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. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Leaked Audio Confirming Attorney General Nominee Todd Blanche Plans to Restrict Medication Abortion Access Nationwide, Including in States with Abortion Protections

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after breaking news from POLITICO that Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche is working with federal agencies “so that the Dobbs decision becomes permanent in every single state” by banning the mailing of medication abortion, such as mifepristone:  “Dismantling Roe v. Wade was never Republicans’ endgame, and we’ve always known they’ve wanted to go further. They grew quieter about their next moves after the fierce public backlash in the wake of the Dobbs decision, but we knew the Trump Administration wouldn’t rest until every woman in America was subject to an abortion ban, including in states where abortion rights are

Sens. Smith, Moran Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Rural Hospitals

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) Jerry Moran (R-KS) this week introduced the Rural Emergency Hospital Designation Improvement Act (REH 2.0), bipartisan legislation to expand access to federal resources for rural hospitals through the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Medicare designation. This legislation would allow more Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and rural hospitals at risk of closure to sustain health care services in rural communities, and it would make technical improvements to the designation. The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Katie Britt (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Roger Marshall, M.D., (R-KS). “Rural hospitals are

Senators Tina Smith, Jerry Moran Re-Introduce Legislation to Lower Cost of Oral Cancer Treatments

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to cut costs for cancer patients. Specifically, the bill would ensure cancer patients who are prescribed oral chemotherapy medication can access their drugs at comparable prices to other cancer treatments.  Their Cancer Drug Parity Act requires health insurers to cover patient-administered (oral) cancer medications at the same cost-sharing level as traditional intravenous (IV) anticancer drug treatments, closing the coverage gap for federally regulated health plans.  Over 2 million Americans are estimated to be diagnosed with cancer each year, and oral medications are a simpler, highly effective treatment option for many patients. According to a Susan G. Komen study released earlier this year, people receiving IV treatment reported a significantly greater negative impact on their daily lives than people receiving oral treatment, including having to

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

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