News

The House of Representatives has approved 20 more bills to address the opioid crisis, including five supported by the AHA. Among the AHA-supported bills:

Shortages of intravenous saline and other fluids are beginning to improve, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

House Budget Committee Chairman Steve Womack (R-AR) yesterday released a fiscal year 2019 budget plan that would balance the budget within nine years.

The Senate today voted 48-50 to reject legislation (H.R. 3) that would rescind about $15 billion in prior appropriations to federal programs, including nearly $7 billion from the Children’s Health Insurance Program and $800 million from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation today held a hearing to examine findings from a series of Government Accountability Office audits of information security controls at the Department of Health and Human Services, and discuss HHS cybersecurity roles and responsibilities.

The Department of Health and Human Services will release a request for information in the coming months seeking input on reporting criteria for the Electronic Health Record Reporting Program.

The Federal Communications Commission commissioners have voted unanimously to approve Chairman Ajit Pai’s order that will increase funding for the Rural Health Care Program by $171 million, as urged by the AHA.

The Department of Labor today released a final rule that modifies the definition of “employer” under federal law such that more individuals, including sole proprietors, are eligible to participate in association health plans based on geography or industry.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today held the third in a series of

A bipartisan group of governors yesterday urged the administration to reverse its decision to no longer defend in federal court the Affordable Care Act’s protections for patients with pre-existing conditions.

A bipartisan group of 31 senators last week urged Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., to convene the Drug Shortages Task Force created by the FDA Safety and Innovation Act of 2012, stakeholders and other relevant agencies to report on the root causes of drug shortages.

The Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies today issued a final rule delaying the general compliance date for 2018 requirements under the Common Rule to Jan. 21, 2019, giving covered entities six additional months to implement the requirements.

Eligible organizations can apply through July 30 for up to $200,000 in fiscal year 2018 funding to develop opioid use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery plans for high-risk rural communities, the Health Resources and Services Administration announced.

The Food and Drug Administration identified 39 new drug and biological product shortages in 2017, up from 26 in 2016, and 41 ongoing shortages from prior years, according to the agency’s latest annual report on the issue.

The number of uninsured U.S. children declined by 2.2 million, or 38%, between 2013 and 2016, according to an analysis released last week by the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center.

Please join me and other AHA leaders at the AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity National Leadership and Education Conference, June 28-29 in Chicago. This year’s theme is “Strengthening Our Roots: Expanding Our Focus in Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity.”

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education today approved by voice vote legislation that would provide $177.1 billion in discretionary funding for the departments of Labor, HHS and Education in fiscal year 2019.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission today issued its June report to Congress, which includes the panel’s recent recommendation to reduce emergency department evaluation and management services payment rates by 30% for off-campus stand-alone EDs located within six miles of an on-campus hospital ED.

Eligible partnerships can apply through Aug. 15 to serve as demonstration sites for implementing its Regional Disaster Health Response System concept, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response announced yesterday.

States and territories can apply through Aug. 13 for a portion of $930 million in fiscal year 2018 grants to support prevention, treatment and recovery services for individuals with opioid use disorder.