Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Health Care
ICYMI: Durbin Holds Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing In Chicago On Reducing Prescription Drug Costs
CHICAGO – In case you missed it, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, held a Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing in Chicago entitled “Reducing Prescription Drug Prices: How Competition Can Make Medications Affordable for Patients.” During the hearing, Durbin examined the pharmaceutical industry’s anti-competitive tactics and highlighted the success of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in addressing high prescription drug prices for Medicare benefi… Continue Reading
10.29.24
Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee Field Hearing In Chicago On Reducing Prescription Drug Costs
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during the Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing in Chicago, Illinois, entitled “Reducing Prescription Drug Prices: How Competition Can Make Medications Affordable for Patients.” The hearing included two witness panels, including Members of Congress from Illinois and advocates for prescription drug pricing reform, to examine recent legislative successes to address anti-… Continue Reading
10.29.24
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Field Hearing In Chicago On Reducing Prescription Drug Costs
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing in Chicago, Illinois, entitled “Reducing Prescription Drug Prices: How Competition Can Make Medications Affordable for Patients.” The hearing includes two witness panels, including Members of Congress from Illinois and advocates for prescription drug pricing reform, to examine recent legislative successes to address… Continue Reading
10.23.24
Durbin, Duckworth Join Congressional Democrats In Filing Amicus Brief Urging Ninth Circuit Court To Affirm That EMTALA Requires Hospitals To Provide Emergency Stabilizing Care, Including Abortion Care, Preempting Idaho's Draconian Abortion Ban
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined more than 250 Members of Congress in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States, two consolidated cases concerning the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) under consideration by the en banc Ninth Circuit. EMTALA is a federal law that requires… Continue Reading
10.16.24
Durbin Announces New Resources To Address Child Lead Poisoning Risks In Chicago
CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined officials from CountyCare, Cook County Health, and the Cook County Department of Public Health to unveil new proactive measures taken by all five Medicaid managed care insurance companies (MCOs) in Illinois in response to a request by Durbin and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to address lead poisoning risks to children in Chicagoland. In March, Durbin and Duckworth had urged MCOs to step up to address lead poisoning risks… Continue Reading
10.03.24
Durbin Visits Gibson City Hospital To Highlight Federal Funding For Rural EMS Services
GIBSON CITY – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with leadership staff at Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services (GAHHS) to discuss the recent enactment of Durbin’s Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Reauthorization Act. Thanks to Durbin’s legislation, GAHHS has received nearly $500,000 in SIREN grant funding for their ambulance service. The SIREN Reauthorization Act extends funding for five additional years for SIREN Act grants to rural fire and EMS agencie… Continue Reading
09.27.24
Durbin, Collins Praise President Biden For Signing Their Bipartisan SIREN Reauthorization Act Into Law
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today praised President Biden for signing their bipartisan SIREN Reauthorization Act into law yesterday. The legislation will extend funding for five additional years for SIREN Act grants to rural fire and EMS agencies nationwide. The funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SA… Continue Reading
09.24.24
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $11 Million In Federal Funding For Health Care Research In Illinois
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $10,906,668 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) medical research grants for Illinois institutions. The federal funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from lung diseases to mental health research. “Federal investments in medical research… Continue Reading
09.16.24
Durbin: Republican Will Have Another Chance To Show The American People Where They Stand On IVF With Right to IVF Act Vote Tomorrow
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on Senate Republicans to show the American people where they stand on in vitro fertilization (IVF) when the Senate votes on the Right to IVF Act tomorrow. The legislation, which Durbin is a cosponsor of, establishes a clear and enforceable nationwide right to receive, provide, or cover IVF services and other assisted reproductive technologies. It also expa… Continue Reading
09.16.24
Durbin Calls On House To Pass Siren Reauthorization Act To Support Rural EMS Agencies
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling on the House of Representatives to pass his bipartisan legislation with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), the SIREN Reauthorization Act, which is scheduled for a vote this week, after having already passed the Senate last December. During his remarks, Durbin emphasized the importance of SIREN Act grants, explaining that these fire and EMS agencies are often the only nearby medical car… Continue Reading
09.10.24
Durbin Touts Reduced Prescription Costs Made Possible By Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement last month that Medicare has reduced the costs of 10 of the most expensive and frequently-dispensed prescription drugs for seniors. In his remarks today, Durbin spoke about his support for Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, which provided the Biden-Harris Administration with the authority to negotiate the drug prices with Big Pharma,… Continue Reading
09.05.24
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $8 Million In Federal Funding For Health Care Research In Illinois
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $8,196,118 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) medical research grants for Illinois institutions. This federal funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from lung diseases to mental health research. “Federal investments in medical research pu… Continue Reading
07.17.24
Durbin, Underwood Discuss Maternal Health Care At UIC Maternal Health Research Center Of Excellence
CHICAGO – Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) for a roundtable discussion with health care professionals about UIC’s selection by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence to develop innovative approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths. “Every year in the U.S. we lose approximately one thousand pregnant or postpartum women. I… Continue Reading
07.03.24
Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Federal Approval Of Illinois Application For Medicaid 1115 Waiver
HICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) applauded the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) approval of Illinois’ application for a Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver to enhance the delivery of behavioral health services for Medicaid beneficiaries across Illinois. The approval of the federal waiver accelerates efforts in Illinois to use the Medicaid program to address the opioid epidemic, maternal mortality, violence preventio… Continue Reading
07.02.24
Durbin, Duckworth, Applaud NIH's Announcement Of UIC As Newest Maternal Health Research Center Of Excellence
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) applauded the announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that it has awarded two new grants to expand its Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence, including one at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Launched last year as part of NIH’s Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative, the Centers of Excellence develop and evaluate … Continue Reading
06.28.24
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $4.4 Million In Medical Research Grants For Illinois
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $4,452,852 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. A large portion of the funding will be put towards research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from cancer research to metabolic research. “Federal investment in medical research pushes our society forward, bringing us new treatments for… Continue Reading
06.28.24
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $6.2 Million In Health Care Related Grants For Illinois
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $6,218,045 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. The funding will be put towards programs across the state to support efforts to improve health equity. “While we continue to make strides in the medical and health care fields, there are still clear inequities in outcomes that we must address,” said Durbin. “Today’s announced funding … Continue Reading
06.28.24
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $525,000 In Federal HHS Grants For Lawrence County Department Of Health
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded President Joe Biden’s executive actions to offer relief to hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including allowing undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens to seek protection and streamlining the process for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) holders and other immigrants to change their immigration status. In March, Durbin led a group o… Continue Reading
06.25.24
Durbin Statement On Surgeon General Advisory Highlighting Firearm Violence As Urgent Public Health Issue
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today issued the following statement on a new U.S. Surgeon General Advisory calling the American people’s attention to firearm violence as an urgent public health issue that demands response: “The Surgeon General’s advisory sounds the alarm on gun violence, a uniquely American crisis. I’ve worked with doctors treating gunshot victims, spoken with survivors about the physical and emotional scars from… Continue Reading
06.24.24
On The Two-Year Anniversary Of The Dobbs Ruling, Durbin Recommits To Protecting Women's Reproductive Freedom
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court: “For the past two years, the Dobbs ruling has sown chaos, fear, and division. Abortion is now completely banned in 14 states, leaving large swaths of the country without care. Some statewide bans include jail time for health care providers who perform a… Continue Reading