cassidy responded on Tuesday that she was using faulty numbers and she wants to continue Obamacare mandates that are hurting state residents.
Gee wrote in her letter that she was worried the bill ends the Medicaid expansion that has brought coverage to more than 433,000 people in the state. She also said Louisiana would lose around $3.2 billion in federal funding through 2026 under the bill.
The bill seeks to give Obamacare funding to states through block grants to let them set up their own programs. However, it would initially cut funding to Medicaid expansion states and raise dollars for non-expansion states in an attempt to eventually create funding parity between the two.
Gee said Louisiana would have the eighth highest cuts among all states affected by the legislation, pointing to a study from the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Cassidy slammed that study in his response to Gee.
“If Dr. Gee had called and asked how this bill would impact Louisiana, she could have been walked through as to why her concerns are unfounded,” he said in a statement. “Instead, she chose to echo a left wing think tank, which is working to preserve Obamacare.”
Cassidy said the letter is correct that the proposal, also spearheaded by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., would spend less money on Obamacare.
“We eliminate the penalties paid by individuals and business which do not conform to Obamacare mandates,” he said, referring to the individual and employer mandates. “If Dr. Gee thinks that more money is needed, she should suggest that these taxes be re-imposed on state level.”
