However the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the health care law, the national argument over what to do about it resumes with a vengeance heading into the fall elections. But determining what’s next for health care reform will wait until a new Congress convenes in January. Congressman Bill Cassidy will be ready. The Baton Rouge Republican, a doctor, has filed a bill to revamp how the federal government and states pay for Medicaid, which will be with us, bigger than ever, after the high court speaks. If Cassidy drums up support among colleagues for his bill to be considered, he becomes a player in the overall health care debate that is bound to consume the next congressional term, leading up to the 2014 elections, when he is expected to challenge Sen. Mary Landrieu. That’s getting ahead of the game a bit, but clearly Cassidy aims to make his mark on the policy issue that could drive politics in the elections to follow. While the two-term representative seeks to play a role in health care legislation, the senior senator has been there, done that—and has the scars to prove it. Read the full column here.
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
