Bill Cassidy

It's kind of amazing that the principal agency for addressing psychiatric illness didn't have a psychiatrist.

Although this is a topic which is in a sense inherently tragic, on the other hand, the fact that Senators Alexander and Murray and you all are here gives us some room for happiness, of optimism in the midst of this.

The legislation that Senators Murphy and Cassidy have worked on together would take some very important steps to better integrate mental and physical health care.

Upon separation, is there some assessment made of whether or not the veteran has an addiction problem?

Is model State legislation being drafted which different States could then adapt.

I have a vested interest in asking this. I have introduced S. 453, the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act.

When I was in, I was a battle commander. When I was out, I was an assistant manager.

There is such a strong case for allowing U.S. export of oil. I cannot imagine why the Administration does not.

There is a fellow who started a medical device startup in New Orleans, and he was saying that he had an offer to move his business to Panama because a major portion of his market is overseas. So the medical device tax is, of course, a tax…

When it comes to insurance premiums, you can't make this up. This is a fellow from Homewood, LA. His first name is Mark; we scratched out his last name. This is his letter from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana informing him that his…

Our labor market participation is the lowest it has been since Jimmy Carter.

But if we are shedding all these jobs in the industry which provides such a tremendous number of jobs for less skilled workers, it seems as if that endangers even this 2.5 percent growth we have.

So even though we have gotten some benefit for consumer spending in terms of employment, now going forward as those jobs are further shed what impact do you feel like that has upon our growth?

I wish you were their central banker. I'm not sure--but that's--I hope you're right.

If the EU is planning, ECB is planning to stimulate, and we are sending signals that we are going to raise interest rates, it seems like we are creating the dynamic where the Dollar will continue to strengthen.

The marginal effect for the lower quintile is going to be greater than the marginal effect for the upper quintiles.

But not in that lowest quintile. Is that a fair statement?

I have asked for data before from the VA on data that was specific to the New Orleans VA and I was told that you could not segregate it from the aggregate.

Intuitively, though, the more openings you have to a system, the more points of vulnerability you have.

How do we achieve safety but not kill an industry with a thousand cuts, an industry which is so important to the livelihood of so many?

Well one is a lack of maturity, and the other is a lack of a quality option.

So if you put a different question, if you go to this school with this degree, you're more likely to have a job...

That is a different issue than the quality of education.

If it were accessible, would it therefore be accessed?

Companies like Turing and Valeant kind of abuse the social contract, which gives you a reasonable rate of return for drug marketing, and they've gone way beyond reasonable.