Safeguarding Social Security and Medicare
“Seniors deserve a high quality of life with access to the full benefits and resources that they have earned throughout their years of contributing to the economy and their communities. Social Security and Medicare are essential to ensuring that older Granite Staters and Americans have the support that they need to continue leading active and fulfilling lives. I will keep fighting to protect and strengthen the long-term viability of Social Security and Medicare, while also championing efforts to better support seniors in every aspect of their lives.” – Senator Hassan
Senator Hassan strongly opposes any attempt to privatize Medicare, turn Medicare into a voucher program, or increase the Medicare eligibility age. The Senator will also continue standing up against attempts to privatize or cut Social Security or raise the retirement age.
As part of her efforts to strengthen Medicare and lower prescription drug costs, Senator Hassan supports allowing Medicare to negotiate the best possible price for prescription drugs to cut costs for the nearly 43 million seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D.
The Senator is also focused on additional efforts to address older Americans’ varied health care needs. She successfully worked to pass a measure, which is now law, to increase access to hearing aids by making hearing aids available over the counter for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. She also cosponsored legislation, which is now law, to establish centers of excellence to help support caregivers and inform the public about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, which will improve early detection, treatment, and care.
When a loved one becomes ill, it usually falls to a family member or close friend to exit the workforce to take over as caregiver - and as result, caregivers can lose years of retirement savings and Social Security contributions. To ensure that these caregivers can still have a secure retirement, Senator Hassan supports creating a Social Security Caregiver credit and providing modest retirement compensation to individuals who leave the workforce or reduce their hours to care for a loved one. She also supports making it easier for small businesses to offer retirement plans and for employees to save for retirement.
Senator Hassan strongly opposes efforts to undermine the Medicaid program – in part because of the devastating impact it would have on seniors – and supports efforts to protect Medicaid and Medicare by requiring a supermajority in Congress (60 votes) to make major changes to these critical health care programs.
Additionally, Senator Hassan fought against the Trump Administration’s efforts to change Medicaid into a per capita system, which would massively cut the Medicaid programs that millions of seniors across the country depend on to stay in nursing homes and to receive in-home care. She also opposed President Trump’s attempts to implement an “age tax” that would allow health insurance plans to charge older adults up to five times more than younger people.
To protect seniors who are vulnerable to financial exploitation and fraud, Senator Hassan also introduced bipartisan legislation to encourage banks and legal organizations to better identify - and prevent - the financial exploitation of older citizens.
Senator Hassan will continue fighting to ensure that older Granite Staters and Americans have the support and resources that they need to remain active participants in our economic and civic life.
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December 27, 2020
COVID-19 Relief, Government Funding Bill Becomes Law with Key Priorities Secured by Senator Hassan
WASHINGTON - President Trump today signed into law a year-end government funding package with substantial COVID-19 relief for Granite Staters based on a bipartisan compromise that Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) helped negotiate. The package also includes a number of other priorities that Senator Hassan fought for, including provisions to help end surprise medical billing, which Senator Hassan has led bipartisan efforts on for the past two years.
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December 15, 2020
Senator Hassan Holds Virtual Roundtable on Challenges Facing Long-Term Care Facilities in New Hampshire Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON - In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan yesterday held a virtual roundtable on the challenges facing long-term care facilities in New Hampshire as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on residents and staff at these facilities. The Senator was joined by leaders from the VA Medical Center, AARP-NH, Senior Helpers of Southern New Hampshire, and administrators at long-term care facilities in Portsmouth, Manchester, and West Stewartstown.
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October 16, 2020
Hassan, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Better Track COVID-19 in Congregate Care Facilities to Protect People with Disabilities and Older Adults
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in urging Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma to protect people with disabilities and older adults and finally expand data collection and reporting on COVID-19 cases in congregate care facilities-including assisted living facilities, institutions for people with disabilities, and mental health facilities. Despite the importance of data collection for identifying and responding to COVID-19 outbreaks, current gaps in CMS guidance are leaving many people with disabilities and older Americans at risk.
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October 15, 2020
Senator Hassan Leads Colleagues in Asking FDA to Outline its Process for Ensuring a Future COVID-19 Vaccine is Safe for Older Adults
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) is leading her colleagues in requesting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outline its process for ensuring that a future COVID-19 vaccine is safe for older adults.
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September 03, 2020
NH Delegation Announces Nearly $600K Investment to Combat Campus Sexual Assault & Support Survivors at St. Anselm College and Rivier University
( U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), announced with U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Congress members Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) nearly $600,000 in federal funding through the OVW for St. Anselm College and Rivier University to invest in programs that combat campus sexual assault and boost support services for survivors. St. Anselm will receive $294,970 and Rivier will receive $299,900.
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August 31, 2020
NH Delegation Announces $11 Million in CARES Act Funding to Help Protect and Care for N.H. Nursing Home Residents
(Washington, DC)- Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced $11.4 million in funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help New Hampshire nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the funding will help hire and train staff, as well as purchase PPE and testing. The New Hampshire delegation voted for the CARES Act and stood firm during negotiations to make sure additional funding was provided to health care providers and nursing home facilities.
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August 17, 2020
Senator Hassan, Bipartisan Group of Senators Call on Federal Health Officials to Better Protect Seniors and People Who Experience Disabilities from COVID-19
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues in requesting that federal health agencies bolster efforts to protect residents and workers in nursing homes. In New Hampshire, more than 80 percent of COVID-19 deaths are associated with nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The letter was led by Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Bob Casey (D-PA).
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