Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is making a last-ditch effort to get President Donald Trump to focus on a problem that's crushing millions of Americans: medical debt. In a Senate floor speech Wednesday, the Louisiana Republican—who also happens to be a medical doctor—revealed a staggering statistic: 60% of personal bankruptcies are tied to medical bills. And it's only getting worse, he argued, as monthly costs climb for the average American, partly because ObamaCare subsidies have expired.
Cassidy, who lost the GOP Senate primary three weeks ago, didn't mince words. He directly addressed Trump, his voice rising with intensity: "Now, Mr. President, I'm speaking to you just for a second, I'm speaking to President Trump, Mr. President, Mr. President Trump, get engaged." He invited the president to the White House to hash things out. "We can only get something done if the executive branch engages," Cassidy said.
The senator acknowledged their rocky relationship—Cassidy voted to convict Trump after the January 6 Capitol attack, earning him the label "disloyal disaster" from the president. But he set that aside. "We may have differences," Cassidy said, but added that he shares common ground with anyone genuinely interested in helping Americans manage their medical expenses. He pointed to another pressure point: credit card interest rates hovering around 22%, which are piling on financial stress. "Let's do it together, Mr. President," he said.
Sanders, Cassidy Spotlight Healthcare Costs
Cassidy's plea comes after his defeat in the May GOP Senate primary. Congresswoman Julia Letlow and Trump ally state treasurer John Fleming advanced to a runoff in Louisiana after no candidate secured a majority. But Cassidy isn't backing down from the healthcare fight. In April, he introduced the Money and Value for Patients (MVP) plan, which aims to expand TrumpRx and shift healthcare funding directly to patients instead of insurers. He's urging Trump to adopt it.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has been hammering the U.S. healthcare system, arguing that high costs and widespread lack of coverage underscore the need for universal healthcare reform. It's a rare moment of alignment between the progressive icon and the conservative doctor, both spotlighting the same crisis from different angles.
Trump Expands Drug Pricing, Fertility Push
Trump hasn't been idle on healthcare. Earlier in May, his administration proposed a new rule to make fertility treatments more accessible through employer-sponsored benefits—a move that aligns with Cassidy's MVP agenda, which aims to direct funds to patients rather than insurance companies.
And just recently, Trump announced a major expansion of the TrumpRx prescription drug pricing platform, adding more than 600 generic medications launched earlier this year, plus 43 branded prescription drugs. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban, who runs Cost Plus Drugs, showed up at the event and backed the platform despite his competing business. He said Americans broadly support lowering prescription drug costs, adding optimism that they could "do something special" together.
But the numbers tell a sobering story. CDC data shows the U.S. uninsured rate held steady at 8.3% in 2025, leaving about 28 million people without coverage. That includes roughly 23.5 million adults and 4 million children, with working-age adults hit hardest. On the bright side, private insurance coverage has risen to 69.4% since 2021, while public coverage has dipped from its recent peak.
Cassidy's message to Trump is clear: the medical debt crisis is a ticking time bomb, and it's going to take both sides to defuse it. Whether the president will answer the call remains to be seen.
