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La. Rep. Cassidy Co-Sponsors "Defund Obamacare Act"

Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy has signed on to legislation that aims to defund President Obama’s health care reform law.

The Defund Obamacare Act was introduced last week by Republican Congressman Tom Graves of Georgia. If passed, the bill would prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to carry out any provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It would also rescind any unobligated money that has already been made available under the act as well.

Cassidy tweeted his co-sponsorship of the bill Monday. In a written statement, he called the Affordable Care Act a “bad deal for Americans” because it’s caused insurance premiums to rise and empowers further government control on our lives.

The House has voted over 30 times in failed attempts to either repeal the Affordable Care Act in its entirety or knock down some part of it.

Louisiana’s state legislature's Joint Insurance Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss the Affordable Care Act and its two voluntary portions: Medicaid expansion and setting up health insurance exchanges. Gov. Bobby Jindal has thus far opposed doing either in Louisiana.

Ashley Westerman is a producer who occasionally directs the show. Since joining the staff in June 2015, she has produced a variety of stories including a coal mine closing near her hometown, the 2016 Republican National Convention, and the Rohingya refugee crisis in southern Bangladesh. She is also an occasional reporter for Morning Edition, and NPR.org, where she has contributed reports on both domestic and international news.

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