Katie’s One-on-One with Senator Bill Cassidy

From Next Question with Katie Couric by Katie Couric Media

August 6, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

Katie Couric interviews Senator Bill Cassidy about public health issues, including the measles outbreak and rebuilding trust in health agencies.

Public health remains one of this country’s most politically charged issues. Six years after the COVID pandemic upended everyday life, Americans are still divided over vaccines, scientific expertise, and the role of our nation's top health agencies. Meanwhile, the U.S. is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in decades, underscoring just how high the stakes remain. Few senators have spent more time thinking about these issues than Bill Cassidy. The Louisiana Republican is not only a physician, but has spent much of his life improving public health for the residents of his state. He is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and one of the key lawmakers overseeing the nation's health agencies during this particularly turbulent time. In this wide ranging conversation, Katie speaks with him about the measles outbreak, the challenge of rebuilding trust in public health, his ideas for lowering healthcare costs, and why he believes Congress still has time to save Social Security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Katie Couric

Guest: Bill Cassidy

Topics covered

public health
COVID-19
vaccines
healthcare costs
measles outbreak
trust in health agencies
Social Security

Keywords

public health
COVID-19
vaccines
measles outbreak
healthcare costs
Senator Bill Cassidy
trust in health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Congress, Social Security

Places: Louisiana