Senior Issues | Senator Susan Collins

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As the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senator Collins’ priorities include retirement security, highlighting the importance of biomedical research on diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes, and scams targeting seniors.

As the Senate Co-Chair of the Congressional Alzheimer’s Task Force, the Senator is particularly committed to putting an end to Alzheimer’s disease, which has had such a devastating effect on 5.2 million Americans and their families.

To visit the Senate Special Committee on Aging’s website, click here.

Collins Fights to Preserve Senior Food Box Program, which Helps Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn Serve Thousands of Mainers

Washington, D.C. — At a hearing this morning to review the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) fiscal year 2020 budget request, Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, pressed Secretary Sonny Perdue on the proposed elimination of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, commonly known as the Senior Food Box program. Senator Collins emphasized how important the Senior Food Box program is to seniors throughout Maine.

Collins, Klobuchar’s Bill to Crack Down on Fraud Targeted at Seniors Clears Senate Committee

The Seniors Fraud Prevention Act would help fight scams designed to strip seniors of their assets by helping educate seniors about fraud schemes and improve monitoring and response to fraud complaints

Aging Committee Examines Promising Directions in Alzheimer’s Research and Care Models

Click HERE to read Senator Collins’ opening statement

Click HERE to read Senator Casey’s opening statement

Washington, D.C.—Every 65 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, this rate will double to every 33 seconds unless we take action.

Senators Collins, Baldwin Introduce Legislation to Support the Health and Wellbeing of Family Caregivers

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2019, legislation to support the health and wellbeing of family caregivers.

Hampden Couple Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease Testifies at Hearing Chaired by Senator Collins

Mary Dysart Hartt, whose parents founded the family-owned business Dysart’s, and Mike Hartt, the former president of Hartt Transportation, told Senator Collins’ Committee about how creating a care plan has helped them navigate the challenges posed by Alzheimer’s

Collins, King Announce $70,000 Grant to Increase Transportation Options for Senior, Disabled, and Low-Income Mainers

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King announced today that the Greater Portland Council of Government (GPCOG) has received $70,000 for a pilot program to increase access to transportation for vulnerable populations in the Portland area.

Bipartisan Improving HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act Introduced by Collins, Stabenow, Markey, Capito, Menendez

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today introduced the bipartisan Improving HOPE (Health, Outcomes, Planning, and Education) for Alzheimer’s Act. Thanks to a successful bipartisan push by lawmakers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced in November 2016 that Medicare would begin covering new care plans in 2017, effectively implementing the HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act.

Legislation to Assist Americans with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Introduced by Bipartisan Group Led by Senator Collins

Washington, D.C.—In an effort to help the approximately 200,000 Americans suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, U.S.

Legislation to Assist Americans with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Introduced by Bipartisan Group of Senators

Washington, D.C.—In an effort to help the approximately 200,000 Americans suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, U.S.

Senator Collins Delivers Keynote at SeniorsPlus Fill the Plate Breakfast in Auburn

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Collins, Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Expand Training and Support Services for Families and Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) have introduced legislation to expand training and support services for families and caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Senator Collins Applauds Largest Coordinated Sweep of Elder Fraud Cases in History

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, applauded the work of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and multiple law enforcement agencies, which recently resulted in the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history. This sweep involved more than 260 defendants from around the globe who defrauded more than two million Americans, most of them elderly, out of more than $750 million.

Senator Collins Urges Colleagues to Support Her Legislation to Stop Patent Gaming and Increase Access to Lower-Cost Drugs

Click HERE to watch Senator Collins’ floor statement. Click HERE to download high-resolution video.

Click HERE to read Senator Collins’ floor statement

Experts Detail Policies That Can Bring Down the Cost of Prescription Drugs and Enhance Transparency

Washington, D.C.—In the second hearing this week on the soaring cost of prescription drugs, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Aging Committee, continued their bipartisan effort to untangle the complex web of prescription drug pricing and find solutions for patients and their families.

Collins, King Lead Effort Empowering Seniors, Individuals with Disabilities to Continue Living Safely At Home

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today introduced the Senior and Disability Home Modification Assistance Initiative Act with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and a group of their colleagues. The legislation would make it easier for older Americans and individuals with disabilities to access federal home modification programs and remain in their homes.

ICYMI: Senator Collins Discusses the Rising Costs of Prescription Drugs on Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power”

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Lewiston Woman Shares the Severe Personal Toll of High Drug Prices to Senator Collins’ Committee

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Patients Share the Harm that the Rising Cost of Medication Has on Their Health and Finances

Click HERE to read Senator Collins’ opening statement

Click HERE to read Senator Casey’s opening statement

Senator Collins Warns of Fraudulent Calls Targeting Social Security Numbers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, is warning of an increasing number of fraudulent telephone calls from people pretending to work for the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Senators Collins, Casey Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Individuals Under the Care of Guardians

Washington, D.C. — According to the National Center for State Courts, approximately 1.3 million adults are currently under the care of guardians – family members or professionals – who control roughly $50 billion of their assets.

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Addressing the Looming Retirement Security Crisis

The United States is on the verge of a retirement crisis. About one half of all U.S. households age 55 and older have no retirement savings, and up to two-thirds of workers may not have saved enough to maintain their standard of living in retirement.

Senator Collins Meets with Maine Senior Corps Board Member

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ICYMI: Senators Collins and Hassan Pen Joint Op-Ed on the Looming Retirement Crisis

Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) co-authored a joint op-ed regarding their bipartisan work to address the looming retirement crisis.

Senator Collins Joins Bipartisan Group in Introducing Legislation to Protect Older Workers from Discrimination

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, joined Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in introducing the bipartisan Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA). Enacting POWADA would restore critical Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protections and make it easier for employees to prove when they are a victim of age discrimination in the workplace.

Collins, Klobuchar Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Fraud Targeted at Seniors

Leader of Maine Company Testifies at Senator Collins’ Hearing on Strengthening Retirement Security

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Senator Collins Spearheads Multifaceted Effort to Address America’s Retirement Crisis

Only 54 percent of working Americans believe that they will have enough money to live comfortably in retirement.

Senator Collins introduced two bills, will chair hearing focused on this issue

Senators Collins, Warner Introduce Legislation to Boost Retirement Saving Plans

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Aging Committee, and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the SIMPLE Plan Modernization Act to provide greater flexibility and access to small businesses and their employees seeking to utilize the popular SIMPLE plans as an option for saving for retirement.

Bill to Help Americans Save for Retirement Introduced by Senators Collins, Hassan

Washington, D.C. — In an effort to make it easier for Americans to save the money they will need for retirement, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced the Retirement Security Act of 2019 today. Their bipartisan legislation would help small businesses offer retirement plans to their employees and encourage individuals to save more for retirement.

Aging Committee Examines Law Enforcement’s Efforts to Crack Down on Fraud That Costs Seniors Billions Annually

Washington, D.C. - Each year, older Americans lose approximately $3 billion to an ever-growing number of financial scams. These scams steal much-needed resources from seniors, which are often never recovered.

Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, examined this issue and released the Committee’s 2019 Fraud Book in a hearing titled: “Fighting Elder Fraud: Progress Made, Work to be Done.”

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