Health Care

Senator Smith believes that every person deserves affordable, high-quality health care and is fighting to protect, improve, and expand comprehensive health care coverage for Minnesotans.

A top priority for Sen. Smith is addressing the high cost of health care. Too many Minnesotans are burdened by the high cost of their health care coverage, and others are going without insurance or prescription medications. Sen. Smith is working with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the underlying issues that make health care expensive, starting with the high price of prescription drugs.

While working to make health care more affordable, Sen. Smith is also working to ensure that every Minnesotan has access to mental health care, which she believes is an essential part of comprehensive health coverage. She is working to enforce federal laws that require equitable coverage of mental health and medical care, and she is fighting for expanded access to mental health services across the age continuum.

Sen. Smith also opposes any efforts to limit coverage for Minnesotans, slash Medicaid or Medicare, deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions, and interfere with a woman’s right to make decisions about her own health care. Minnesotans and people across this country rely on their health coverage, and believes that any attempt to take that away is unacceptable.

Finally, Sen. Smith is a champion for rural communities, who face unique barriers that limit their access to quality, affordable health care. As co-chair of the bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, Sen. Smith is working with her colleagues to eliminate the health disparities between rural and urban communities.

Latest Releases

U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bill to Combat Lyme Disease & Other Tick-Borne Diseases Heads to President’s Desk 

Most recent data shows Minnesota recorded 3,551 cases in 2024 alone, a rate that has likely increased in recent years  WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s (D-MN) bipartisan bill to expand research, testing and treatment for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases is expected to become law after successfully passing both chambers of Congress. The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act passed the U.S. Senate in August and passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week, heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law.   “When this bill soon becomes law, it will save lives and help people battling Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases,” said Sen. Smith. “Minnesota is proud to have more than 10,000 lakes and thousands of rivers. Unfortunately, as we venture outdoors, the number of Lyme disease cases in the state—and states across the country—goes on the rise. This bill will step up regional efforts at researching, testing and treating Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. We must cut down on tick-borne illnesses for the sake of Americans’ health and well-being.”  The bill, co-led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), was named in honor of former Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), who passed away on October 28, 2019, due to complications from the tick-borne Powassan virus.  Over the past two decades, Minnesota has experienced a significant rise in tick-borne diseases. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Lyme disease remains the state’s most reported tick-borne illness, with 3,551 probable cases reported in 2024. In the same year, Minnesota also

U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Illnesses Passes the Senate Unanimously 

Most recent data shows Minnesota saw 3,551 cases in 2024 alone  WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith announced the bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act passed the Senate unanimously. The bill will expand research, testing and treatment for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.  “Minnesota is proud to have more than 10,000 lakes and thousands of rivers for us to enjoy, and we’re always especially eager to get outside after a long winter,” said Sen. Smith. “Unfortunately, the number of Lyme disease cases in the state—and states across the country—is on the rise. This bill would step up regional efforts at researching, testing and treating Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. We must cut down on tick-borne illnesses and for the sake of Americans’ health and well-being, we need to keep moving this bill forward.”  The bill, co-led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), was named in honor of former Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), who passed away on October 28, 2019, due to complications from the tick-borne disease Powassan virus.  Over the past two decades, Minnesota has experienced a significant rise in tick-borne diseases. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Lyme disease remains the state’s most commonly reported tick-borne illness, with 3,551 probable cases reported in 2024. In the same year, Minnesota also reported hundreds of cases of other tickborne diseases: 627 cases of anaplasmosis, 89 cases of babesiosis and 14 cases of Powassan virus disease.  Using a three-pronged approach, The Kay Hagan Tick Act will:  ### 

U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Marsha Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Veteran and Military Suicide by Victims of Military Sexual Trauma 

Two million American servicemembers reported experiencing Military Sexual Trauma, increasing the risk of suicide  WASHINGTON, D.C.  – [6/29/2026] U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Improving Personal Risk Assessments to Prevent Suicide Act, a bill to help better understand the relationship between servicemembers and veterans’ experiences of military sexual trauma (MST) and suicide risk. The bill would require the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to publish a study on the links between MST, intimate partner violence and the risk of suicide.   The bill would also require the Departments to incorporate those findings into clinical assessments for identifying and treating patients at risk of suicide – the first time military sexual trauma has been included in those official clinical tools. This will improve clinical risk

U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Shelley Moore Capito’s Bipartisan Women’s Lung Cancer Prevention Legislation Unanimously Passes Senate

WASHINGTON – United States Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) announced their bipartisan legislation, the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act, unanimously passed the Senate. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate with the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans’ Affairs to conduct a comprehensive review across departments of ongoing research that could help us better understand and respond to the increasing number of women being diagnosed with lung cancer.   Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for women in America. The disease claims more women’s

U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Jim Banks Introduce New Bipartisan Youth Suicide Prevention Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced the Raising Awareness for Youth Suicide Prevention (RAYS) Act, requiring middle and high schools to include mental health and suicide prevention information on student identification cards and school websites. The hotline and text line has been used nearly 20 million times since it was created in 2022.   “We can’t afford to leave holes in the safety net we’ve built to catch people when they’re going through hard times or struggling with their mental health. That’s why we created the 988 hotline in the first place. Now, we need

U.S. Senator Tina Smith Demands Answers from Department of Education on Cuts to Mental Health Programs

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined 20 of her Senate colleagues in demanding answers on recent reports that the Trump Administration had cut approximately $1 billion in federal mental health grants to help schools hire more psychologists, counselors, and other mental health workers. Rochester Public Schools had nearly $2 million in mental health grant funding cancelled. The funding would have trained and licensed staff to provide counseling and other mental health services to students across the school district. Smith and her colleagues also expressed concern about how these cuts will affect schools’ ability to support students and their behavioral health needs and questioned how the Department

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