WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) – members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee – introduced the Competitive Pay for Leaders in Veterans Health Care Act to create a pay fix for Senior Executive Service (SES)-Equivalents in the Veterans Health Administration.

“To deliver the best possible care for our veterans, we need to have the best possible workforce at the Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Sen. Moran. “Nine years ago, we passed a law to help VA recruit and retain the best and brightest leaders to manage the many different specialty care functions that VA provides. This bill will make certain that VA retains the ability to provide competitive pay to attract and keep highly specialized and highly competent leaders serving our veterans.”

“The Department of Veterans Affairs must be an employer of choice for talented professionals,” said Sen. Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “This bipartisan legislation will ensure that VA is able to recruit and retain individuals who help the Veterans Health Administration provide high-quality care and services to our nation’s veterans.”

The Competitive Pay for Leaders in Veterans Health Care Act excludes SES-Equivalent positions from a Level V pay cap, putting their salary in line with the intent of a 2010 law that allowed these healthcare administration employees to be paid competitively. Without this change, VA would need to collect the higher payment amount back from current and past employees and would face significant challenges hiring qualified healthcare leaders.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today released the following statement after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

“The NDAA is critical to safeguarding our freedoms and supporting our servicemembers and their families. This legislation further modernizes our military and includes the largest pay raise for our troops in nearly a decade. I applaud my colleagues for working to create a bipartisan bill that we can send to the President’s desk.

“I was particularly pleased to see several of my priorities included in the final legislation. This includes the Cyber Red Team Assessment to increase security against new and emerging cyber threats, which will help support missions related to the 177th Information Aggressor Squadron of the Kansas Air National Guard Unit stationed at McConnell Air Force Base. In addition, the NDAA includes my bill, the Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Act, to strengthen Kansas manufacturers, specifically within aerospace, defense, technology and agriculture. I’m also pleased that this bill will secure a Military-Type Certification for the Textron AT-6 Light Attack Aircraft, which will have a significant impact on the Kansas aerospace community.”

Additional Sen. Moran priorities included in NDAA:

• The NDAA includes provisions from legislation Sen. Moran has championed, the Startup Act, to modernize and increase the authorization level of EDA’s Regional Innovation and Strategies Program. This will provide essential proof-of-concept and commercialization assistance to innovators and entrepreneurs, and operational support for organizations that provide early-stage risk capital to businesses.  
• The NDAA includes Sen. Moran’s measure to prevent federal transit dollars from being used to procure subway cars, other passenger railcars and transit buses from Chinese state-owned, controlled or subsidized enterprises, with limited exception.
• The NDAA reflects Sen. Moran’s work to make certain Guantanamo Bay detainees are treated for medical conditions in Cuba instead of transferring them to the United States to prevent future permanent transfers to U.S. facilities.
• The NDAA includes legislation Sen. Moran cosponsored to prevent survivors of fallen troops from being subject to the Widow’s Tax, an offset between the VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation program and the DoD’s Survivor Benefit Plan.
• The NDAA includes Sen. Moran’s efforts to support Hypersonic research and development.

Items to Note:

• In May, Sen. Moran introduced the Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Act to strengthen American manufacturing. This legislation was included in the Senate-passed NDAA.
• In June, Sen. Moran’s amendment regarding Cyber Red Team Assessment was included in the Senate’s NDAA.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies – joined U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to introduce the Primary Care Enhancement Act, bipartisan legislation to lower the cost of healthcare and expand patients’ access to their primary care providers.

“The Primary Care Enhancement Act will improve choice for patients and will give individuals and families the option to choose how to spend their healthcare savings,” said Sen. Moran. “Health savings accounts can be utilized on a wider scale, and this bill is a step in the right direction towards putting patients in charge of their own healthcare. As direct primary care options continue to grow, it is important to ensure these services are an allowable expense for HSAs.”

“Health savings accounts and direct primary care are some of the best ways to give patients the power and let them take back control of their family’s health care decisions,” said Sen. Cassidy. “This law builds on the administration’s action and allows a patient to use their money for the doctor they want.”

“We need to do everything we can to improve access to quality, affordable health care,” said Sen. Jones. “Direct Primary Care models are growing in Alabama and across the country as a way to improve health outcomes and lower health care costs for families. This bill will help families save money on health care by clarifying that patients can use their Health Savings Accounts to pay for direct primary care fees.”

“Congress needs to work across the aisle to expand access to affordable, quality health care. This bill is a reflection of that effort and demonstrates the common ground we share and the progress we can make by working together,” said Sen. Shaheen. “The Primary Care Enhancement Act expands access to high quality primary care by allowing individuals to enroll in Direct Primary Care Arrangements in addition to comprehensive health plans, without having to forfeit eligibility for making Health Savings Account contributions. This is common sense, bipartisan legislation to improve health care and I urge Leader McConnell to hold a vote on this bill as soon as possible.”

The Direct Primary Care (DPC) model encourages patients to develop personal relationships with their primary care physician, including extending access to care beyond office visits and business hours and through telemedicine. It focuses on prevention and primary care, relying less on specialist and hospital referrals. It is a growing model used by more than 1,000 practices across 48 states and the District of Columbia.

DPC models replace copays and deductibles with flat, affordable monthly fees. Current law makes DPC incompatible with health savings accounts (HSAs) paired with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs).

The bill clarifies federal law to state DPC is eligible for HSA contributions and that pre-tax HSA funds may be used to pay DPC fees.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies and member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies – released the following statement on the agreement reached between the White House and Congress regarding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):

“I have long advocated for movement on USMCA, and I applaud the White House and Congress for reaching an agreement today and advancing this deal. Canada and Mexico are Kansas’ top two export markets, and over the last two years, I have heard directly from Kansans how vital a modern trade deal like USMCA would be for our farmers, ranchers and manufacturers to compete and succeed in the 21st Century economy. Now is the time to get USMCA across the finish line, and I urge the House to quickly bring USMCA up for a vote.”

Last week, Sen. Moran spoke on the Senate floor regarding the importance of passing UMSCA. Click here to watch Sen. Moran’s remarks.

Timeline of Sen. Moran’s engagement regarding a modernized trade agreement:

• November 15, 2017: Sen. Moran sends open letter to U.S. agricultural organizations regarding the threat of NAFTA withdrawal and urged them to advocate for sound trade policy.
• December 6, 2017: Sen. Moran met with Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross regarding NAFTA negotiations.
• January 7, 2018 and January 13, 2019: Sen. Moran spoke at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual convention about the importance of trade and modernizing NAFTA.
• January 30, 2018: Sen. Moran sent a letter to President Trump highlighting how NAFTA benefits the United States and outlining how the agreement can be improved.
• February 1, 2018: Spoke at annual National Cattlemen’s Beef Association conference about importance of trade and modernizing NAFTA.
• April 12, 2018: Sen. Moran discussed the importance of trade and NAFTA during an Agriculture and Trade Roundtable at the White House with President Trump.
• May 23, 2018: Sen. Moran sent a letter urging the administration to work closely with members of Congress to make certain a renegotiated NAFTA has the congressional support necessary to be enacted into law.
• July 26, 2018: Sen. Moran spoke on the Senate floor regarding the importance of trade to Kansas, including with Canada and Mexico
• August 28, 2018: Sen. Moran sent a letter urging President Trump to ensure Canada was part of trilateral deal following the U.S. and Mexico reaching a preliminary agreement on a revamped NAFTA.
• October 1, 2018: Sen. Moran released a statement after the United States, Canada and Mexico announced they have reached a trilateral deal regarding the future of NAFTA.
• January 18, 2019: Sen. Moran authored an op-ed in The Garden City Telegram regarding the importance of trade agreements and passing the USMCA.
• April 18, 2019: Sen. Moran released a statement on the report accessing the likely impact of USMCA by the International Trade Commission.