Sen. Landrieu sponsors another bill to fix ObamaCare

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) this week signed on to another bill that would amend ObamaCare, her second of the week.

With Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Landrieu introduced a bill that would repeal language in ObamaCare that prevents some people from using medical savings accounts to buy over-the-counter drugs. Under current law, only people with prescriptions can use medical savings accounts to buy OTC drugs.

{mosads}Landrieu is thought to be in a close reelection campaign next year, and could face Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

She’s also one of the several Senate Democrats who will face reelection next year to meet with President Obama today to discuss the implementation of the law.

There are six other co-sponsors of the Roberts-Landrieu bill, S. 1647, and all of them are Republicans.

“This prohibition takes away choice and flexibility from individuals about how to manage their health care expenses and adds yet another burden to physicians,” Roberts said Tuesday of the bill. “Rather than promoting cost-effectiveness and accessibility, this provision directs people to potentially more costly, less convenient, and more time-consuming alternatives.”

The bill is supported by several physicians groups, and has a House companion bill from Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) and John Barrow (D-Ga.).

Earlier in the week, Landrieu and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) proposed a bill that would allow insurance companies to maintain insurance policies that are now being canceled due to ObamaCare’s new insurance standards. As she discussed that proposal, Landrieu said bluntly that Democrats incorrectly said ObamaCare would let people keep their insurance plans if they want.

“We said, and the president said over and over, that if people have insurance, and they like the insurance they have, they can keep it,” she said. “That is my bill. That is the single focus of my bill.”