Chairman's Press
Alexander Calls for Unanimous Passage of Bill Requiring Weekly Reports on Obamacare Exchanges
*** "Before the Internet, RCA knew how many records Elvis was selling every day. Before the Internet, Ford knew how many cars they were selling every day. Before the Internet, McDonald's could tell you how many hamburgers it had sold each day. Yet the Obama administration cannot tell us how many Americans have tried to sign up for Obamacare." - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 - The senior Republican on the Senate health committee today introduced a bill (Video HERE) requiring the admini… Continue Reading
10.25.13
Alexander, Issa Raise Possibility of Oversight Committee Subpoena for HealthCare.gov Documents
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 - Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., today announced they have sent a letter demanding Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius provide requested documents related to the major problems with HealthCare.gov by October 28th or face the possibility of a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee. "Your failure to provide… Continue Reading
10.23.13
Alexander on Fox: “Unacceptable that Millions of Americans Have to Buy Insurance on a Website that Doesn't Work or Be Fined by the I.R.S."
*** "This isn't really complicated information. [I'd like to know] how many people tried to sign up? How many were successful? What zip code are they in? What level of insurance did they buy? Here in Tennessee, people are finding when they get on [Healthcare.gov] that their individual insurance might cost twice as much as it did before. Their family insurance might cost twice as much as it did before." --Sen. Lamar Alexander NASHVILLE, Oct. 23 -- U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the … Continue Reading
10.22.13
Alexander to Introduce Bill Requiring Weekly Reports on Obamacare Exchanges
*** "No more hiding the damage of the train wreck-Americans are on this train." - Lamar Alexander KNOXVILLE, Oct. 22 - The senior Republican on the Senate health committee today announced on a Knoxville radio show that he will introduce a bill requiring the administration to provide weekly reports to Congress and to states with data about Obamacare enrollment, efforts to resolve the site's technological problems, and information about organizations contracted as navigators. Senator Lamar Alex… Continue Reading
10.21.13
Alexander: “The President is Right—This Law is More Than a Website that Won’t Work—It’s an Historic Mistake”
*** "The president is right-this law is more than a website that won't work-it's a mandate that many Americans are finding impossible, and it's an historic mistake that is raising premiums, forcing employees off insurance plans, increasing out-of-pocket costs, and pushing employers to cut jobs and hours." - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 - The senior Republican on the Senate health committee today released the following statement about the president's speech on Healthcare.gov: Senator La… Continue Reading
10.10.13
Alexander, Issa Investigating Extent of Obamacare Launch Problems
*** "We are concerned by recent comments to the media that the system suffers from architectural problems that need design changes. We seek information about these problems as well as whether you still expect individuals to suffer a tax penalty if they do not purchase government-approved health insurance." - Letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 - The senior Republican on the Senate health committee and the Chairman of the House oversight committee today called on the Obama … Continue Reading
10.10.13
6 Things to Expect When Americans Eventually Log On
*** "These will be tough and disappointing days for many Americans, as they finally log on to the exchanges and discover that health insurance next year will cost multiple times what it costs them now." - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 - As Americans begin to make their way onto the Obamacare exchanges, many are experiencing the "rate shock" that Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and other Republicans warned against. Other Americans are discovering that the plans they have now will eit… Continue Reading
10.10.13
Alexander: Obama Administration Has Been “Burying Important Obamacare Changes”
*** "This law is about as clear as mud, and instead of helping Americans understand their new obligations, the Obama administration has been burying important changes-not announcing them boldly, as you'd expect an administration that's proud of its new health care law to do." - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 - The senior Republican on the Senate health committee today called on the Obama administration to improve the way it provides information to Americans about Obamacare, after an ad… Continue Reading
10.08.13
A Guide to the Obamacare Exchange “Glitches”
*** "I've been warning that a train wreck is coming with this law, but the truth is that no train wreck has ever had this many warning signs." - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 - The Obama administration persisted with the roll out of the Obamacare exchanges on October 1, despite countless warning signs that the exchanges were not ready to handle the millions of Americans required to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties from the individual mandate. As Senator Lamar Alexander … Continue Reading
09.28.13
Alexander Statement on Today’s House Vote to Delay Obamacare, Repeal Medical Device Tax, Keep Government Open
NASHVILLE, Sept. 28- Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate health committee, today released the following statement on the vote by the House of Representatives to delay the individual mandate, repeal the medical device tax, and keep the government operating: "To avoid a government shutdown, the Senate should promptly agree with this eminently reasonable proposal by the House. Seventy nine senators have previously voted to repeal the onerous medical device tax, … Continue Reading
09.28.13
HELP Committee Members Call for Senate Passage of Drug Quality and Security Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.-A bipartisan group of Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee senators-Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Senator Al Franken (D-MN), Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)-today applauded the House passage of legislation to help ensure the safety of compounded drugs and to track all prescription drugs from the time they are manufactured to the moment they are picked up at t… Continue Reading
09.27.13
Alexander Votes to Defund Obamacare
*** "I'm not in the shut-down-the-government crowd, I'm in the take-over-the-government crowd. Take it over the way the Constitution says: Elect more conservative senators and a president and do all we can to delay, dismantle, repeal and replace Obamacare." - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 - U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today voted to defund Obamacare and then voted against sending back to the U.S. House of Representatives a resolution that funds the government without defundin… Continue Reading
09.26.13
Senate Passes Alexander-Bennet Bill to Reduce Premature Births
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26. - U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and committee member Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) today praised the Senate passage and urged swift House action on their bill to reduce infant deaths and disabilities by expanding research, education, and intervention activities related to preterm birth. The bill passed the Senate on Wednesday evening. "This bill will help the more than half a … Continue Reading
09.26.13
Alexander on Newest Obamacare Delay: “Every Shred of Evidence Tells us the Entire Law Should be Delayed”
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - The senior Republican on the Senate health committee today released the following statement on the administration announcement that online sign-up for Obamacare's small business health insurance exchanges will be delayed until November: Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said: "Another day, another Obamacare delay, and still the administration recklessly plows ahead with its mandate that American families and workers buy insurance through a failing program-or face a fine f… Continue Reading
09.26.13
Bipartisan Group of HELP Committee Senators Introduce Legislation to Address High-Risk Drug Compounding Practices and Secure the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 26--A bipartisan group of Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee senators-Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Senator Al Franken (D-MN), Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)-announced that they have reached agreement with House health policy leaders on legislation to help ensure the safety of compounded drugs and to track all prescription drugs from the time they a… Continue Reading
09.25.13
Senate, House Health Policy Leaders Announce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Address High-Risk Drug Compounding Practices and Secure the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Leaders from the Senate and House committees overseeing health policy today announced that they have reached an agreement on legislation to help ensure the safety of compounded drugs and our nation's pharmaceutical supply chain. This legislation, the Drug Quality and Security Act, reflects a bipartisan, bicameral effort to improve drug safety and help prevent a future public health crisis like the 2012 meningitis outbreak tied to the New England Compounding Center. "Plain and … Continue Reading
09.25.13
Alexander: “I’m in the Take-Over-the-Government Crowd,” Ready to Repeal and Replace Obamacare
*** "Who do you suspect is going to get blamed for this? We will have succeeded in shifting the blame for passing Obamacare from the Democrats, who did it unanimously, to the Republicans for shutting down the government." - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 - U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said he's "not in the shut-down-the-government crowd," but rather in the "take-over-the-government crowd that is ready to repeal and replace Obamacare with step-by-step reforms that would r… Continue Reading
09.25.13
Alexander: Obama Administration Report Finds Obamacare Will Triple Premiums for Some Tennesseans
*** "Why should a 27-year-old male in Memphis be forced to pay nearly three times what he pays today for health insurance? Why should a young woman in Nashville have to pay twice as much?" - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Sept. 25-The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate health committee said that an Obama administration report released today finds the new health care law will increase premiums for some Tennesseans by as much as 190 percent. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R. Tenn) said: "Why should a 2… Continue Reading
09.24.13
Alexander Praises TN’s Hospital Corporation of America for Its Work to Help Solve Health Crisis
*** "One out of 20 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), goes to the hospital [and] gets an infection, …Prevention and elimination of healthcare-associated infections is crucially important." - Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Sept. 24-At a Senate hearing today on healthcare-associated infections, the senior Republican on the U.S. Senate health committee praised the work of Tennessee's Hospital Corporation of America, which released a study on effective… Continue Reading
09.24.13
Enzi, Alexander and Colleagues to IRS: $100 billion in Obamacare health insurance taxes deserve scrutiny
Washington, D.C. - The President's health care law imposes a number of new taxes on American businesses and individuals that will drain money from Americans' pocketbooks. Among the many taxes and fees imposed by Obamacare is an annual fee levied on health insurance providers which is estimated to take more than $100 billion out of the economy by 2022. Yet despite this staggering figure, the Administration did not conduct a study of the effects of the health insurance premium tax on the economy. … Continue Reading
