WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today continued his push to establish a comprehensive strategy to combat the opioid and heroin epidemic that is devastating communities in Maine and across the country. Senator King joined a group of his colleagues to introduce the Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act, legislation that would invest $45 billion for prevention, detection, surveillance and treatment of opioids. Senator King today also wrote to President Trump urging him to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) spoke at the Opportunity Alliance in South Portland to urge Maine people to prepare for the Affordable Care Act 2018 Open Enrollment Period, which begins November 1st. Senator King was joined by healthcare advocates, application assisters, healthcare providers and insurers to highlight the continued availability of ACA healthcare plans, as well as reinforce the shortened enrollment window to sign up for coverage. “Reports of... Continue Reading »
FARMINGTON, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today hosted a discussion on the state of the opioid crisis in Maine with Mount Blue High School students, school administrators, and local health professionals at Mount Blue High School in Farmington. The discussion focused on what can be done in Maine school systems to prevent opioid use and raise awareness about the issue. “The impact of the opioid crisis in Maine is staggering and affects every corner of our communities,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to address threats to the Affordable Care Act’s healthcare marketplace. “I’m rising today in sadness, but also in some anger because there’s a lot of talk about the Affordable Care Act collapsing,” said Senator King in his speech. “Mr. President, it is not collapsing – it’s being mugged. It’s being stabbed in the back. It’s being... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s preliminary score of the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill: “Today’s CBO report on the previous version of Graham-Cassidy does nothing to alleviate concerns raised in outside studies that the plan will hurt Maine people. The latest version – which the CBO will not score before the September 30th deadline – is merely an attempt to... Continue Reading »
JACKMAN, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today met with local business leaders, town officials, health professionals and community members in Jackman to hear their concerns about the health care crisis facing the Jackman community. Senator King toured the Jackman Community Health Center, where Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) now operates as the town’s sole emergency medicine provider, and hosted a roundtable discussion on the challenges related to the decreased... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues to announce the introduction of the Protecting Jessie Grubb’s Legacy Act (Legacy Act), legislation to help ensure that medical professionals have full knowledge of their patients’ previous opioid addiction if the patient gives consent. This will improve health care coordination and reduce the risk of overdose death for people with substance use disorders by allowing their... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today 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... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate in response to yet another iteration of a health care proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act. “Mr. President, over the past several weeks there have been real discussions, bipartisan discussions about fixing the problems in the affordable care act, about controlling the growth of premiums, about being sure that there is some... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Angus King announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Aging has awarded MaineHealth a grant of $957,096 to provide additional training to Alzheimer’s caregivers and expand the reach of dementia-capable health care services. “There are approximately 27,000 people in Maine living with Alzheimer’s disease today, and that number will... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that the U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (SMASH) Act, bipartisan legislation Senator King introduced that would help give states and localities the tools they need to fight back against mosquitos and the viruses they carry. The bill will now be sent to the House of Representatives for its consideration. “Insect-borne diseases aren’t a one-year... Continue Reading »
BAR HARBOR, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined researchers, scientists, health professionals, and Acadia National Park officials to discuss strategies to prevent vector-borne diseases like Lyme and bolster research and education initiatives to help combat these diseases. Senator King toured the Mosquito Project at Sieur de Monts Nature Center and learned about the Tick Project at the Compass Harbor, Schooner Head Trailhead. This spring, Senator King reintroduced the... Continue Reading »
BAR HARBOR, ME – During Acadia Family Center’s speaker series on the drug and opioid epidemic, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today underscored his joint statement with a bipartisan group of his colleauges urging 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. The statement, released along with Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Susan Collins (R-Maine),... Continue Reading »
ELLSWORTH, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined with the city of Ellsworth and Ellsworth Business Development Corporation, Northern Border Regional Commission Co-Chair Mark Scarano, local and state officials, and private sector partners to celebrate the launch of Ellsworth’s Open Access Fiber Optic Network at the Union River Center for Innovation in Ellsworth. The open access fiber network provides high-speed internet to the Union River Center for Innovation, an... Continue Reading »
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 $404,685 to prevent childhood lead poisoning in Maine. The grant is being awarded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH). “Lead poisoning is one of the most prevalent public health issues facing children today,” said Senators Collins... Continue Reading »
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... Continue Reading »
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. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “Cancer has taken a tremendous toll on far too many... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – At a press conference at the Portland International Jetport today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) discussed the early morning vote in the U.S. Senate on a proposal that would have rolled back many parts of the Affordable Care Act. During the conference, he praised Senator Collins for her courage to cast the first Republican vote against the bill and outlined his support for ten bills that seek to improve the stability of the health care market and lower the costs of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) issued the following statement in response to Senate’s vote on the motion to proceed on the House-passed American Health Care Act: “Today, the Senate has moved forward to consider misguided legislation, any version of which will hurt millions of people across the country and tens of thousands of hardworking people across Maine,” Senator King said.... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined with health care professionals, providers, and advocates at the Fore River Campus of Mercy Hospital in Portland to discuss a path forward for comprehensive, bipartisan health care policies that will make health care more affordable and more accessible for people in Maine. “We just had a longer hearing on health care in Portland, Maine than has happened this year in the United States Senate on a plan to affect one sixth of... Continue Reading »
