Senator Hassan Responds to President Trump’s State of the Union Address
Senator Hassan with her guest, Donna Beckman of Seabrook, who received a surprise medical bill.
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement tonight in response to President Trump’s State of the Union address. The Senator brought Donna Beckman of Seabrook, a Granite Stater who faced a surprise medical bill, as her guest. Donna received a surprise medical bill for $1,648 following a visit to an emergency room that was in her insurance network, and was only later told that a doctor she saw was actually out-of-network. Senator Hassan is leading efforts in Congress to address surprise medical bills.
“I appreciate that the President touched on a number of important issues facing hard-working Americans during his speech, including the need to lower the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs,” Senator Hassan said. “I have also been encouraged by the President’s previous comments on the need to address surprise medical bills, and it was an honor to have Donna Beckman, who faced a surprise medical bill herself, as my guest of honor to help raise awareness about this issue.
“It’s very troubling, however, that the President barely mentioned the opioid crisis that remains the number one public health and safety challenge facing New Hampshire and states across the country. We cannot lose sight of this epidemic, and I will keep working across party lines to help ensure that those on the front lines have the support they need to save lives.
“I am also concerned that the President wouldn’t rule out shutting down the government again. There is bipartisan consensus on the need to strengthen border security, but our approach needs to be grounded in reality and hard-working Americans must not be used as political pawns.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us to address our country’s most pressing challenges and to keep our people safe, secure, and free. I will keep working with anyone and everyone who’s serious about getting results.”
###
