BATON ROUGE - U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led a field hearing in Baton Rouge, LA on how Congress can make health care affordable for American families. Cassidy recently unveiled the Money and Value for Patients (MVP) agenda to lower health costs and empower patients to choose the care that works best for them.

"When you speak to people right now in Louisiana or across the country, the ability to afford things is the biggest issue. One example is health care; way too expensive, said Dr. Cassidy. "Premiums are climbing and even those with coverage face thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket costs when they seek care."

"By putting money in the patient's pocket, delivering price transparency, the MVP Agenda delivers what people in Louisiana have asked for; health care they can afford, with power in their hands," continued Dr. Cassidy.

The witnesses applauded Cassidy's leadership and echoed his call to empower patients. As the first physician to chair the HELP Committee, Cassidy is a longtime champion of empowering patients and lowering health care costs for families. President Trump recently signed Cassidy's PBM Reform Act into law, increasing price transparency and cracking down on middlemen that drive up prescription drug prices for patients. Cassidy also led the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act with U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) as an alternative to Democrats' plan to continue giving billions of dollars to giant insurance companies.

The witnesses included:

• Ronnell Nolan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Health Agents for America, Baton Rouge, LA
• Debbie Rowell, Owner, The Coffee Connection, Acadian Coffee Roasters, Deridder, LA
• Kathy Oubre, Chief Executive Officer, Pontchartrain Cancer Center, Covington, LA
• TJ Woodard, Co-Owner, Prescriptions to Geaux, Baton Rouge, LA

Click here to watch the OS.

Click here to watch the full hearing.

Cassidy's opening remarks as prepared for delivery can be found below:

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will please come to order.

As a Senator, you talk with a lot of people. And let me tell you, affordability is top of mind.

Health care is too expensive.

Premiums are climbing, and even those with coverage face thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket costs when they seek care.

If the patient has the power, then prices tend to come down.

We have to address not just the cost of insurance, but the cost you pay before insurance kicks in.

My MVP, money and value for patients, agenda, does exactly that. Instead of sending dollars through layers of insurers and middlemen, this approach puts resources directly in patients' hands and empowers them with information they need to choose the best care.

So, when a mom in Lafayette has a child with an earache, she can pull out her phone, search 'urgent care near me,' and quickly compare price and quality to find the best place to treat her child.

I practiced medicine in a hospital for the uninsured for over 25 years. I saw the pain in a mother's eyes when trying to decide between getting her baby the care she needed or having enough money to put food on the table. No parent should have to make that decision.

Instead of scrambling to pay medical bills, my MVP agenda gives families peace of mind, knowing they have more money in their pockets to pay for their prescription drugs, doctor visits, and lab tests. Over time, families who spend less can build savings so if a child has an unexpected emergency room visit, they don't have to drain their bank account to afford it.

We must get patients access to more affordable drugs quickly by cutting bureaucratic red tape that slows down approvals of cheaper generics and biosimilars.

By the way, the MVP agenda builds off of what Republicans are already doing to lower health care costs.

Earlier this year, my PBM reform bill was signed into law, which directly lowers the amount patients pay at the pharmacy counter. And expanding TrumpRx allows patients to buy drugs directly and transparently, cutting out bureaucracy and hidden fees.

By putting money in people's pockets and delivering price transparency, the MVP Agenda delivers what Louisianans have been asking for: health care they can afford, with control in their hands.

I thank the witnesses for being here and look forward to hearing their ideas on how we can make health care more affordable for Louisianians.

With that, I will introduce our witnesses to provide their testimony.

###

For all news and updates from HELP Republicans, visit ourwebsite or Twitterat @GOPHELP.