Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) today introduced legislation to remove barriers currently preventing health care professionals from volunteering their services at cost-effective, high quality, primary and preventative health care facilities known as Community Health Centers (CHCs). The Family Health Care Accessibility Act (S. 955) would amend the... Continue Reading
Following press reports indicating Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius solicited funds from health care executives to assist with the implementation of the President’s health law, Senate Finance Committee Republicans are demanding answers. In a letter spearheaded by Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the Senators asked for a top... Continue Reading
Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) today released a white paper, “REBOOT: Re-examining the Strategies Needed to Successfully Adopt Health IT,” outlining concerns with current federal health information technology (health IT) policy, including increased health care... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today re-introduced legislation to expand the use of telehealth technology under Medicare to reduce hospital re-admissions in rural and underserved communities across the nation. The bipartisan Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act (S. 596) would create a pilot program to provide... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) today led a bipartisan group of Senators in sending a letter to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The letter encourages the development of a comprehensive system that allows states to retain control of medical licensure and ensure the safety of patients while allowing physicians... Continue Reading
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold portions of the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement: “Prior to the passage of ObamaCare, Speaker Pelosi infamously said Congress had to pass the bill to ‘find out what is in it,’ and two years later... Continue Reading
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Senator John Thune today applauded the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for listening to Republican opposition and abandoning Obamacare’s fatally flawed Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. “This is a victory for the American taxpayer and future generations. After ignoring repeated warnings from my Republican... Continue Reading
The bicameral Repeal CLASS Working Group today issued “CLASS’ Untold Story: Taxpayers, Employers, and States on the Hook for Flawed Entitlement Program,” a report detailing the insolvency of a massive new entitlement program included in the new health care law called the Community Living Assistance and Supports (CLASS) Act. Documents... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today joined several of his colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius criticizing the Health and Human Services department for using taxpayer funds to send a brochure to millions of seniors promoting the recently enacted health care reform bill. The... Continue Reading
The Senate Agriculture Committee today accepted Senator John Thune’s amendment to the Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Senator Thune’s amendment would set aside funding for research into hunger, obesity, and type 2 diabetes on Native American reservations and other tribal communities. The Agriculture Committee proceeded to pass the bill, clearing... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today made the following comments after the U. S. House of Representatives voted on the Democrats’ health care legislation: “After more than a year of watching unemployment skyrocket and deficits explode, President Obama and Congressional Democrats finally made good today on their threat to pass a health... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today joined Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in speaking on the Senate floor regarding the Democrat Majority’s plan to pass a health care reform bill through the budget reconciliation process. Senator Thune and his colleagues... Continue Reading
