CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is supporting legislation that would allow states to keep the Affordable Care Act if they want — or choose a new state alternative, or even to design their own alternatives.

The “Patient Freedom Act,” designed to be a partial replacement for the Affordable Care Act, was proposed Monday.

Capito, who co-signed the bill, said it will trim regulations and reduce costs but retain popular aspects of the Affordable Care Act like allowing dependents to remain on their parents’ insurance through age 26 and maintaining improvements to the federal Black Lung benefits program.

“There needs to be a replacement for Obamacare that provides access to affordable, quality health care, including to those West Virginians currently receiving coverage through the exchange or Medicaid expansion,” Capito stated in a news release.

“The Patient Freedom Act of 2017 accomplishes this by reducing Obamacare regulations that have caused health insurance premiums to sky rocket, returning authority to states, and providing more health care choices to individuals and families. It also keeps important protections such as coverage for pre-existing conditions, allowing dependent coverage through age 26, and retaining improvements to the federal Black Lung benefits program, which is especially important in West Virginia.”

The bill was introduced Monday by Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a medical doctor, and Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate Republican.

On Friday night, hours after being sworn in, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal workers to “minimize the unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens of the Act, and prepare to afford the States more flexibility and control.”

That began the process of unraveling the law, also known as Obamacare.

Congress would need to deal with any changes to the law. And Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Georgia Representative Tom Price, hasn’t yet been confirmed.

While introducing the “Patient Freedom Act” at a news conference today, Collins called Trump’s action “very confusing.”

“We really don’t know yet what the impact (of the order) will be,” Collins told reporters.

The replacement plan supported by Collins and Capito would let states keep the Affordable Care Act if they want. Or they could choose an alternative plan at roughly the same level of federal funding that they would have received for the ACA plus Medicaid expansion.

The plan would encourage greater use of health savings accounts and eliminate the requirement for most Americans to carry health insurance or pay a tax penalty. It would prohibits exclusion from policies because of pre-existing conditions.

“To ensure that everyone is covered, states will be able to auto-enroll uninsured individuals in basic health care coverage unless that individual opts out,” according to a one-sheet explainer on the “Patient Freedom Act.”

The uninsured rate in West Virginia has fallen by 59 percent since the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010, translating into 156,000 West Virginians gaining coverage, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.