Ideas on healthcare affordability differ among 6th District candidates

Candidates in Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District agree healthcare coverage affordability is a major public concern, but they have drastically different proposals for fixing the problem.

Four major candidates are competing to be the next U.S. House member from the Baton Rouge area in the Nov. 3 election. Incumbent Cleo Fields is stepping down after the state legislature created new district boundaries last spring to make it harder for a Democrat to retain his seat. 

The two leading Democratic candidates in the race said reinstituting government subsidies for health insurance plans sold through the Obamacare exchanges would be a priority if they were elected.

“I would reverse the cuts to the Affordable Care Act subsidies,” said Pat Forbes, a retired state employee who helped lead Louisiana’s disaster recovery efforts as the longtime head of the state Office of Community Development.

People who don’t receive health insurance through an employer, but don’t qualify for plans like Medicare or Medicaid, can purchase coverage through the government-run marketplace.

During President Joe Biden’s term, the federal government increased subsidies to make the Obamacare plans more affordable. But those subsidies expired at the end of 2025, with President Donald Trump firmly against keeping them in place, and prices for the coverage skyrocketed.

Like Forbes, community organizer Lindsay “Rubia” Garcia said she would work to bring the subsidies back if elected. 

But she eventually wants to move to a taxpayer-funded national health insurance plan, sometimes referred to as a “Medicaid for All” strategy. Under that structure, every citizen would get access to government-sponsored health insurance, regardless of their age or economic status.

“Healthcare is a human right in the United States,” said Garcia, a former teacher who graduated from Southern University Law Center in 2025. 

Unlike the Democratic candidates, Republican state Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge said he would not favor restoring higher subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans. 

Instead, Edmonds said he would support giving Americans direct access to funding to cover their medical costs through expanded health savings accounts to help offset the cost of care for people with high deductible insurance plans. 

This idea, which is popular among conservatives, was pushed by outgoing U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge. Trump also floated a similar plan last week when he promised to send $500 rebate checks to people enrolled in Obamacare. 

“I am a strong proponent of the open market,” Edmonds said. 

The other notable Republican candidate in the race, state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, did not return several phone calls and text messages over the past week asking for an interview about his healthcare priorities.

Medicaid work requirements

Another difference between the Democrats and Edmonds is their opinion on work requirements that take effect in January for certain low-income Medicaid recipients.

In 2025, Trump and Congress enacted new rules that will require many Medicaid enrollees to earn at least $580 per month or complete 80 hours of volunteer work or school each month to retain their benefits.

Forbes and Garcia said they would work to repeal the work requirements, while Edmonds said he is in favor of the new restrictions. 

Forbes said the requirements mean more citizens will go without healthcare and be unable to work as a result of an illness. It will lead financially vulnerable medical providers, such as rural hospitals, to close because they will have to treat more uninsured patients who can’t cover their bills, he said.

Garcia said working people shouldn’t make so little money that they qualify for Medicaid. If someone is working full-time, they should make enough to afford a private insurance plan, she said. 

“I’m for people working, and when they are working, earning a livable wage,” she said.

Edmonds said the new work requirements will incentivize low-income people enrolled in the Medicaid program to get new job training. If they gain a new skill, they might be able to find employment that allows them to pick up private insurance, he said. 

“We want to push people to have a great job,” Edmonds said.