Health Care
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WASHINGTON—Today, the Blue Dog Coalition announced a set of priorities to improve our country's health care system and increase access to care. The priorities focus on ways to protect the Affordable Care Act, improve it, and build on its success, rather than start from scratch. Additionally, they point out needs that are specific to rural and tribal communities, which do not typically have the same resources as urban areas. The priorities also focus on ways to lower the cost of prescription drugs and combat the opioid epidemic.
WASHINGTON—Yesterday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted unanimously to pass Blue Dog Coalition-endorsed legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs and increase transparency in the drug pricing system. The endorsed legislation is the bipartisan Payment Commission Act and the bipartisan Bringing Low-cost Options and Competition while Keeping Incentives for New Generics (BLOCKING) Act.
WASHINGTON—Today, the Blue Dog Coalition announced its endorsement of two bipartisan bills to lower the cost of prescription drugs and increase transparency in the drug pricing system. The endorsed legislation is the Payment Commission Act and the Bringing Low-cost Options and Competition while Keeping Incentives for New Generics (BLOCKING) Act. Both pieces of legislation are being marked up by the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week.
WASHINGTON—Today, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications, Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46) issued the following statement in response to President Trump's State of the Union address:
Today, the Blue Dog Coalition released A Strong Rural America, an agenda that outlines the path to prosperity and restoring the American Dream in rural communities across the country.
The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition has endorsed H.R. 6165, the Combating Opioid Misuse Before Addiction for our Troops (COMBAT) Act. This bipartisan bill prevents the overprescription of opioids to active duty servicemembers, their families, and retirees who use TRICARE by requiring the Department of Defense to implement a seven day first-fill limit for opioid prescriptions.
This week, the Blue Dog Coalition's Special Task Force on Rural America held its first panel discussion on rural issues. The Task Force met with representatives of the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) to discuss ways we can better support our nation's rural veterans.
The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition has endorsed H.R. 5259, Stemming the Tide of Rural Economic Stress and Suicide (STRESS) Act, which makes mental health treatment more available for farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers. Due to the nature of their work and the lack of mental health treatment available, these individuals suffer from higher rates of depression and suicide.
Today, in an exclusive USA Today editorial, the Blue Dog Coalition's Special Task Force on Rural America called on Congress to repeal the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016.
The Blue Dog Coalition has launched a Special Task Force on Rural America, which will produce commonsense solutions for the rural communities across the country that were left behind after the Great Recession.