Press Releases

Senate Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Provide Support Services for Seniors

Jul 17 2015

The reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which was co-sponsored by Sens. Warner and Kaine, provides vital programs and services for nearly 12 million low-income seniors, including nutrition programs like Meals-on-Wheels, preventive health services, transportation assistance, part-time community service and employment training, and protection from abuse and financial exploitation.

Senate Designates June as National PTSD Awareness Month

Unanimously approves resolution to raise public awareness about PTSD and help to ensure that those suffering receive proper treatment

Jun 25 2015

Today the Senate unanimously passed a resolution, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Warner, designating June as National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month in order to improve diagnosis and treatment for men and women of the Armed Forces and veterans suffering from PTSD.

Warner Statement on King v. Burwell

300,000 Virginians will be able to keep their coverage after the Supreme Court upholds tax credits

Jun 25 2015

“Today’s 6-3 decision preserves affordable health care coverage for more than 300,000 Virginians who purchased coverage through the federal exchange.”

Warner & Isakson Launch Bipartisan Effort to Improve Chronic Care

Senators co-chair Finance Committee working group to improve outcomes for Medicare patients requiring chronic care

May 22 2015

Senate Finance Committee members Mark R. Warner and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) announced the formation of a bipartisan working group to begin exploring solutions to improve outcomes for Medicare patients requiring chronic care.

Warner, Kaine Write to Health Secretary

May 05 2015

Sens. Warner and Kaine, along with 37 of their Senate colleagues, sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell following reports that insurers, in violation of the Affordable Care Act, are failing to cover forms of FDA-approved contraception and neglecting to provide women with accurate information about the range of essential health care services that are now available without cost-sharing.

Thune and Warner Introduce Reforms to Combat Medicare Fraud

Feb 26 2015

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Mark Warner (D-VA), both members of the Senate Finance Committee, today introduced the Better Efficiency and Administrative Simplification Act, which would allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive important Medicare benefit notices electronically and improve the way the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services contracts with entities that help administer the Medicare program.

Sens. Markey & Warner Call on Obama Administration to Represent United States at First WHO Global Conference on Dementia

Lawmakers are co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease

Feb 18 2015

Senators Markey (D-Mass.) and Warner (D-Va.) today called on Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to attend the upcoming World Health Organization First Ministerial Conference on Global Action Against Dementia to demonstrate the leadership of the United States on the human and economic threats posed by Alzheimer’s disease.

Warner, Kaine Co-Sponsor Legislation to Extend the Children's Health Insurance Program

Legislation Would Prevent More Than 10 Million Kids Nationwide, Including More Than 196,000 Virginia Children, From Losing Health Care Coverage; Without Action, CHIP Funding Will Expire in September

Feb 12 2015

With federal funding that provides health care coverage to more than 10 million children nationwide through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) set to expire, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today joined 38 of their Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would extend CHIP funding through 2019.

Warner, Toomey Continue Effort to Ensure Volunteer First Responders are Exempt from Healthcare Mandate

Feb 09 2015

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) are spearheading a bipartisan effort to ensure volunteer firefighters and first responders can continue protecting communities that rely on them.

The senators are introducing a bill which codifies IRS regulations prohibiting volunteer emergency responders from being counted as full-time equivalent employees for the purpose of determining the employer mandate.

“The Obama Administration has already agreed that volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel should not be counted as full-time employees under the Affordable Care Act,” said Sen. Warner. “This sensible, bipartisan fix will ensure that the law permanently and properly distinguishes between full-time, paid emergency responders and volunteers so that emergency response agencies can continue focusing on keeping our communities safe.”

“From small cities to rural communities, Pennsylvania has the largest number of volunteer fire departments in the country,” said Sen. Toomey.  “These dedicated men and women, who volunteer to risk their lives for their fellow citizens, have enough on their plate without having to worry about whether excessive Washington red tape will close their station.  The House has already passed this bill and I urge the Senate to do the same.”

In December 2013, following a similar effort spearheaded by Sen. Toomey and Sen. Warner, the IRS issued guidance stating that volunteer firefighters and emergency responders would not be counted as full-time employees under the president’s health care law.  However, absent Sen. Toomey and Sen. Warner’s legislation, the IRS could still reverse course. 

Approximately 750,000 volunteer firefighters serve in 20,000 all-volunteer and 5,000 combination career-volunteer fire departments throughout the United States.  In most cases, volunteer first responders maintain other full-time employment and choose to volunteer.  Not surprisingly, emergency response agencies which rely almost entirely on volunteer assistance do not have the resources to provide benefits.

Sen. Warner and Sen. Toomey's legislation has been co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators including:

Sens. Manchin (D-W. Va.), King (I-Maine), Portman (R-Ohio), Cotton (R-Ark.), Coons (D-Del.), Donnelly (D-Ind.), Murkowski (R-Alaska), Grassley (R-Iowa), Ayotte (R-N.H.) , Kaine (D-Va.), Flake (R-Ariz), Bennet (D-Colo.), Wicker (R-Miss.), Isakson (R-Ga.), Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Tester (D-Mont.), Murphy (D-Conn.), Merkley (D-Ore.), Moran (R-Kan.), Scott (R-S.C.), and Franken (D-Minn.)

Warner, Isakson Introduce Medicare Home Infusion Site of Care Act

Bill would allow more Medicare patients to receive health care in their homes

Jan 28 2015

Senators Mark Warner and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga) today introduced the Medicare Home Infusion Site of Care Act of 2015, to allow beneficiaries who need intravenous medications to receive their infusion treatments in the comfort and convenience of their homes and at a lower cost to Medicare.

Warner, Kaine Request Update on Virginia Hospitals' Ebola Preparedness & Needs from Federal Agencies

Oct 17 2014

Senators Warner and Kaine sent letters to Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Services William Hazel and President and CEO of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association requesting information on what is being done to ensure Virginia hospitals and health professionals have the supplies, training and information they need to effectively identify and treat any patients who present symptoms of Ebola.

Sen. Warner Announces Selection of NVTC to Assist V-A With Broken Scheduling System

~ NVTC chosen under Sen. Warner’s initiative to enlist the assistance of private sector technology experts at no cost to taxpayers ~

Sep 16 2014

Sen. Warner announced that the Northern Virginia Technology Council has been selected to examine and propose improvements to the scheduling processes and systems at Department of Veteran’s Affairs medical facilities, at no cost to taxpayers.
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