They came to Duluth on Monday to see these advancements and solutions for themselves.
Senator Al Fraken and Congressman Rick Nolan are continuing to tackle mental healthcare in Minnesota...
Health Care
On March 23rd, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, providing coverage to 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, allowing students to stay on their parents' plans a little longer, saving senior citizens money by addressing the donut hole in Medicare, providing tax credits for working families and small businesses, and guaranteeing that women pay the same as men for health insurance. The law has already put money back in the pockets of millions of Americans, including the 190,000 residents of Minnesota's 8th District - some 39,000 children and 137,000 seniors - who are now eligible for health insurance or Medicare without co-pay, coinsurance, or deductible.
I am a Co-Chair of the Congressional Lung Cancer Caucus. Click here to learn more.
The Affordable Care Act is an important first step, not the last, in our nation's quest for providing Americans with the assurance, security, and the peace of mind that accompanies quality, low-cost health care.
Affordable Care Act Fix
With that in mind, I have offered a bipartisan, common-sense solution to fix a burdensome cost associated with the Affordable Care Act - a bill I authored called the Health Care Fairness and Flexibility Act. Introduced in the 113th Congress with Rep. David McKinley (R-WV), it would implement a 3-year delay in the ACA's "transitional reinsurance program" that would force additional costs onto working families - and subjected employers who self-insure to expensive insurance fees. This program was designed to steady the cost of health care premiums for individuals in the exchanges, funded by charging all insurers a flat fee, even though the employees of self-insuring companies - including unions and many large businesses - don't benefit from this program. Our bill addresses this problem by delaying the fee, without delaying the program itself, giving employers more flexibility and time to comply with the law, and putting money back in the pockets of hardworking middle-class families.
More on Health Care
Dec 14, 2016
In The News
Final approval for a legislative fix to help Minnesotans with estate claims against them because they were on Medical Assistance has gone into overtime.
"I'm not hitting the panic button just yet," said state Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, a primary architect of legislation passed in the final minutes of this year's session to end the state's authority to enter claims against the estates of Minnesotans aged 55-64 who receive Medical Assistance.
Dec 14, 2016
In The News
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a wide-ranging medical research bill designed to fund scientific innovations and cutting-edge therapies while also getting medical devices and drugs to market faster.
The 21st Century Cures Act covers everything from a "cancer moonshot" designed to cure that dreaded disease to money to address the nation's opioid addiction crisis to a precision medicine initiative.
Dec 14, 2016
In The News
November has been Lung Cancer Awareness Month and a good time to recall an old saying in the lung cancer community: “If you’ve got lungs, you can get lung cancer.” Lung cancer is everybody’s fight.
It’s the deadliest cancer in America, accounting for 25 percent of all cancer deaths. Lung cancer is also the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 71,600 women will die of lung cancer this year. And you may be surprised to learn that of the women who get lung cancer, approximately 1 in 5 are nonsmokers.
Dec 13, 2016
Latest Update
With my strong support, the House passed the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which many are calling a “once in a generation” plan to revolutionize the way we research and treat disease. It’s a long-term, national commitment to discover, develop and deliver new treatments and cures for cancer and neuromuscular diseases like Parkinson’s. Important provisions are included to fight opioid addiction, improve community mental health services, expand patient access to clinical trials and safely speed and modernize FDA approval for cutting edge medicines and life-saving medical devices.
Nov 1, 2016
In The News
After Vice President Joe Biden spoke publicly to a crowd at the University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday, he met briefly and privately with a group on a topic that's close to his heart.
"It was personal — personal for him, and personal for a lot of us who work with cancer," said Patti Maguire of Duluth, a volunteer with the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network.
Oct 31, 2016
Press Release
U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan today urged Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan to immediately bring the Affordable Care Act (ACA) up under an open rule when Congress returns to Washington for the lame duck session in November.
“Health care premiums are skyrocketing, the American people are demanding action, and the urgent need for ACA reform has never been more clear,” Nolan said. “I hope we can put politics aside and make ACA reform the immediate, urgent, bipartisan priority it needs to be for the American people.”
Oct 20, 2016
In The News
Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com) -- Two U.S. lawmakers are giving Duluth high marks when it comes to improvements to mental health care in the state.
Senator Al Franken and Representative Rick Nolan have been fighting for the changes in Minnesota.
Jul 12, 2016
In The News
During 2014, one of nurses working in the emergency room (ER) at the St. Gabriel’s Hospital mentioned to CHI St. Gabriel’s Health foundation director Kathy Lange that the ER was seeing many patients requesting narcotics to treat pain.
“Drug monitoring was our number one reason for patients being seen in our emergency room,” said Lange.
Some patients even traveled long distances to obtain the opioids in an attempt to avoid detection or to find an additional source when they had already obtained the drugs at a hospital or clinic closer to their home.
Jul 6, 2016
Press Release
U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan today announced the successful House passage of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R. 2646), legislation he cosponsored to reform several aspects of America’s failing mental health system. Among other provisions, the bill directs the federal Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states to enhance community-based crisis response systems.