Bill Cassidy, MD, is the only gastroenterologist serving among the 19 physicians in the 118th Congress. Dr. Cassidy is a Republican senator from Louisiana and was first elected to his seat in 2014.
Here are eight things to know about Dr. Cassidy:
1. He joined Baton Rouge-based Louisiana State University School of Medicine in 1990, teaching medical students and residents at a hospital for uninsured patients.
2. Dr. Cassidy co-founded a Louisiana-based medical clinic that provides free dental care and healthcare for working uninsured patients.
3. Following Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Cassidy led a group of volunteers to establish an emergency healthcare facility.
4. Dr. Cassidy was first elected to the Louisiana state Senate in 2006.
5. Dr. Cassidy was elected to the U.S. House in 2008.
6. Dr. Cassidy serves on the Finance Committee, the Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee in the U.S. Senate.
7. In 2023, Dr. Cassidy was appointed a ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee, the first physician to sit as a HELP ranking member since 1933.
8. Dr. Cassidy has co-sponsored several pieces of health-related legislation, including a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to ensure Medicaid coverage of mental health services and primary care services furnished on the same day and a bill to extend funding for teaching health centers that operate GME programs, community health centers and the National Health Service Corps.