Tag: Health Care

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced a bipartisan bill with Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) that would make pandemic-driven expanded access to telehealth services under Medicare permanent.  “For many Montanans, the windshield time it takes to see a doctor can be a significant barrier to getting the health care they need. Thankfully, telehealth is transforming how folks receive care. Particularly in our rural communities, telehealth is no longer just an innovative option for accessing services, it has become a vital lifeline to care,” Daines said. “After the public health emergency ends, we need to ensure Montanans continue to have access to

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, cosponsored a bipartisan bill, the “PEERS Act,” to expand access to peer support services for Montanans with mental health and substance use conditions.  “The COVID-19 pandemic has put a great strain on an already stretched thin mental health system, especially when it comes to the mental and behavioral health care workforce. Allowing Medicare to cover peer support services would expand critical access to care for individuals in Montana with mental illness or substance use conditions. It would also help build upon the successful peer support network in Montana, which helps deliver recovery-oriented behavioral health services

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, introduced the “Lower Costs, More Cures Act,” which will support Montanans by lowering prescription drug prices, increasing transparency in the complex prescription drug pricing process and encouraging American ingenuity in the development of new treatments and cures.    “Year after year, Montanans continue to face out of control prescription drugs costs. Folks in Montana and across the country should not have to choose between putting food on their table or paying for their medicine,” Daines said. “Congress should act to address the high out of pocket costs for prescription drugs, and we must

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, introduced a bipartisan bill to enhance access to addiction and mental health services in communities across Montana. This comes after Daines led a hearing last month on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Montana and the importance of having the resources to necessary to meet the mental health and substance use care needs of Montanans and Americans across the country.   “This past year has been difficult, and with unprecedented social isolation and a continued struggle with illegal drug use in Montana, it is clear that more needs to be done to support individuals

U.S. SENATE –U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced a bipartisan bill with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) that would make pandemic-driven expanded access to telehealth services permanent. Daines originally authored and passed a temporary provision in the “CARES Act” to expand access to virtual care services during the pandemic and unveiled legislation making it permanent today at a Senate Finance Committee hearing focused on health care flexibilities and lessons learned from the pandemic.  “I believe we need to make expanded access to telehealth permanent for Montanans and all Americans, especially in rural areas – not cut access back once we’re post

U.S. SENATE — As the top Republican on the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Heath Care, Senator Steve Daines today led a hearing on improving mental health and addiction services in our communities, where he highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montana.     Click HERE to watch and download the Senator’s opening remarks.   “May is Mental Health Awareness Month – an issue at the top of my mind and many others following a year of isolation for Montanans and Americans across the country,” Daines said. “Since the pandemic, lockdowns, economic hardships, and social isolation have only helped intensify what we already know – we need