ARPA-H, the Proposed Agency to Transform Biomedical Research
The internet. GPS. The computer mouse. These are some of the technological innovations made possible by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a Defense Department agency tasked with advancing research and development of science and technology programs. Now, the Biden administration wants to replicate DARPA’s success in biomedical research with a newly proposed entity called Advanced […]
What Happened, What You Missed: July 26-30
New CDC Guidance Say Vaccinated People Should Wear Masks Indoors On July 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance that advises fully vaccinated people to wear masks in “pubic, indoor settings” in counties with “substantial” or “high” levels of COVID-19 transmission. The guidance also calls for all students, teachers, and staff at […]
What’s in the Surprise Billing Rule, and What Happens Next?
It’s the beginning of the end for surprise medical bills. On July 1, the Biden-Harris Administration through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury (collectively known as the Departments), along with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), released an interim final rule as a first step in […]
What Happened, What You Missed: June 28-July 2
Walensky: Vaxxed People Don’t Need to Mask Up for Delta In a June 30 interview on Good Morning America, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said fully vaccinated people are safe from the Delta variant of COVID-19 and do not need to wear masks. Walensky’s comments follow recommendations issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on […]
What Happened, What You Missed: June 21-25
President, Senators Reach Tentative Deal on Infrastructure On June 24, President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of 21 Senators reached an agreement on a sweeping $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that includes $579 billion in spending on physician infrastructure projects to improve roads, rail, broadband internet, and utilities. With the backing of 11 moderate Republican Senators and […]
What the Rulemaking Process Means for Surprise Billing
The battle among healthcare stakeholders over how to address the issue of surprise medical bills isn’t over. The FY 2021 omnibus appropriations bill passed at the end of last year included the No Suprises Act, language designed to alleviate financial burdens on patients that can result largely when patients see out-of-network providers. The next step will be […]
All About OMB
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may not get as much attention as other Cabinet-level agencies like the Departments of Defense and the Treasury, but that doesn’t mean OMB is any less important. In fact, OMB plays a critical role in managing the operations of the federal government and the budget process. More so, […]
All About Executive Orders
A hallmark of President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office were 52 executive orders aimed at reversing the previous Administration’s actions and addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, Donald Trump had issued 39 executive orders in his first 100 days, while Barack Obama and George W. Bush respectively clocked in at 34 and 13. Given this […]
The Week in Review: April 26-30
Biden Makes Sweeping Health Care Proclamations in Address to Congress President Biden declared “health care should be a right, not a privilege” in his April 28 address to Congress, where he formally unveiled the American Families Plan. This proposal would make $2 trillion in investments to education, childcare, and paid leave, as well as make permanent the American […]