Dr. Bill Cassidy is the senior senator from Louisiana and Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. He is the first physician to sit as HELP Ranking Member or Chair since 1933, when it was called the Education and Labor Committee. Dr. Cassidy has served on the HELP Committee since 2015, and has been instrumental in efforts to lower prescription drug costs, prevent patients from receiving surprise medical bills, and reform America’s mental health care system.Dr. Cassidy grew up in Baton Rouge, LA, and attended Louisiana State University for undergraduate and medical school. After his residency, Dr. Cassidy worked for over 25 years in the Louisiana charity hospital system to ensure all Louisiana families could access quality health care. During this time, Dr. Cassidy co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, a clinic providing free dental and health care to the working uninsured. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, he led a group of health care volunteers to convert an abandoned K-Mart building into an emergency health care facility, providing basic health care to hurricane evacuees.