WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe announced Thursday that she will chair the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care, which oversees policies related to Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance, the S-CHIP program, and the needs of the uninsured.

Republican Snowe said she will relish the challenge of serving as chairwoman of the health care panel, where Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia will be the ranking Democrat. “My constituents in Maine, and people nationally, are eager for Congress to act to create a prescription drug benefit, and address the needs of the uninsured. There are a wide array of challenges facing Medicare and our health system, and I look forward to working with Sen. Rockefeller, and with my colleagues on the Finance Committee, to address these issues in the years ahead,” said Snowe.

Snowe will also serve as a member of two other Finance subcommittees. As a member of the Finance Subcommittee on Taxation – chaired by Senate Assistant Majority Leader Don Nickles, R-Okla., Snowe will be involved in shaping tax-related legislation. The subcommittee also has oversight responsibility on the Internal Revenue Service

Snowe also will join the Subcommittee on International Trade, which will be chaired by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and which oversees issues related to U.S. trade policy.

“From Maine’s experience, I know of the challenges our industries face when [trade] agreements are not well-enforced or our playing field is not level, as with the U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement. From potatoes to lumber to expanding markets, this important subcommittee will offer a tremendous opportunity to make a difference,” Snowe said.

Snowe joined the powerful Finance Committee this year, just the second woman to secure a full term on the panel. She is also a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, where she chairs the Subcommittee on Oceans and Fisheries. She also serves on the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Committee on Small Business.