WASHINGTON, July 18 – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) today issued the following statement:

On Thursday, July 25th at 10:00 a.m., our committee will be holding a bipartisan vote to initiate an investigation into the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care. The committee will vote to compel Ralph de la Torre, the CEO of this company, to testify at a hearing we will be holding on this subject on September 12th.

On June 25th, we sent Dr. de la Torre an invitation to testify before our committee at a hearing entitled: “Examining the Bankruptcy of Steward Health Care: How Management Decisions Have Impacted Patient Care.”

Unfortunately, he declined to testify. Given the serious harm and uncertainty Steward’s bankruptcy and financial arrangements are having on hospitals, patients, and health care workers throughout the country, Dr. de la Torre has given us no choice but to compel him to testify at this hearing. 

We have a number of questions to ask Dr. de la Torre about the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care and the financial arrangements leading up to its insolvency. It is time for Dr. de la Torre to answer them before Congress and the American people.