There is no question that our nation’s health care system requires substantial reform. The status quo of soaring health care costs, struggling families, and health care provider shortages across Maine and the nation is unacceptable. Senator Collins frequently works with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address these and other important issues facing our nation such as improved mental health care, drug treatment programs, supporting America’s caregivers, and nutrition programs.
As a native to northern Maine, Senator Collins understands the specific challenges that rural communities face for medical care. Throughout her time in the Senate, Senator Collins has consistently supported programs to expand access to and improve the health care system, particularly for citizens living in rural areas.
As a freshman legislator, Senator Collins founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus and has since led the effort to more than triple federal funding for diabetes research.
Senator Collins Secures Provision to Protect Prescription Paper Inserts
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced today that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved language she authored to continue to protect prescription paper inserts. The provision was included as part of the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations bill at the request of Senator Collins, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.
Collins, King Announce $1.35 Million Loan to Fish River Rural Health Center to Help Build Medical Facility in Fort Kent
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that Fish River Rural Health Center has received a loan of $1,350,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support the construction of additional facilities at its Fort Kent location. Fish River Rural Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center and has facilities in Eagle Lake and Fort Kent. The loan was allocated through the USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loans and Guaranteed Loans program.
Senator Collins’ Statement on Senate Plan to Repeal ACA without a Replacement
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued this statement on the planned vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without a replacement:
“I will vote no on the motion to proceed to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. I voted against this same proposal in 2015.
Senator Collins Continues to Protect Northern Maine Veterans’ Access to Health Care
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a provision she authored aiming to preserve Northern Maine veterans’ access to health care. Senator Collins is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.
Specifically, Senator Collins’ provision directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that veterans who participated in the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) pilot maintain continuity of care through the use of provider agreements.
ICYMI: Senator Collins Discusses Health Care on ABC’s “This Week”
Click HERE to watch the interview
Note to assignment editors and news directors: Click HERE for high-quality video of the interview
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins appeared on ABC’s “This Week” with host Jonathan Karl to discuss the Senate health care bill.
A transcript of the interview follows:
ICYMI: Senator Collins Discusses Health Care, Russia Investigation on CNN’s “State of the Union”
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Senator Collins Welcomes Report on Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, welcomed the findings and recommendations of a National Academies of Sciences (NAS) study released yesterday. Titled, “Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription,” the report provides background on the opioid epidemic, including trends, risk factors, progress, and future directions in pain and opioid use disorder. It also includes policy-making recommendations going forward.
Collins, McCaskill Plan to Tackle Cost of Rx Drugs Passes U.S. House
WASHINGTON – Bipartisan legislation mirroring a plan by U.S. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Claire McCaskill of Missouri to increase competition for generic drugs and lower prescription costs has passed the U.S. House of Representatives as part of a Food and Drug Administration reauthorization bill.
Food and Drug Administration Announces Action Plan that Mirrors Collins, McCaskill, Cotton, Franken Bipartisan Bill to Lower Cost of Prescription Drugs
Washington, D.C. - U.S.
Senator Collins Tweets on Senate Health Care Bill: “I Will Vote No on Motion to Proceed”
ICYMI: Senator Collins Discusses Health Care on ABC’s “This Week”
Click HERE to watch the interview
Note to assignment editors and news directors: Click HERE for high-quality video of the interview
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins appeared on ABC’s “This Week” with host George Stephanopoulos to discuss the Senate health care bill.
A transcript of the interview follows:
“This Week”
June 25, 2017
Senator Collins Urges Leader of FDA to Support Policies That Address Opioid Abuse Crisis, Reduce Prescription Drug Prices
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Highlighting Bipartisan Plan to Lower Cost of Prescription Drugs, Collins, McCaskill Praise Food and Drug Administration Chief’s Remarks
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) were encouraged by recent remarks by the head of the Food and Drug Administration in support of solutions to help keep prescription drugs affordable and improve patients’ access to medication, echoing the Senators’ bipartisan efforts.
At Senate Hearing, Senator Collins Questions Johns Hopkins Professor on Ways to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
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Senators Collins, Casey’s Legislation to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Gaining Momentum
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, announced today that their bipartisan Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act has been endorsed by AARP, the nation’s largest senior advocacy group, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ Statement on CBO’s Score of the House’s ACA Replacement Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued this statement following the Congressional Budget Office’s release of its cost and coverage estimate for the House’s Affordable Care Act replacement bill:
King, Collins, Durbin, Portman, Brown, Capito Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to Substance Abuse Treatment Under Medicaid
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) have introduced the Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion (Medicaid CARE) Act, bipartisan legislation that would expand access to substance abuse treatment for tens of thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries across the country.
Senators Collins, King Announce Jackson Laboratory to Receive Nearly $2.7 Million for Alzheimer’s Research
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Angus King announced today that The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor has been awarded a grant totaling $2,668,127 over five years that will fund studies of the complex processes involved in both healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease
ICYMI: Christian Science Monitor Names Senator Collins as One of Six Senators Who Will Play a Crucial Role in Controlling the Agenda
Christian Science Monitor | Francine Kiefer
Click HERE to read the full article
“It was a somber scene in the GOP-controlled Senate. Republicans were set to blow up a historic Senate rule so they could bust through a Democratic blockade and confirm Neil Gorsuch for the US Supreme Court with just a majority vote.
Provision to Improve Generic Drug Competition, Ensure Patient Access to Affordable Medication, Clears Key Hurdle
Senators Collins, Baldwin’s RAISE Family Caregivers Act Clears Key Senate Hurdle
Washington, D.C. — The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee unanimously passed legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to establish a national strategy to support family caregivers. The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage, or RAISE, Family Caregivers Act will now be considered by the full Senate.
ICYMI: Senator Collins on ABC’s This Week
Click HERE to watch the interview
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins on ABC’s This Week today with host George Stephanopoulos to discuss health care.
A transcript of the interview follows:
“THIS WEEK”
May 7, 2017
Senator Collins Announces More Than $1 Billion to Combat the Heroin and Opioid Abuse Epidemic
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the bipartisan funding bill that was signed into law today contains significant funding for which she advocated to combat the heroin and opioid abuse crisis.
Senator Susan Collins’ Statement on Passage of House Health Care Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released this statement following the passage of the House health care bill:
“Our current health care system is under considerable stress. In several states, the individual insurance market is on the verge of collapse, leaving consumers with no insurer willing to sell them insurance that qualifies for ACA subsidies. In many other states, those who do have coverage are experiencing large increases in premium costs, deductibles, and co-pays.
Bipartisan Funding Bill That Includes Numerous Measures Championed by Senator Collins Passes Senate
Washington, D.C. - By a vote of 79-18 the Senate passed a bipartisan appropriations omnibus this afternoon that will fund the government at updated levels through the end of September. U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, successfully pushed for a number of provisions that were incorporated in the final bill.
Senators Collins, Baldwin Introduce RAISE Family Caregivers Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage, or RAISE, Family Caregivers Act today.
Senators Collins, King Announce Maine Locations for 2017 Drug Take-Back Day
Washington, D.C. — Ahead of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day tomorrow, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) announced the locations of the Maine collection sites. Click HERE for locations.
Senators Collins and Shaheen’s Bipartisan Legislation to Establish National Diabetes Commission Heads to Senate Floor
Washington, D.C. - Bipartisan legislation reintroduced by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, to establish a national commission of health care experts to advance diabetes care and prevention will be sent to the Senate floor after being unanimously passed today by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
Senator Collins Announces Maine to Receive More Than $2 Million to Fight the Opioid Crisis
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award the State of Maine $2,039,029 to fight the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic. HHS is releasing a total of $485 million in funding to all 50 states to combat drug addiction.
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