U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, MD, has introduced his proposed replacement to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a report by The New Orleans Advocate.
Here are seven key notes:
1. The replacement — Cassidy's Patient Freedom Act — has seen support from members of the Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Majority Whip John Cornyn, and five other Republicans.
2. The legislation could form an important part of the GOP's response to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of a Republican challenge to the contentious law.
3. The Republican challenge to the PPACA says that it illegal for the government to provide subsidies to low-and middle-income people to help them buy insurance through the federal exchanges in states that did not step up a federal exchange. Louisiana is one such state.
4. Dr. Cassidy's plan would convert the subsidies to grants, however, unlike the subsidies, the grants would not vary depending on income and they would be distributed on a state-by-state basis.
5. Under the plan, states would have flexibility in administering the grants. Also, it would do away with PPACA mandates on individuals and employers to buy or provide health insurance.
6. Dr. Cassidy's proposal currently has no Democratic co-sponsors in the Senate.
7. Dr. Cassidy is a gastroenterologist in Baton Rouge.
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