Bob Casey

There are 17.5 million people, more than 17.5 million now, who have health care today who would not have it, would not have health-care coverage absent the ACA.

No law that deals with a subject as complex as health care can be perfect upon enactment.

We are implementing and making normal or routine things that used to be exceptional and rare--making sure we are reducing hospital readmissions.

I think Senator Toomey is right on two things: number one, that this opioid problem is a matter of great urgency; and number two, that there is a bipartisan consensus to confront the problem and propose solutions.

Let us fix problems in the ACA in a bipartisan fashion and make sure we do not undermine or destroy the achievements.

The Federal Government could be helpful in resolving the problem in the rural areas by providing funding to educate the public in how to assist friends and loved ones who are experiencing psychological distress.

We must work to build upon this progress by strengthening the behavioral healthcare workforce.

Mental health is one of the country's most pressing health care needs.

Thank you, Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray, for continuing with this series of hearings on mental health and substance abuse.

Susan is a Republican, I am a Democrat and we work closely together.

We are going to be running out of time by mid-March, so we are working on that together.

I appreciate that. Dr. Fox, I was going to ask you, do you have anything to add to that question about what is driving it?

We are grateful for the work that you are doing and Ranking Member McCaskill.

America pays the highest drug prices in the world, and it is not impossible to fix and it does not have to be partisan.

Please consider cosponsoring S. 1453 and working with your colleagues to advance this important legislation.

Some form of economic model will be required to make reverse distribution a viable solution for safe disposal of opioids and other prescription drugs.

It sounds as though Baltimore is working hard to solve its opioid abuse epidemic, and I appreciate your efforts.

Every State is different, and they don't talk to each other well.

Rhode Island is seeing this plague--239 deaths in 2014, which is more than homicides, more than suicides, more than car wrecks, indeed, more than all of those things combined.

Yes. By that time, it's gone too far.

That's something that we've got to address.

Like a lot of States that we've highlighted today, Pennsylvania is not immune. In fact, unfortunately, the problem has gotten as bad in Pennsylvania as probably anywhere in the country.

I am pleased that the Protecting Our Infants Act, which I introduced with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, was recently signed into law.

There is no simple solution or law that Congress can pass to fix this problem, but there are commonsense steps that we can take.

Opioid abuse is a crisis that is engulfing families, public health professionals and law enforcement throughout the Nation.