Collins-Shaheen Bipartisan Legislation to Establish National Diabetes Commission Signed Into Law
Washington, D.C.
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.
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 this Saturday, October 28th, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) announced the locations of the Maine collection sites.
Senator Collins Joins Bipartisan Group of 24 Senators to Cosponsor Legislation to Stabilize Premiums, Increase Access to Insurance
U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Health Committee, today joined a group of 24 senators – 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats led by Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) – who support bipartisan legislation to help stabilize premiums and access to insurance in individual health insurance markets.
Senators Collins, Shaheen’s Bipartisan Legislation to Establish National Diabetes Commission Heads to President’s Desk
Washington, D.C. - The National Clinical Care Commission Act recently passed Congress unanimously and will now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The bipartisan legislation was authored 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.
Senator Collins Presses Health Agency Leaders on Developing Solutions to Opioid Crisis that is “Tearing Apart Our Communities and Costing the Lives of So Many”
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More Than 300 Advocacy Groups Oppose Graham-Cassidy
Washington, D.C. - More than 300 health care advocacy groups, including several representing Mainers, oppose the Graham-Cassidy health care proposal. This astonishing number of advocacy groups representing physicians, patients, insurance providers, and hospitals highlighted a wide range of reasons for their opposition to the proposal, including:
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Tammy Baldwin’s RAISE Family Caregivers Act Unanimously Passes Senate
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) today applauded the unanimous passage of the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage, or RAISE Family Caregivers Act, in the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan legislation to establish a coordinated strategy to support family caregivers now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Health Policy Specialists Confirm Graham-Cassidy Health Care Proposal Would Have a Devastating Impact on Maine
Click HERE to read Avalere’s full analysis
Senator Collins Opposes Graham-Cassidy Health Care Bills
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced today that she opposes both versions of the health care bill sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy. The Senator’s statement follows:
ICYMI: Senator Collins Discusses Health Care on CNN’s “State of the Union”
Click HERE to watch the interview
Note to assignment editors and news directors: Click HERE for high-quality video of the interview
Bangor, ME - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Jake Tapper to discuss health care.
Senator Collins Honored by Home Care and Hospice Alliance of Maine with Ruby Slipper Award
Augusta, ME - In recognition of her outstanding advocacy and long-time leadership for home care and hospice, U.S. Senator Susan Collins received the Home Care and Hospice Alliance of Maine’s Ruby Slipper Award and delivered remarks at the organization’s annual meeting today.
Collins, King Join Bipartisan Effort to Extend Critical Funding for Community Health Centers before End of Month Deadline
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced they have joined a bipartisan group of Senators to call for immediate action to extend critical funding for community health centers before funding runs out at the end of this month. In a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Collins, King and 68 other Senators expressed their strong support for community health centers, which provide access to cost-effective primary and preventive care for families across the country.
Collins, Cardin Lead Senate in 10th Annual Recognition of Direct Support Professionals
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) recognized the hard work of direct support professionals with a Senate resolution that passed by unanimous consent. The resolution was a cap to the celebratory week that ran September 10th through the 16th. Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are an invaluable part of our nation's health care system, caring for the most vulnerable Americans, including the chronically ill, seniors, and those living with a disability.
Maine Hospital Leaders Meet with Senator Collins
Click HERE for a high-resolution photo of Senator Collins with Art Blank, Jeffrey Austin, and Dr. Steve Diaz
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins met with Art Blank, CEO of Mount Desert Island Hospital; Jeffrey Austin, VP of Government Affairs and Communications of Maine Hospital Association; and Dr. Steve Diaz, CMO of MaineGeneral Health, in her Washington, D.C., office.
Senator Collins Questions Massachusetts Governor on Policies to Increase Access to Affordable Health Care
Senator Collins Announces $2 Billion Boost for Biomedical Research Clears Key Hurdle
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the Appropriations Committee approved $36.1 billion—a $2 billion increase—for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the third consecutive year as part of the Department of Health and Human Services funding bill. The legislation, which passed the committee by a vote of 30-1, also includes $1.8 billion—a $414 million increase—for Alzheimer’s research at the NIH. It now awaits consideration by the full Senate.
Senator Collins Questions State Insurance Commissioners on Policies to Fix the Nation’s Health Care System
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Health Committee, questioned state insurance commissioners today on ways to increase access to affordable health care coverage. The hearing was the first in a four-part series on short-term insurance market stabilization. Senator Collins has consistently championed a bipartisan process to begin fixing the flaws in the Affordable Care Act so that it will work better for all Americans.
Senators Collins, King Announce More Than $1.7 Million for Maine DHHS
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will receive a total of $1,776,038 for the Ryan White Part B Supplemental Program. This funding was awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to improve the quality, availability, and organization of HIV health care and support services.
Senators Collins, Shaheen Urge Medicare to Ensure Coverage for Critical Diabetes Therapies
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, sent a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, urging the agency to provide Medicare coverage for clinically appropriate treatment. Senators Collins and Shaheen have consistently worked to increase funding for diabetes research and promote better health care for people with diabetes.
Following Announcement Of National Opioid Emergency, Durbin And Bipartisan Sponsors Of Medicaid Care Act Press Trump To Heed Own Commission’s Recommendations And Expand Access To Substance Abuse Treatment Under Medicaid
WASHINGTON – U.S. Democratic Senators Dick Durbin (IL), Sherrod Brown (OH), Joe Manchin (WV), and Cory Booker (NJ), Independent Senator Angus King (ME), and Republican Senators Rob Portman (OH), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), and Susan Collins (ME) today urged President Trump to lift the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) Exclusion for residential substance use disorder treatment as part of his opioid emergency declaration.
Collins, King Announce $325,000 to the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center to Improve Health Care Access in Rural Communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Northeast Telehealth Resource Center (NETRC) a total of $325,000 through its Telehealth Resource Center Grant Program. Senators Collins and King had written to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the agency within HHS that oversees the Telehealth Resource Center Grant Program, in support of NETRC’s grant application.
Senators Collins, Stabenow Announce TRICARE Will Cover New Care Plans for Families of Alzheimer’s Patients
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today announced that the Department of Defense will cover new care plans to support Alzheimer’s patients covered through TRICARE and their families. More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and more than 15 million people serve as their caregivers. The Senators had strongly urged the Department of Defense to make sure that anyone who receives TRICARE could also have access to these new care plans.
Collins, King Announce More Than $2.4 Million for Maine DHHS
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will receive a total of $2,436,632 for the Maine Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Cancer Prevention and Control Programs. The funding was awarded through the U.S.
Senators Collins and Tester Introduce Legislation to Address Doctor Shortages and Train Next Generation of Physicians
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced the Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act in response to the severe shortage of physicians that has reached crisis levels in a growing number of communities across the United States. Their bill would address this issue by reauthorizing and strengthening the successful Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Program, which trains physicians in underserved, community-based settings.
Senators Collins, McCaskill’s Plan to Improve Generic Drug Competition, Ensure Patient Access to Affordable Medication Heads to President's Desk
Washington, D.C. — Provisions authored by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to improve generic competition and lower the cost of prescription drugs cleared the Senate yesterday as part of the FDA Reauthorization Act. The provisions, which were unanimously adopted as an amendment during the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s consideration of the legislation in May, will help foster a competitive marketplace to improve the affordability and accessibility of prescription drugs for patients.
U.S. Senators Collins, King Statement on Health Care Reform
Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King released the following statement on health care reform:
“During the course of the past year, we met with thousands of people across our state to discuss ways to improve our health care system.
Young Mainers Tell Senator Collins’ Committee Type 1 Diabetes Won’t Stop Them from Achieving Their Dreams
By: Sen. Susan M. Collins
With its magnificent buildings, monuments, and memorials, Washington is a city of inspiring sights. Just as inspiring was the sea of blue shirts worn by the more than 160 young delegates who participated in a recent hearing that I chaired on how diabetes affects people of all ages and their families.
Collins, King Announce $185,413 in Funding to the University of New England to Support Addiction Research
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has awarded a grant totaling $185,413 to the University of New England (UNE). The grant will help fund research into the therapeutic potential of interferon (IFN)-beta for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders in opioid users.
ICYMI: Senator Collins Discusses Health Care on NBC’s “Meet the Press”
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 NBC’s “Meet the Press” with host Chuck Todd to discuss health care.
A transcript of the interview follows:
“Meet the Press”
July 30, 2017
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