On Wednesday, I had the privilege of greeting a group of veterans visiting Washington, D.C., with HonorAir Knoxville. The 136 Vietnam War veterans visited the memorial built in their honor, as well as the World War II Memorial, and Korean War Memorial. They also witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. 

Committee hearings on stabilizing Tennessee’s individual health insurance market

The Senate health committee I chair will hold hearings beginning in September on the actions Congress should take to stabilize the individual health insurance market. Unless Congress acts by the end of September, many of the 350,000 Tennesseans who buy health insurance in the individual market—songwriters, farmers, the self-employed—face the real prospect of having zero options to buy insurance in 2018 and 2019. Many who do not receive a government subsidy to purchase health insurance will find themselves unable to afford health insurance because of rising premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. At our hearings we will hear from state insurance commissioners, patients, governors, health care experts and insurance companies on actions we can take.

Our state insurance commissioner, Julie Mix-McPeak called these hearings “a positive step in the right direction.” She has previously said the individual health insurance market in Tennessee is “very near collapse.”

There are a number of issues with the American health care system, but if your house is on fire, you want to put out the fire, and the fire in this case is the individual health insurance market. Both Republicans and Democrats agree on this. Our committee had a hearing on February 1 on this subject, and we’ll work intensively between now and the end of September in order to finish our work in time to have an effect on the health insurance policies sold in 2018.

In my opinion, any solution that Congress passes for a 2018 stabilization package would need to be small, bipartisan and balanced. It should include funding for the cost-sharing reductions, but it also should also include greater flexibility for states in approving health insurance policies.

You can read more about our work to stabilize the individual health insurance market here. 

Senate sends President Trump bill to speed cures and treatments to patients

On Thursday, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation that I co-authored to help speed safe drugs and medical devices into patients’ medicine cabinets and doctors’ offices. The first step was last year’s passage of 21^st Century Cures to spur medical research, and this is the next step—ensuring patients see the benefits of those research advancements. The legislation includes four different user fee agreements that allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to accept user fees from the manufacturers of drugs and devices. If you have a family member with cancer, Alzheimer’s, or diabetes, you want FDA to move as quickly as it can to get safe drugs and medical devices through the regulatory process to patients, and these user fees support the FDA reviewers responsible for approving new treatments and cures. 

Filling out the NLRB and righting the board

On Wednesday, I wrote an op-ed encouraging the Senate to reverse the trend of an activist National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and bring stability to our nation’s workplaces by voting on two nominees who will fill long-vacant openings on the board. On Wednesday, the Senate took the first step by voting to approve one nominee, Marvin Kaplan. While board partisanship didn’t start under the last administration, it did become much worse. Just imagine that you are one of the 700,000 Americans who owns and runs your own franchise. Successfully operating a franchise business is one of the best ways to climb the ladder of success. In 2015, the NLRB issued a decision creating a new "joint-employer" standard that discourages companies from franchising. It was the biggest attack on the opportunity for small-business men and women to make their way into the middle class in years. My hope is that filling the open seats on the NLRB will restore the board to its intended purpose of acting as a neutral umpire after years of playing the role of advocate. 

Advancing Seven of President Trump’s nominees

On Wednesday, the committee I chair – the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee – voted to approve seven of the president’s nominees, five who will serve in the Department of Health and Human Services and two who will be members of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. On Thursday, the Senate approved six of these nominees, and they can now begin their work addressing workplace safety and helping improve and protect the health of all Americans.

Congressman Jimmy Duncan has dedicated his life to service

Last Monday, Congressman John J. Duncan Jr. announced he would not seek another term in office. I am proud that Jimmy Duncan has served Tennessee’s 2^nd district and been my congressman for nearly three decades – and has been recognized as the most conservative member of the House for about that long. No one has done a better job of staying in touch with his constituents than Jimmy has. Honey and I thank Jimmy and Lynn and their family for their dedication to our state.

Here are some articles from I thought you would enjoy:

The Tennessean: Congressional health insurance hearings ‘a positive step,’ state insurance commissioner says

Washington Examiner: Sen. Lamar Alexander: Fill out the NLRB and restore its neutrality

Be careful where you aim. You’re likely to get there – Chet Atkins, guitarist

-          #23 from Lamar Alexander’s Little Plaid Book