I support full repeal of Obamacare. This law imposes a heavy tax and regulatory burden on American families and small businesses. It has already caused millions of Americans to lose the health care plans they liked and doctors that they trusted. It has also led to higher health costs and higher premiums, and drastically increased federal spending by subsidizing health coverage for millions of Americans. I believe Obamacare’s government-centered approach represents the wrong solution for the health care challenges in our country.
While Obamacare is not the solution, I certainly recognize that our health care system has major problems. First and foremost, I believe doctors and patients, not insurance companies or the government, should be in charge of health care decisions. Next, I believe we must always protect those with preexisting conditions. I believe Congress should provide people with greater freedom in shopping for health insurance, make the costs of medical care more transparent, and reward innovation in the delivery of health services. I will also back commonsense medical liability reform, because doctors currently must practice high-cost “defensive medicine” to protect themselves against unwarranted lawsuits.
Daines, Grassley, Lummis Introduce Bill to Protect Health Care for Veterans
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) today introduced a bill to hold the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) accountable and support our nation’s service members. The “Protecting Veteran Community Care Act” would strengthen the VA’s existing Community Care program and hold the VA accountable to Congress to ensure they prioritize veterans, not bureaucracy. “Our nation’s veterans have put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, and the last thing they should have to worry about is mismanagement and delays at the VA. I’m proud to work with my colleagues on
Daines Introduces Legislation to Improve, Expand Medicare Coverage for Montanans
U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined Senate colleagues in reintroducing the “Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act” to expand Medicare coverage of chiropractic services for Montanans. The bill will ensure Montanans enrolled in the program can access care as a non-drug alternative for pain management, as well as x-rays and other diagnostic services needed to determine and prescribe appropriate chiropractic treatments. “I’m glad to join this commonsense bill to expand Medicare coverage because our seniors deserve better access to care for their health care needs. The less barriers to care the better,”said Daines. “I will always fight for higher quality, better access and lower cost medical care
Daines Highlights Devastating Impact of Substance Abuse, Seeks Treatment Solutions at Roundtable
Montanan from Rimrock Foundation in Billings Shares Experience with Participants U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Health Care Subcommittee, today highlighted the devastating impact of substance abuse and the opioid epidemic and discussed how to best support treatment and care for patients at a roundtable. Daines also invited Dr. Malcolm Horn from the Rimrock Foundation in Billings, Montana, to participate in the roundtable and share her expertise in treating patients with substance use and opioid addictions. Watch Daines’ opening remarks and introduction of Dr. Horn HERE. “Today’s topic is arguably one of the most relevant and maybe the
Daines, Tester Introduce Resolution Recognizing National Asbestos Awareness Week
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester today introduced a bipartisan resolution to declare April 1-7 as the 19th annual National Asbestos Awareness Week. The resolution aims to raise awareness of the ongoing effects of asbestos and directs the U.S. Surgeon General to issue a warning to all Americans about the dangers of asbestos exposure. “Too many Montanans have suffered from asbestos exposure and the related health impacts that can take years to appear. As we continue to raise awareness around the risks of asbestos, we also must continue to help clean up communities like Libby and Troy and help protect the health and wellbeing of
Daines Bills to Bolster Mental Health Workforce One Step Closer to Becoming Law
Two of Daines’ Bills Passed Out of the Senate Finance Committee with Bipartisan Support U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke at a Senate Finance Committee meeting about the importance of mental health services, especially in rural states like Montana. The committee passed the “Better Act” with bipartisan support which included Daines’ bipartisan “Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act” and the “More Behavioral Health Providers Act.” The legislation Daines helped pass today specifically targets lack of access in several ways, including bolstering telehealth services, addressing coverage gaps, and strengthening the mental and behavioral health workforce. Watch Daines’ remarks HERE. “In
Daines, Smith Renew Push to Permanently Expand Telehealth Services During Telehealth Awareness Week
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in honor of Telehealth Awareness Week today reintroduced their bipartisan “Expanded Telehealth Access Act” that would make pandemic-driven expanded access to telehealth services under Medicare permanent. “In rural states like Montana, folks often have to drive long distances just to receive care. Expanded telehealth services help relieve this burden and give folks increased access to quality, affordable care. Now is not the time to cut back on these critical services, and I’ll keep working to ensure Montanans are able to see the providers they need,” Daines said. “The pandemic showed
Daines, Smith Renew Push to Permanently Expand Telehealth Services During Telehealth Awareness Week
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in honor of Telehealth Awareness Week today reintroduced their bipartisan “Expanded Telehealth Access Act” that would make pandemic-driven expanded access to telehealth services under Medicare permanent. “In rural states like Montana, folks often have to drive long distances just to receive care. Expanded telehealth services help relieve this burden and give folks increased access to quality, affordable care. Now is not the time to cut back on these critical services, and I’ll keep working to ensure Montanans are able to see the providers they need,” Daines said. “The pandemic showed us
Daines Introduces Bill to Protect Rural Montanans’ Access to Health Care
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced a bill to permanently protect Montanans’ access to telehealth services. These services were used extensively during the pandemic and many Americans, especially those in rural areas of Montana, still depend on them to access care. “In rural states like Montana, many folks live great distances from their nearest health care provider—a trip to a hospital or doctor’s office is not only highly inconvenient, but can also be very dangerous in emergencies or severe weather. Telehealth helps Montanans in every corner of our state. Many Montanans and rural health care providers have come to rely on expanded telehealth services to ensure access to the care folks need.
Following Pressure from Daines, VA Announces Reset of the Electronic Health Record System
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced future deployments of the new Electronic Health Record (EHR) will be halted until concerning systematic failures are resolved. “After serving our state and our nation, Montana veterans must have access to reliable, efficient health services. I’m glad to see the VA finally listen to my concerns and the concerns of Montana veterans with the EHR modernization and address the serious issues with this system. Ensuring proper rollout of the EHR modernization will help resolve ongoing patient safety concerns, ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted and better serve the