Together Louisiana criticizes Cassidy, Kennedy votes on healthcare bill

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The group Together Louisiana criticized how both of Louisiana's senators voted on an amendment to the healthcare bill during a press conference Wednesday.

Much of their ire was directed at Senator Bill Cassidy, who they accused of going back on his word about the Senate leadership plan called the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA).

Cassidy and Senator John Kennedy both voted in favor of the amendment Tuesday, which failed.

"He was a doctor at Earl K. Long hospital, and treated people without insurance. He knows what Medicaid is and what it does. He knows what it means to not have insurance," said Broderick Bagert with Together Louisiana.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the BCRA could lead to about 22 million more Americans without insurance by 2026.

"Senator Cassidy, please don't abandon and my daughter. Please don't let us down," said Stephanie McCoy. Her daughter is receiving healthcare through Medicaid expansion.

"We cannot afford to let partisan politics play fast and loose with the healthcare of Louisiana citizens. Senator Cassidy, we urge you to please remember the promise that you made and know that we are all watching," said Kim Hood with the Open Health Clinic in Baton Rouge.

On Wednesday, both senators also voted in favor of an amendment that would have repealed most of Obamacare without a replacement.

Meanwhile, during an interview on Fox News Sunday on July 9, Cassidy called repeal a "non-starter," explaining it would cause "uncertainty in the insurance markets, premiums will rise for middle class families, it gives all the power to people who do not believe in President Trump's campaign pledges."

Later this week, the Senate will likely vote on a so-called "skinny repeal" bill, which involves getting rid of the individual mandate and some other taxes.

On Wednesday, Governor John Bel Edwards joined a bipartisan group of ten governors in sending a letter to Senate leadership, saying the skinny repeal should be "rejected." They instead called on senators to work together with them in a bipartisan fashion to fix healthcare going forward.

Read that letter below.