Press Releases
Sen. Warner Calls for Congress to Return from Recess to Pass Zika Funding
Congress adjourned for seven weeks last month without approving additional funding to help federal agencies fight the virus
Aug 04 2016
Sen. Warner urged the leaders of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives to immediately call Congress back into session in order to address the public health threat posed by the Zika virus.
Va. Receives CDC Funding to Help Combat Zika Virus
Funding will help strengthen mosquito control, detect birth defects, and improve disease response
Aug 02 2016
Sen. Warner welcomed news that the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will receive $560,000 in additional funding from the CDC to support efforts to protect Virginians from the Zika virus.
Sen. Warner Presses OPM on Long Term Care Premium Increases
Nearly 264,000 federal employees recently received notice of increased premiums for Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program
Aug 01 2016
Sen. Warner wrote to Beth Cobert, Acting Director of OPM, regarding the sudden increase in premium costs for federal employees participating in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP).
Sens. Warner & Kaine Urge Improved Lead Testing for Children on Medicaid & CHIP
Lead exposure in childhood has life-long intellectual and behavioral health effects
Jul 19 2016
Sens. Warner and Kaine are urging the federal government to improve lead screening policies for children eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Sens. Warner & Kaine Announce More than $700,000 in Funding for Telehealth Services in Virginia
Projects use telecommunications to bring medical expertise to rural areas
Jul 14 2016
Sens. Warner and Kaine announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide funding for three Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) projects in Southwest Virginia.
Sen. Warner Statement On Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Conference Report
Bipartisan bill to combat prescription drug and heroin abuse heads to the President for signature
Jul 13 2016
Sen. Warner released a statement after the U.S. Senate voted to approve the House-Senate conference report on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA).
Warner, Kaine Push V-A to Move Forward on Local Pilot Program to Improve Veterans' Health Care
National Capital Region pilot program would improve mobility and accuracy of health records by allowing veterans access to health data on their mobile phones
Jul 05 2016
Sens. Warner and Kaine are pushing the V-A for an update on a local pilot program designed to improve the quality and accessibility of health care for our nation’s veterans.
Sen. Warner on Texas Abortion Ruling
Jun 27 2016
Sen. Warner issued the following statement after the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that would have shut down more than half of the state’s abortion clinics.
Warner, Kaine Urge Pentagon and State Dept. to Protect Servicemembers & Americans Abroad from Zika
More than a dozen servicemembers and military dependents have been infected with Zika this year
Jun 08 2016
Sens. Warner and Tim Kaine joined a group of Senators in urging the U.S. Department of Defense and the State Department to take steps to protect deployed servicemembers, their families, and other Americans abroad from the threat posed by the Zika virus.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will award $2,764,351 to George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Department of Health for heart-related diseases and diabetes research and nurse training programs.
Today, Sens. Warner and Kaine voted to advance $1.1 billion of emergency supplemental funding for the prevention and treatment of the Zika virus outbreak.
Warner, Kaine Introduce Bill to Aid Rural Virginia Hospitals
Bill would establish a national minimum standard for hospital reimbursement payments
Apr 22 2016
Sens. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced bipartisan, budget-neutral legislation to ensure hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government so they are able to remain open and functioning, especially in underserved and economically struggling regions of Virginia.
Senate Democrats Introduce Legislation to Encourage States to Expand Medicaid
Would ensure equal level of federal matching funds for states expanding Medicaid after 2014
Apr 13 2016
The bill would ensure that states that choose to expand eligibility for Medicaid after 2014 are eligible for the same level of federal matching funds as states that expanded earlier under the terms of the Affordable Care Act.
Warner Co-Sponsors Bill Providing Access to Life-Saving Epilepsy Treatment
Medicinal oils derived from CBD-rich hemp plants can save the lives of children with intractable epilepsy, but are currently banned under federal law
Apr 08 2016
Sen. Warner has signed on to co-sponsor the bipartisan Therapeutic Hemp Medical Access Act of 2015, which would allow Virginians suffering with intractable epilepsy access to therapeutic cannabidiol (CBD) oil, a harmless, non-psychoactive hemp extract that is used to treat seizures.
Warner, Kaine Announce More Than $7.4 Million in Head Start & Health Care Funding for Virginia
Apr 05 2016
Senators Warner and Kaine announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award $7,433,425 in grants to support health care services in Portsmouth, early childhood education in Prince William and Lynchburg and biomedical research at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Sens. Warner and Tim Kaine have called on Senate appropriators to increase federal funding to address the nation’s prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic.
Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Tackle Opioid Epidemic
Sen. Warner voted in favor of bill to combat the growing problem of prescription drug and heroin abuse in Virginia ~
Mar 10 2016
The legislation, which now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives, tackles heroin and prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths, a growing epidemic in Virginia and across the country.
Warner Signs Onto Amicus Brief to Support Affordable Access to Birth Control
Next Month, U.S. Supreme Court will hear Zubik v. Burwell, yet another challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s birth control policy
Feb 19 2016
Sen. Warner, along with 32 Democratic Senators, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on the need to protect women’s access to affordable birth control.
Chronic Care Working Group Releases Comments on Options Paper
Finance Committee Moves Ahead on Effort to Improve Medicare for Seniors with Chronic Conditions
Feb 08 2016
“We are thankful for the many constructive comments as we continue to seek solutions to help the millions of seniors in Medicare dealing with multiple chronic conditions, and those who care for them,” the senators said.
Sen. Warner Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Expand Telehealth Services
Bill would expand the use of telehealth and remote patient monitoring through Medicare, expanding access to high-quality healthcare while reducing costs
Feb 03 2016
Sen. Warner (D-VA) joined Sens. Wicker (R-MS), Schatz (D-HI), Cochran (R-MS), Cardin (D-MD), and Thune (R-SD) to unveil the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, bipartisan legislation that would expand telehealth services through Medicare, improve care outcomes, make it easier for patients to connect with their health care providers, and help cut costs for patients and providers.
Warner, Kaine Announce Carroll & Grayson Counties Designated as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas
Jan 14 2016
"I’m pleased that Carroll and Grayson counties have been chosen to receive federal dollars to strengthen community-based efforts to prevent drug use and overdose deaths, expand access to treat those who need it, and support Virginians in recovery."
Warner, Kaine Urge VA to Reconsider Unnecessary Burdens on Blue Water Navy Veterans
Current policy presents excessive obstacles for Blue Water Navy veterans seeking care and benefits for health conditions caused by exposure to toxic chemicals while serving aboard Navy ships in Vietnam
Jan 13 2016
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine joined a bipartisan group of 12 Senators in urging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to change inconsistent and burdensome regulations placed on “Blue Water Navy” veterans seeking health care and benefits for conditions resulting from exposure to toxic chemicals during their service aboard Navy ships in Vietnam.
Senators Press Administration on Efforts to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Per capita drug spending increased by more than $100 last year, straining federal & state budgets & squeezing seniors & middle class
Dec 17 2015
Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) wrote to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andrew Slavitt, seeking more information on the agency’s efforts to inform consumers and health care providers about prescription drug costs and maximize CMS’ existing authorities to contain cost.
Sen. Warner was joined by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (V-A) Secretary Robert McDonald to thank the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) for donating their time and expertise to improve the V-A’s health care system following a nationwide crisis of veterans’ access to medical care.
Senate Passes Warner, Kaine Bill to Assist Eugenics Victims with State Compensation Payments
Warner & Kaine bill excludes eugenics compensation payments from determination of federal public benefit programs
Dec 01 2015
Sens. Warner and Kaine today announced that the Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan Treatment of Certain Payments in Eugenics Compensation Act, excluding payments from state eugenics compensation programs from consideration in determining federal benefits.
