Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Health Care
Durbin, Grassley Urge PhRMA To Embrace Their Bill To End Price Secrecy In Prescription Drug Advertisements
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, today sent a letter to the President and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) urging them to embrace their bipartisan legislation, the Drug-price Transparency for Consumers (DTC) Act, to empower patients and providers and commit to voluntarily disclosing list prices in DTC advertisements. The … Continue Reading
January 27, 2025
Durbin: RFK Jr. Is Dangerously Unqualified To Serve As HHS Secretary
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke out against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), citing the nominee’s false and irresponsible views on vaccines. In his remarks, Durbin pointed to specific examples of Kennedy spreading lies about vaccines, fluoride, and other measures with proven scientific history of safety and improving health. “Every day HHS makes … Continue Reading
October 30, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
October 29, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
October 29, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
October 23, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
October 16, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
October 03, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
September 27, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
September 24, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
September 16, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
September 16, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
September 10, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
September 05, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
July 17, 2024
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. … Continue Reading
July 03, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
July 02, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
June 28, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
June 28, 2024
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 … Continue Reading
June 28, 2024
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 … Continue Reading