LEWISTON, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) visited health professionals, businesses, and organizations in the Lewiston area to discuss the importance of preventive healthcare – listening to the challenges Maine people face in accessing affordable care. Senator King began his day at SeniorsPlus Education Center by participating in a listening session on the impact of high prescription drug prices on older Americans. He then met with Fatuma Hussein, Executive Director of the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine and her staff to receive an update on the progress, concerns, and ongoing efforts to provide top-quality healthcare options to immigrant communities throughout Maine.

Next, Senator King visited the Grand Rounds new 46,900 square foot main office to meet with its leadership and discuss the growth of its business since coming to Lewiston in 2017 and future plans for expanding its workforce in the Lewiston-Auburn area. Senator King finished his day with a tour of the new Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) walk-in Urgent Care facility as it finalizes its construction process, which will soon provide the Lewiston-Auburn community with a source of affordable, convenient care.

“Today’s visits gave me a first-hand look with our Lewiston-Auburn community leaders, at programs that are working to help their constituents to power through adverse situations, turn challenges into solutions, and keep folks healthy,” said Senator King. “Community wellbeing depends on reliable access to healthcare, and one of the best ways that we can improve public health is by preventing conditions before they get too serious. It was an excellent day to meet with seniors, healthcare advocates, innovators, and professionals to hear what’s working and what isn’t – I look forward to taking those sentiments back to Washington as I continue to fight for proactive healthcare policy.”

Senator King is a champion for prevention policies across the board – including advocating for the advantages and financial benefits of proactive and preventive healthcare. He recently introduced the Preventive Home Visits Act, which would provide Medicare coverage for qualified care providers to assess the safety of seniors’ homes, and the Wellness and Education for Longer Lives (WELL) for Seniors Act, which would improve Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visit to encourage seniors and their physicians to work together and confront health issues before they become more serious.  In October, he hosted a prevention-focused panel discussion in Bangor with local healthcare providers and public wellness experts on the best ways to use prevention strategies to improve health outcomes and reduce costs. In November 2019, Senator King introduced the Primary Care Patient Protection Act to allow consumers enrolled in high-deductible health plans (HDHP) to be covered for two yearly visits to primary care physicians. In May 2019, Senator King introduced the Preventive Health Savings Act, which would direct the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to more accurately reflect the cost-savings of preventive healthcare, including health screenings.

Senator King has been a leader in working to reduce prescription drug costs and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the content of their ads – earlier this year, he introduced the Responsibility in Drug Advertising Act, which prohibits direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of newly-approved prescription drugs for three years – in order to increase their affordability for Americans, and slow the rising costs associated with ad campaigns. He has joined Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to introduce bipartisan legislation that require drug companies to list the prices of their drugs in DTC advertisements, mirroring an Administration proposal that was blocked by the courts. He has also introduced legislation to prohibit pharmaceutical drug manufacturers from claiming tax deductions for consumer advertising expenses.