Jeff believes access to quality, affordable health care is not a privilege, but a human right. Jeff’s perspective on health care has been influenced by his wife, Mary, a registered nurse, who sees the world through the eyes of her patients: the people who should be at the heart of our health care system.
Throughout his career, Jeff has fought to expand access to quality, affordable health care coverage. As Speaker of the Oregon House, Jeff lowered prescription drug prices by expanding the state’s bulk purchasing program and fought to expand and improve children’s health care coverage. Jeff continues working to improve health care quality and coverage for all Oregonians in the U.S. Senate.
Kiggans and Merkley Continue to Support our Nursing Workforce in Light of the Recent Department of Education RISE Committee Final Rule
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Jen Kiggans (VA-02) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) expressed concern following the Department of Education’s release of its final rule defining which healthcare professions qualify as “professional degrees.” The rule, set to take effect on July 1, 2026, excludes post-baccalaureate nursing programs from this designation. As
Merkley, Cassidy, Smith, Marshall to CMS: Work with Congress to Crack Down on Bad-Faith Actors Overcharging Taxpayers for Medicare Advantage
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Louisiana’s U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D., Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Tina Smith, and Kansas’ U.S. Senator Roger Marshall sent a bipartisan letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D., urging the agency to work with Congress to
Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Stop Phony Fraud Crusade to Attack Medicaid Programs Across U.S. States
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded Donald Trump stop his phony crusade against fraud as a disguise to attack Medicaid programs in U.S. states that millions of Americans need to live safe and independent lives. “Let us be clear: you are not going after
Wyden, Merkley Slam Trump Administration Over Scheme to Undermine Reproductive Health Care in Oregon, Twelve Other States
Letter follows launch of investigation into states that require health insurance plans to cover abortion care Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden and Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., today slammed the Trump administration over recent news that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Merkley Joins Push to Ban Private Equity from Owning Nursing Homes and Hospitals
Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley put his support behind the Take Back Our Hospitals Act, a bill to effectively ban private equity ownership of hospitals and nursing homes by making them ineligible to receive Medicare funding. More than 400 hospitals and nursing homes are currently owned and
Baldwin, Merkley, Moore Introduce Legislation to Address Maternal Health Crisis, Expand Access to Care
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) introduced the Perinatal Workforce Act, legislation to address the urgent maternal health care crisis in the United States. Specifically, the bill will help grow the perinatal workforce by creating grant programs to
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