WASHINGTON, D.C. – Calling it “the most ill-conceived, damaging, and downright cruel piece of legislation” he has seen in his adult life, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today denounced the American Health Care Act as a foolishly misnamed bill that would hurt people across Maine and only make it more difficult for people struggling with drug addiction to obtain they treatment they need. In his remarks, Senator King highlighted how the bill would not only make coverage more... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rural Maine is in the midst of a public health crisis, and U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today pressed two federal health agencies to explain what is being done to help address it. Calling the crisis a “slowly emerging, catastrophic injustice”, Senator King in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted how people in rural Maine are facing health challenges of an unprecedented... Continue Reading »
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. The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. At a... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee unanimously approved the Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (SMASH) Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator Angus King (I-Maine) 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 full Senate for its consideration. The HELP Committee’s unanimously approval of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin were encouraged by the findings in a report released today by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) on mental health consults and access to care issues at the VA Maine Healthcare System (VA Maine). The report indicated that VA Maine has made significant improvements following a 2015 report that substantiated some instances where... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that one in 10 pregnant women confirmed with the Zika virus gave birth to a child with virus-related birth defects, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would help give states and localities the tools they need to fight back against mosquitos and the viruses they carry. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has also... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) today reintroduced the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act to provide medical professionals with a limited, but consistent level of legal protection while volunteering during federally-declared disasters. “In the wake of a disaster or crisis, it’s often doctors, nurses, and health care professionals who are among the first on the scene and who stay the longest to help people and communities... Continue Reading »
BANGOR, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement on the U.S. House of Representatives’ canceled vote on the bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act: “This bill was seriously flawed and it would have hurt tens of thousands of people across Maine, so I’m glad to see it taken off the table,” Senator King said. “Making coverage more affordable and more accessible should be our shared goal, but this bill never came close to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following an announcement that the U.S. House of Representatives has postponed its vote on a shortsighted bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement. Senator King also announced that he will join with hospital leaders and health care providers tomorrow, Friday, March 24th at 1:30 p.m. at Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan to discuss how the bill and its proposed amendments would set back... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today convened a discussion at People Plus in Brunswick to highlight how the proposed bill to replace the Affordable Care Act would hurt older, middle class Maine people by sharply driving up the amount of money they would have to pay for their healthcare coverage. Senator King’s discussion today brought together officials from People Plus, an organization that supports Maine people as they age, AARP Maine, Consumers for Affordable... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) score of the proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement: “We knew all along this was a bad bill. The CBO’s score confirms it. Fourteen million people will lose their health insurance next year under this proposal – and 24 million will lose it by 2026. Look... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) took to the Senate floor today to speak out against the recently released proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which he said will hurt Maine seniors, give tax breaks to the wealthy at the expense of middle class Mainers, and end up costing people across the state more money while delivering less. In his remarks, Senator King also called on the U.S. House of Representatives to put a halt to the repeal effort and, instead,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the release of a proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) issued the following statement: “At first glance, I’m very discouraged by this proposal. Although the bill maintains some important protections – ones that were first implemented by the Affordable Care Act, I might add – it would more than likely force Maine seniors and low-income folks to pay higher costs and ultimately would result in... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that he has joined Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and six of their colleagues in sending a letter to the Chairman and CEO of Marathon Pharmaceuticals, Jeffrey S. Aronin, demanding answers regarding the initial proposed pricing scheme for Marathon Pharmaceuticals’ recently approved steroid for use in patients with Duchenne... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to a resolution currently under consideration by the Senate that would jeopardize access to federal funding for 44 health care centers serving more than 20,000 people across Maine. “I’ve sat in this body for four years and heard people talking about how consumers and patients should be able to choose their physicians. They should be able to choose their health care options. This... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a press conference today in the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined colleagues from both the Senate and House to unveil new legislation to allow the safe importation of prescription drugs into the United States. The legislation comes at a time when in Canada and other major countries, the same medications – manufactured by the same companies in the same factories – are available for a fraction of the price compared to the United... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) led five of his colleagues, including Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), in sending a bipartisan letter calling on the Federal Communications Commission to work to avoid cuts or spending reductions to the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program, which helps deliver vital health care services and telemedicine to people who live in rural areas by providing funding for broadband. The RHC Program was initially used to allow rural health care... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a total of $732,842 in federal funding to three Maine Health Centers. Bucksport Regional Health Center in Bucksport will receive $324,131. Maine Migrant Programs, Inc. in Augusta will receive $200,460. St. Croix Regional Family Health Center in Princeton will receive $208,251. “People across Maine rely on rural health care providers for... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined 39 of their colleagues today in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price urging him to work with Congress to prioritize quality health care for rural states like Maine. In the letter, the Senators also emphasized the importance of rural health care providers and their critical role in rural communities. “As you take on this new leadership role at HHS, we request that you... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement today in response to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirming that President Trump supports allowing Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower prices of prescription drugs. Last month, Senator King reintroduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, legislation that would lower prescription drug prices for seniors by allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of... Continue Reading »
