Republican Senator from Louisiana
Appears in 3 stories
Republican Senator from Louisiana - Co‑author of GOP HSA plan that would replace enhanced ACA subsidies
The ACA subsidy cliff has delivered the predicted damage. Enhanced premium tax credits expired on January 1, 2026, and by late January, enrollment data confirmed the worst fears: 1.2 to 1.4 million fewer Americans signed up for marketplace coverage compared to the prior year, with total 2026 enrollment falling to 22.8–22.9 million. Average premium payments for subsidized enrollees jumped 114% as projected—from $888 to $1,904 annually—while Trump administration changes to tax credit calculations amplified the shock. State exchanges reported steep declines: California saw new sign-ups fall 32%, Massachusetts lost 13,000 enrollees, and Mississippi expects 200,000 to abandon coverage. The predicted rate shock is no longer a forecast; it is reshaping the individual insurance market in real time.
Updated Feb 6
US Senator (R-Louisiana), Chair of Senate HELP Committee and hepatologist - Joined by House Democrats in pushing federal oversight of ACIP changes
In December 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—reconstituted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—voted 8–3 to end the universal recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of all US newborns’ birth. On December 16, 2025, Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill formally adopted the recommendation, shifting to individual-based or shared clinical decision-making for infants of mothers testing negative for hepatitis B, with any first dose suggested no earlier than two months old; birth doses remain advised for infants of positive or unknown-status mothers.
U.S. Senator (R‑La.); Chair, Senate HELP Committee; Hepatologist - Leading congressional critic urging CDC to reject the ACIP change
On December 5, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—recently overhauled under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—voted 8–3 to end the longstanding recommendation that every U.S. newborn receive a hepatitis B vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth. For babies whose mothers test negative for hepatitis B, the panel now advises individualized decision-making with parents and suggests delaying the first dose until at least two months of age, while retaining the birth dose for infants whose mothers are infected or whose status is unknown; acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill ratified this on December 16, 2025.
Updated Feb 5
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