Chair's Press

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2019 — Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today introduced S.1895, the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 — bipartisan legislation to deliver better health care at lower cost. Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray announced that the...

“This legislation will reduce what Americans pay out of their own pockets for health care in three major ways: First, it ends surprise billing; Second, it creates more transparency – there are seven bipartisan provisions that will: eliminate gag clauses and anti-competitive terms in insurance contracts, designate a non-profit...

NASHVILLE, June 5, 2019 — Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement on today’s Senate Finance Committee hearing on foreign influence in scientific research: “It is hard to think of a major scientific advancement since World War II that has not been supported by federal research...

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2019 — Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today released the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019—bipartisan discussion draft legislation to reduce health care costs. “There's one issue I hear a lot about from Tennesseans, and it is, ‘What...

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2019 — This week, the U.S. Senate passed Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Senator Michael Bennet’s (D-Colo.) resolution celebrating the 20th annual National Charter Schools Week, which runs from May 12 through May 18, 2019, and commends the...

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2019 — Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement after attending an event at the White House on surprise medical billing: “Ending surprise medical billing is a perfect example of how Congress and the president can work together to reduce out of pocket health care...

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2019 — Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the Trump Administration finalized a rule to require drug makers to disclose list prices to consumers in TV advertisements: “The Trump Administration rule is a smart idea because the more consumers know about drug...

“In 2015, I urged the Obama Administration to slow down implementation of Stage 3 of the Meaningful Use program, which incentivized doctors and hospitals to adopt electronic health records.  They did not slow down, and looking back, the results would have been better if they had. I am especially interested in getting where...

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2019 — Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office report on Medicare for All: “The Congressional Budget Office confirmed that, under the Democrat Medicare for All scheme, Americans will lose the insurance they receive on the...

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2019 – United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said China’s decision today to control all forms of fentanyl “will save thousands of American lives.” Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be 100 times stronger than opioid prescription pills and is the source of the...

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2019 — U.S. Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement: “I was glad to hear that the Alexander-Murray legislation came up in the White House meeting today. It is probably the best known piece of good legislation in my 17 years in the Senate that has yet to...

NASHVILLE, April 20, 2019— Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on a new draft of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule that will improve the exchange of information across health networks:   “This proposed rule is an important step...

“Congress should create a new measure of accountability that looks at whether students are actually repaying their loans. A second step to improve accountability would be for the federal government to make the data it collects from colleges more useful to students and families. And third, we should strengthen the 44 federally recognized...

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2019 – United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said China’s decision to control all forms of fentanyl “will save thousands of American lives.” Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be 100 times stronger than opioid prescription pills and is the source of the greatest increase in opioid...

“I would like to focus on three issues raised by the Education Department’s proposed Title IX rule: The requirements of due process, including cross examination; the effect of the location of the alleged assault; and the definition of sexual harassment. As Congress seeks to reauthorize the Higher Education Act this year, we should...

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2019 — Senate labor committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Labor’s new proposed “joint employer” rule: “The Trump Administration’s proposed rule will help restore to franchise owners, who are hurt the most by...

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 21, 2019 – Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s Higher Education Executive Order: “I agree with the administration that colleges should provide better data on student debt and put some ‘skin in the...

NASHVILLE, March 18, 2019 — Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s Higher Education Reform Proposal: “I share the Administration’s goals to make a college education worth it and to make it simpler to apply for federal...

“After five years of bipartisan work, the FAFSA is simpler and on mobile devices, and Congress is now ready to take the final step to make it easier for 20 million American families to apply for federal financial aid and to eliminate $6 billion annually of mistakes that are unfair to taxpayers.”  -- Sen. Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON,...

 “Vaccines are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and meet the FDA’s gold standard of safety. There is nothing secret about any of this science.  It is important for those who have questions about vaccines, especially parents, to speak with a reputable health care provider. As with many topics, just...