Critics of Senate Health Bill Hope to Sway GOP Sen. Cassidy

Both of Louisiana's Republican U.S. senators say they're studying the Senate GOP health plan. But advocacy groups seeking to keep the current federal law intact have their focus squarely on one of them, physician Bill Cassidy.

Cassidy has indicated he has problems with the bill that won House passage, which was the building block for the Senate legislation unveiled Thursday.

Those concerns seem to have critics of the Senate bill hoping they may have more leverage to persuade Cassidy to oppose the proposal.

Neither Cassidy nor Sen. John Kennedy has taken a position yet on the bill.

The bill would significantly shrink spending on the Medicaid program, cut taxes on higher earners, eliminate tax penalties on people who don't buy insurance and end the extra money provided for Medicaid expansion.