Sen. Donnelly: Positive Progress on Health Care, Necessary Work Still to Do

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The office of Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly this week helped craft the bipartisan deal to end the shutdown of the federal government. The government funding bill included a six-year reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and a two-year suspension of the medical device tax. Donnelly remains committed to robust funding for opioid abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery programs; and funding for community health centers.

Donnelly said, "I'm pleased that the bipartisan deal to fund the government included the reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides coverage - and the peace of mind that comes with insurance - to nearly 115,000 Hoosier children. It also included a two-year suspension of the harmful medical device tax, which is important to Indiana device companies so they can hire new workers and invest in research and innovation. Now I hope we will work together to support funding for community health centers that provide thousands of Hoosiers with health care services and robust funding for opioid abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery programs that we desperately need in Indiana."

Earlier this month, Donnelly spoke on the Senate floor calling for action on pressing health care issues, including CHIP, Community Health Centers, the medical device tax, and opioid abuse response funding.

Donnelly has been a longtime supporter of repealing the medical device tax, including as a cosponsor of bipartisan legislation in the Senate. In 2015 he pushed for and helped get enacted a two-year suspension of the medical device tax. Indiana is home to many innovative medical device companies, which together employ more than 16,000 Hoosiers.