Author: Carmen Howard

Federal news White House unveils $2.5B emergency coronavirus plan [Associated Press, 2/24/20] White House formally invites public comment on open-access policies [Science, 2/21/20] In the House this week: HR 2339 Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 [House.gov, 2/25/20]   FY21 Budget Proposal National Institutes of Health would see 7% cut in 2021 under…

Federal news Supreme Court denies blue states’ effort to expedite ObamaCare challenge [The Hill, 1/21/2020] “Tuesday’s order makes it unlikely that the high court will rule on the health care law before the November presidential election, where health insurance policy is sure to play a prominent role.” Trump’s Claim He ‘Saved’ Preexisting Conditions ‘Part Fantasy,…

Federal news Democrats face a number of hurdles in order to enact a Medicare for All-type health care system, including recreating the health care insurance industry. This Roll Call story covers the complications of this central campaign issue. State news HB3888 – EPA-Ethylene Oxide Phase Out : This bill may be of interest to some. It…

Federal news: Trump suspends entry for migrants who will ‘financially burden the United States healthcare system’ [The Hill, 10/4/2019] “Migrants will be considered people who will burden the system if they are not covered by approved health insurance within 30 days of entering the country unless they have enough money to ‘pay for reasonably foreseeable medical…

Federal News Trump Administration Moves To Make Health Care Costs More Transparent [from Kaiser Health News] A recap of Wednesday’s Democratic debate, with a focus on healthcare remarks: Biden-Harris Debate Rematch Highlights Health Plan Differences [from Kaiser Health News] Juul [e-cigarette company] Targeted Schools and Youth Camps, House Panel on Vaping Claims [from The New…

Federal: The Congressional Budget Office released its report on a single-payer healthcare system: Key Design Components and Considerations for Establishing a Single-Payer Health Care System. The document addresses such questions as: How would the government administer a single-payer health plan? Who would be eligible for the plan, and what benefits would it cover? What role,…

Federal With measles outbreaks spreading, vaccination law may become a partisan issue. From Politico. Abortion legislation is in the news as many states vote on proposed abortion bills. The Guttmacher Institute has a summary of abortion laws enacted in each state. The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics recently released a Data Brief (no. 333)…

Federal News Health care law is again in the spotlight: Trump Administration And Democrats Return Health Law To Political Center Stage (Kaiser Health News) In Blow to Trump, Judge Blocks Health Care Law ‘End Run’ (The New York Times) Medicare for All Would Abolish Private Insurance. ‘There’s No Precedent in American History.’ (The New York…

Federal news: An international group of scientists call for a moratorium on human germline gene editing in this commentary to Nature, and NIH files their support in this follow-up correspondence, also published in Nature. While Congress is unlikely to implement his recommendations, President Trump’s proposed budget includes a 13% cut to NIH funding. Read more…

Federal news While a government shutdown looms, Medicaid legislation (H.R. 7217, IMPROVE Act) passed in the House and has moved to the Senate. Bills passing both House and Senate include S. 2465, Sickle Cell Disease and Other Heritable Blood Disorders Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act and S. 3029 PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2018 (to…