Latest Releases
Senators Tina Smith, Jerry Moran Push to Lower Cost of Cancer Treatments
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6.15.23] – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure cancer patients who receive oral medications are not hit with thousands of dollars in unaffordable out-of-pocket costs that health plans routinely cover for patients receiving traditional IV chemotherapy treatments. Their Cancer Drug Parity Act responds to the recent improvements in oral medications for cancer by preventing insurers from charging cancer patients higher copayments for those medications than for chemotherapy medicine delivered intravenously. An estimated 2 million Americans will be are diagnosed with cancer this year. A study on patients prescribed oral cancer medications found that one in eight patients faced copayments of $2,000 or more for their first prescription. “Advancements in oral cancer medications have made life better for cancer patients across the country,” said Sen. Smith. “Oral medications are less intrusive than traditional IV treatments, can be taken at home, and have turned cancer into a manageable chronic disease for many. But while IV treatments are covered by a health plan’s medical benefits – with moderate to minimal copays – oral medications often have high, unaffordable copays. It can add up to thousands of dollars in costs for patients each year and can cause many to delay or forego necessary care to treat their cancer. Our bill brings parity to these two kinds of treatments and lowers costs for those taking oral cancer drugs.” “As the number of orally administered cancer drugs increases each year, patients ought to be able to
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Statement on Supreme Court’s Brackeen Decision
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6.15.23] – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Haaland v. Brackeen, which left the federal law governing the placement of Native American children in foster or adoptive homes intact: “Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978 to confront a massive injustice: the forced removal of countless Native American children from their families and their communities. Today, the Supreme Court upheld that law and respected Tribes’ rights to govern themselves. This is a welcome decision, but efforts to undermine Tribal sovereignty will no doubt continue, and I am fiercely committed to defending the law and upholding our responsibilities to Tribal Nations.”
Following Request for Funding, Klobuchar, Smith Announce Federal Agricultural Disaster Declaration for Seven Minnesota Counties
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted their request to provide federal assistance to Minnesota farmers overwhelmed by significant wet weather during last fall’s harvest. Beltrami, Clearwater, Kittson, Marshall, Nobles, Polk, and Yellow Medicine counties are all now eligible to apply for assistance from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), including FSA emergency loans. “Heavy rain and flooding made last fall a particularly challenging harvest for our state’s farmers and producers, killing crops and causing uncertainty for Minnesotan families,” Klobuchar said. “This disaster declaration will expedite much-needed assistance to struggling communities who
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Trade Aid for Minnesota Producers Hit Hard by Trade War with China
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/05/2020]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee—announced that this week a third round of Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments will be made to farmers in Minnesota and across the country crippled by the Administration’s trade war with China. Sen. Smith said that these payments made by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) will support eligible producers participating in the MFP. “These payments will help address the economic damage the trade war with China has inflicted on Minnesota farmers and rural communities,” said Sen. Smith. “The trade war has not only left our producers without a significant market for their farm products, but also depressed farm prices and left
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on President Trump’s State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/04/20]—This evening, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address: “I thank Duluth Mayor Emily Larson for being my guest at the State of the Union Address. Mayor Larson has been a strong leader on housing and health care, and we have worked together to increase access to affordable housing and make health care, and especially prescription drugs, more affordable. “The number one issue I hear about from Minnesotans is the high cost of health care, and skyrocketing prescription drug prices. Tonight President Trump talked about bringing
In Senate Floor Speech, U.S. Senator Tina Smith Outlines to Minnesotans Why She’ll Vote to Remove President Trump From Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/04/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) took to the Senate floor to let Minnesotans—and all Americans—know why she’ll vote to remove President Trump from office. In her speech, Sen. Smith shared her position on this historic vote, and looked ahead to continuing the work of reinforcing the American values of fairness and justice. Sen. Smith’s remarks follow her penning an op-ed in the Star Tribune sharing how she arrived at her decision after serving as an impartial juror during the impeachment trial. “While evidence of the President’s wrongdoing is substantial, I advocated every way I could for a trial that would be fair
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