Louisiana Voters Reject Cassidy and His Costly Healthcare Policies

By Jeff Crouere

On Saturday, incumbent U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) finished in a distant third place in the Louisiana Republican primary with only 24 percent of the vote. He missed the runoff, likely ending his political career.

It was a stinging defeat for the longtime politician and two-term U.S. Senator. Of course, a motivating factor for Republicans was his vote to convict President Donald Trump of impeachment charges following the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol protests. However, another clear reason Cassidy lost overwhelmingly was that his policies are not in sync with those of Louisiana Republican voters.

Cassidy is much more moderate than most Louisiana Republican voters. For example, he voted for massive bills sponsored by the unpopular Biden administration, including the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”

Another area that cost Cassidy political support involved his stances on crucial healthcare issues. As Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Cassidy has been holding virtual town hall meetings and field hearings on various issues. One hearing was focused on “making healthcare affordable for families, featuring perspectives from employers, patients, and providers.”

According to Senator Cassidy’s office, “The witnesses applauded Cassidy’s leadership and echoed his call to empower patients. As the first physician to chair the HELP Committee, Cassidy is a longtime champion of empowering patients and lowering health care costs for families.”

Unfortunately, the reality is very different from the Senator’s press release. In the view of Darren Grubb, spokesperson for Medicare Advantage Majority, the hearing included no substantive discussion of the serious healthcare issues faced by seniors in Louisiana and nationwide.

With approximately 35 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage today and an estimated 45 million by 2030, rising healthcare costs are a major concern to an ever-growing segment of the country. Grubb believes that “Healthcare costs are top of mind for seniors and their families, especially heading into the midterm elections, as Americans are facing rapidly rising cost-of-living challenges.”

Grubb noted his appreciation that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) adjusted “the final Medicare Advantage rate…to better reflect the real-world pressures” from rising healthcare costs. However, seniors are still at risk of losing a substantial number of important services because the rate increase was only a fraction of the overall increase in healthcare costs.

Nationally, healthcare costs are increasing 7.2 percent, topping $5 trillion for the first time in 2024. Unfortunately, CMS will increase 2027 payments to insurers carrying Medicare Advantage plans by only 2.48 percent.

This disparity is the reason that Humana recently announced it would cut benefits. “All insurers are likely to cut back on benefits, but Humana will be cutting back the most,” said Kevin Gade, chief operating officer at Bahl and Gaynor. In a recent call to investors, Humana CEO Jim Rechtin said cuts would have to be made to “reach profit targets.”

Congress should use this opportunity to improve the Medicare Advantage payment rate. Instead, Congress is still considering Senator Cassidy’s “No UPCODE Act,” which is alive in committee. Cassidy’s bill has been heavily criticized by senior advocates for harming Medicare Advantage by increasing consumer costs and reducing services.

A coalition of more than 60 organizations “representing providers, community groups, minority health advocates, and aging services leaders from across the country” sent a letter to Congress voicing “serious concerns” with the “No UPCODE Act.” These organizations warned that Cassidy’s bill “would undermine care coordination, reduce in-home health assessments, and compromise the preventive and supplemental benefits that millions of seniors count on.”

Among the millions of Americans who benefit from in-home care are seniors and individuals with disabilities who are managing chronic conditions. Cutting Medicare Advantage will also harm beneficiaries in rural areas, where access to healthcare is more limited.

In Louisiana, these issues are especially important as 20 percent of the population, or 940,000 citizens, are enrolled in Medicare. Of the Medicare beneficiaries in Louisiana, 59 percent are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.

This topic is particularly important in May, which is “Older Americans Month.” Seniors on Medicare Advantage are on the verge of losing important benefits as insurers make cuts because federal reimbursement rates are not keeping pace with rising healthcare costs. Some of the cuts may include dental, vision, fitness programs, meals, and transportation assistance, benefits that have been critical to the expansion of Medicare Advantage in recent years.

No doubt Cassidy’s stance on Medicare Advantage prompted voter backlash in Louisiana and is a major reason for his defeat on Saturday. This is also a clear message to other Republicans on the ballot this midterm election year. Cutting Medicare Advantage programs has not only healthcare ramifications for seniors, but political ramifications for Republicans as well.

In October, several weeks before the midterm election, enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans begins. The political party controlling Congress, the Republicans, will suffer voter backlash, just like Senator Cassidy, if healthcare costs continue to rise and benefits are cut.  

The GOP should remember that seniors have the highest voter turnout among all age groups. For example, in the 2020 presidential election, 71.9 percent of seniors voted, while only 48 percent of the 18-24 age group voted.

Rather than harming Medicare Advantage, as Senator Cassidy has done, Republicans should embrace it. Medicare Advantage gives seniors the freedom to choose from competing private plans with different benefits and networks. This is much better than locking Americans into a “one size fits all” government program.

Through private-sector competition, costs are lowered, and the value of services is improved. Additionally, Medicare Advantage offers a plethora of benefits that traditional Medicare does not offer. This competition and innovation are what is needed in the healthcare industry today. Instead of federal bureaucrats making every healthcare decision, seniors can choose the plan that works best for them.

Without the reform offered by Medicare Advantage, Medicare will not be preserved for future generations. The alternative will be something much worse, a fully government-controlled healthcare system, which, as seen in countries worldwide, is a miserable failure.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from 1-2 p.m.