Latest Releases
Sen. Smith joins Dem Women’s Caucus, House and Senate Democrats, in Demanding Health Insurers Fully Cover Birth Control, As Required by the ACA
Washington, DC — Today, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), along with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Chair Lois Frankel (FL-22), Reps. Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Kathy Manning (NC-6), and Judy Chu (CA-28), led over 150 House and Senate Democratic colleagues in urging health insurers to fully comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) contraception coverage requirement. Specifically, the members urged insurers to adopt a “therapeutic equivalence standard” ensuring coverage—without cost sharing—of every FDA-approved birth control product that does not have a therapeutic equivalent (generic). The letter comes after years of systemic noncompliance by insurance plans, forcing women to pay out of pocket or face administrative red tape to access the birth control that works best for them. “We write to express our concerns that your members are not complying with the Affordable Care Act contraception coverage requirement, and to urge them to consider immediate adoption of the therapeutic equivalence standard outlined by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury on January 22, 2024,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter toAmerica’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)—whose membership includes major health insurers across the country—and UnitedHealth Group. Despite the ACA’s protections, the members outlined how multiple investigations—including by the House Oversight Committee, “have revealed that plans routinely violate the ACA by refusing to cover certain products, imposing administrative hurdles like prior authorizations and step therapy (fail first protocols), and requiring patient cost-sharing.” In response to these violations, the Biden Administration recently released additional guidance, outlining a standard that requires coverage
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce New Childcare Facility in Luverne
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), a member of the Senate Education Committee, announced federal funding they secured last year to renovate a vacant facility in Luverne, Minnesota into a childcare center has been disbursed. The project will help the city purchase and renovate a facility into a new center that will accommodate 186 infants, toddlers, preschool, and school-age children. The renovated space will also accommodate staff and administrative spaces, a gymnasium, and food preparation kitchen. “Too often I have heard that parents around the state, including in Rock County, have difficulty finding safe, reliable, and affordable child care in their communities,” said Senator Klobuchar. “We worked to secure a federal grant for Luverne to open a new child care center to serve hundreds of kids and expand options for parents.” “With few options for childcare in this area, working families are put in a serious bind. How can parents work without a safe, affordable place for their kids to go while they are at work?” said Senator Smith. “Luverne is leading the way in creating a community young families will want to live in, and this new facility is a testament to their hard work.” Rock County has over 350 kids below the age of five who need childcare, but capacity for just 240 of them, according to First Children’s Finance. Over the last ten years, almost half of the nearly 60 home child care providers in Rock County have left the field or retired. For some families, it makes more financial sense stay home rather
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce $300k Grant to Develop Recipes Featuring Minnesota Agriculture Products
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/20/20]–U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that the Minnesota Department of Education is receiving a $300,000 grant to develop, standardize, prepare and test recipes for School Nutrition Programs that feature local Minnesota agriculture products including beets, greens, squash and carrots. The meals will be created with input from statewide partners including school nutrition professionals. Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Sens. Klobuchar and Smith said that it’s important that students have access to nutritious meals, especially during the pandemic. “It is critical that we provide assistance to schools so that they can provide
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Presses USDA to Increase Incentive Payments to Farmers to Stop Decline in Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/20/20]–U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is pressing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to increase incentive payments to stop the enrollment decline in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which plays a key role in protecting environmentally-sensitive farm land, stopping soil erosion, improving water quality and preserving wildlife habitat. In a letter to Perdue Monday, Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, pushed him to significantly increase Practice Incentive Payments (PIP) and to begin making rental rate incentive payments, both tools that past Administrations have used to maintain strong enrollment in CRP. She was joined on
Minnesota Congressional Delegation Urges Air Force to Maintain the C-130 Fleet that is Critical to the Minnesota Air National Guard
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Representatives Jim Hagedorn (MN-01), Angie Craig (MN-02), Dean Phillips (MN-03), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Collin Peterson (MN-07), and Pete Stauber (MN-08) sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force, Barbara Barrett, urging the Administration to maintain the size of the C-130 fleet while making the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars. As the 133rd Airlift Wing, stationed at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and serving the entire state including the Duluth Air National Guard Base, could be affected by the potential reductions, the delegation
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Enrollment for 2021 Crop Safety Net Programs Now Open
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/19/20]–U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that enrollment for two popular U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) safety net programs for the 2021 crop year recently opened. The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Programs provide Minnesota agriculture producers with financial support when crop revenue and commodity prices fall below certain levels. Funding was authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill and is available through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “The coronavirus pandemic has placed incredible stress on our farming communities,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “As the backbone of our economy, farmers throughout Minnesota and across the country deserve our support during periods of uncertainty like we
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