The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced on Apr. 30 that it will conduct two field hearings in Louisiana next week to discuss making health care more affordable and improving mental health and substance use disorder treatment. The committee will hear from patients, providers, employers, and local experts during these sessions.
These hearings come after Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who serves as chairman of the HELP Committee in the 119th Congress according to the official website, introduced the Money and Value for Patients (MVP) agenda aimed at reducing health costs and empowering patient choice. Recently enacted legislation includes Cassidy’s SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act—designed to strengthen prevention, treatment, and recovery services for Americans facing substance use disorders or mental illness—and the HALT Fentanyl Act that permanently schedules fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I under federal law.
The first hearing is titled “Making Health Care Affordable Again Part 2: Perspectives from Employers, Patients, and Providers” and is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5 at LSU Foundation Building in Baton Rouge. The second hearing is titled “From Crisis to Care: Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment Across the Continuum of Care” set for Wednesday, May 6 at Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee works to legislate on public health issues with a goal of protecting health while supporting worker rights according to its official website. The committee influences federal regulations affecting both health care delivery systems as well as education across the United States according to its official website.
Additionally,the committee provides oversight of federal laws related to labor policy decisions—including agencies such as the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) or National Institutes of Health (NIH). These hearings are part of ongoing efforts by Congress through this key body responsible for shaping national policy on these matters according to its official website.
