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☆ Biden administration restores protections for gay and transgender Americans seeking health care
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Avery Lotz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Biden administration announced a new rule Friday expanding safeguards against potential discrimination of gay and transgender Americans seeking medical care, in a reversal of Trump-era limitations that nixed federal health protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community. In a set of expansive new rules unveiled by the Department of Health and Human Services, the department moved to advance civil rights protections for patients by barring health providers and insurers receiving federal funding from discriminating against those seeking care on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. The HHS rule restores Obama-era protections for transgender patients that the Trump administration rolled back in 2020 — a move that was condemned by LGBTQ+ advocacy and human rights organizations. The finalized rule comes as access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth has been tangled in political controversy, with more than 20 states in recent years attempting to restrict youth access to such care. The Biden administration in 2021 announced its intention to protect transgender Americans from health care discrimination through Section 1557 and Title IX regulations, citing a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that affirmed federal civil rights law bars discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender workers.

Persons: CNN —, Trump, Obama, “, Xavier Becerra, Barack Obama, ”, Biden, Kelley Robinson, Harris, CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, Biden, Department of Health, Human Services, HHS, Affordable, Trump, Congress, Human Rights

☆ Supreme Court to hear Trump immunity claim in election interference case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court on Thursday is set to consider whether former President Donald Trump is immune from federal prosecution on criminal election interference charges. Along with Smith's case in Washington, D.C., Trump is charged in Georgia with attempting to reverse his loss to Biden in that state's 2020 contest. Trump will not be at the Supreme Court to hear the oral arguments because he is required to attend his New York criminal trial. ET before the nine justices, three of whom were nominated by Trump during his one term as president. The Supreme Court agreed to take up the case after two lower courts rejected Trump's claim that he is immune from the indictment being prosecuted by Smith.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith's, Joe Biden, Trump, Smith Organizations: Defense Department, HHS, White, Trump, Washington , D.C, Biden, Supreme Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington ,, Georgia, Manhattan, York

☆ Hacked health care giant makes progress in recovery, but concerns for small clinics remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Change Healthcare says it handles one in every three patient records in the US. Change Healthcare restored its electronic payments platform on March 15 and “is proceeding with payer implementations,” UnitedHealthGroup said in a statement on Monday. “Billions of dollars” stopped flowing to health care providers because of the hack, according to AHA, which represents thousands of hospitals across the country. The unprecedented pressure on a hacked US health care firm won’t go away with the restoration of billing services. HHS has opened an investigation into whether Change Healthcare has complied with federal law to protect patient data.

Persons: ”, ” UnitedHealthGroup, won’t Organizations: CNN, Biden, American Hospital Association, Healthcare, AHA, White House, Department of Health, Human Services, HHS Locations: United States, Colorado, Oregon

☆ Why UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare were targeted by ransomware hackers, and more cybercrime will hit patients, doctors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Susan Caminiti | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The ransomware attack on UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare subsidiary last month not only brought to light how attractive the data-rich U.S. health-care industry is to hackers and how devastating the consequences for patients and doctors, but also how sophisticated cyber criminals are becoming when targeting vulnerable sectors. Change Healthcare is the largest clearinghouse for insurance billing and payments in the U.S. Since the February 21 attack, the thousands of doctors, hospitals and other health providers that depend on Change Healthcare for billing reimbursements have not been paid as the company works to bring its systems back online. UnitedHealth told CNBC in a statement that it will cooperate with the investigation from the OCR. "Our immediate focus is to restore our systems, protect data and support those whose data may have been impacted," the company said.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Sumedh Thakar, Qualys, it's Organizations: Change Healthcare, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, HHS, Civil Rights, CNBC Locations: U.S

☆ Biden administration investigating Change Healthcare cyberattack as disruptions continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The OCR enforces the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's security, privacy and breach notification rules, which most health plans, providers and clearinghouses such as Change Healthcare are required to follow to protect health information. "OCR's investigation of Change Healthcare and UHG will focus on whether a breach of protected health information occurred and Change Healthcare's and UHG's compliance with the HIPAA Rules," the department said. Change Healthcare offers electronic prescription software and tools for payment and revenue cycle management. Parent company UnitedHealth discovered that a cyber threat actor breached part of the unit's information technology network on Feb. 21, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In late February, Change Healthcare said that ransomware group Blackcat was behind the attack.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Blackcat Organizations: U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, UnitedHealth Group, Healthcare, U.S, HHS, Civil Rights, Change Healthcare, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, CNBC, SEC, Department of Justice

☆ Small practices are struggling to stay afloat 3 weeks after the cyberattack that crippled the US healthcare industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's been three weeks since a cyberattack on an under-the-radar but critical technology company caused the payments that flow between healthcare providers and insurers to grind to a halt nationwide. The US healthcare system has been crippled by the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, the company owned by UnitedHealth Group that connects healthcare providers and pharmacies to insurers and facilitates 15 billion transactions each year. And some patients can't afford their prescriptions because pharmacies can't process drug coupons. For many healthcare providers, UnitedHealth and the federal government's response to the ongoing crisis has fallen short. Industry groups including the American Hospital Association and American Medical Association urged the federal government to provide emergency financial support to healthcare providers.

Persons: It's, Sarah von Colditz, Von Colditz, she's, von Colditz, greenlit, UnitedHealth, it's, Kate Ecke, wasn't, Ecke, I've, Optum, Keely Helmick, CareOregon, She's, Helmick, I'm, Brittany Goff, she'd, hasn't, Goff, we're, they've, Tiffany Kettermann, Kettermann Organizations: Business, Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group, US Justice Department, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, US Health, Human Services Department, Unconventional, HHS, Zen Psychological, Health Allies, Covid Locations: Astoria , Oregon, New Jersey, Portland , Oregon, Maryland, Shoreline

☆ ‘We’re hemorrhaging money’: US health clinics try to stay open after unprecedented cyberattack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —For more than two weeks, a cyberattack has disrupted business at health care providers across the United States, forcing small clinics to scramble to stay in business and exposing the fragility of the billing system that underpins American health care. It prevented some insurance payments on prescription drugs from processing, leaving many care providers effectively footing the bill without reimbursement. Health care groups have pleaded with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer medical practices a financial lifeline. A week ago, Change Healthcare announced plans for a temporary loan program to get money flowing to health care providers affected by the outage. Tyler Mason, a spokesperson for Change Healthcare, declined to comment when asked if the company had paid off the hackers.

Persons: ”, Catherine Reinheimer, Mel Davies, ” Jesse Ehrenfeld, Reinheimer, Richard Pollack, Carter Groome, ” Groome, Tyler Mason, ALPHV, ” Ari Redbord, Joshua Corman, Corman, “ Organizations: CNN, Change Healthcare, Health, Department of Health, Human Services, Oregon Oncology, Healthcare, American Medical Association, US, Medical Group Management Association, Community Oncology Alliance, American Hospital Association, Justice Department, ALPHV, Labs Locations: United States, Philadelphia, UnitedHealth, Oregon

☆ Opinion | How America’s Two Abortion Realities Are Clashing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +65 min

mary zieglerWell, I think it’s much easier to ban abortion than it is to enforce a criminal law against abortion. mary zieglerNo, I think that’s right. If our abortion politics don’t reflect our abortion views, what does that tell us about the health of the democracy? We’ve seen upwards of 10 states — I think it’s 14 or 15 that have changed their definition of abortion in abortion restrictive states since Dobbs. So, the idea is that abortions that are presented as life saving either are not abortions or are simply pretexts for abortion that’s elective.

Persons: ezra klein, Ezra Klein, ”, overturns Roe, Wade, we’ve, Dobbs, Mary Ziegler, mary ziegler, Roe, they’ve, they’re, didn’t, isn’t, —, We’ve, ezra klein Let’s, mifepristone, Z, They’re, mary ziegler That’s, Comstock, hasn’t, it’s, ezra klein There’s, Kate Cox, kate cox, mary ziegler —, she’d, there’s, you’ll, don’t, you’re, You’re, That’s, I’ve, I’m, they’ll, Ezra, you’ve, that’s, There’s, what’s, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, You’ve, It’s, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Trump, mary ziegler There’s, Glenn Youngkin, Glenn Youngkin’s, mary ziegler It’s, we’re, Donald Trump, Roger Severino, Gene Hamilton, Hamilton isn’t, He’s, Stephen Miller’s, Jonathan Mitchell, Biden, — there’s, Josh Prager’s, Jennifer Holland, Daniel K, Williams, Wade ”, Linda Greenhouse, Reva Siegel, ezra klein Mary Ziegler Organizations: New York, Alabama, Republican, U.S, Supreme, for Life, Environmental Protection Agency, mifepristone, and Drug Administration, Republicans, State, Washington State Patrol, Democratic, Catholic Democrat, Wall Street, Act, Virginia Republicans, Republican Party, Leadership, Heritage Foundation, Health, Human Services Department, Trump, Washington Post, New York Times, HHS, Human Services, Department of Justice, Court Locations: Alabama, America, St, Louis , Missouri, East St, Louis , Illinois, Dobbs, Ohio, United States, Texas, mary ziegler — Texas, Kansas, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Florida, Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, New York, California, Vermont, New Jersey, Missouri, Idaho, Virginia, Colorado, Roe

9 to 0 — I’m going to say that again — 9 to 0, ruled that states can’t keep Donald Trump off their ballots. It’s how — Trump has said to his loyalists, I am your retribution, so maybe we should just look at this as a blueprint for retribution. He’s going to end up — when he gives his big convention speech, he’s going to end up making promises on economic policy, domestic policy, and so on. ross douthatSo here’s why I’m sort of — Carlos, especially to your point — like, trying to focus us on the sharpest possible conflicts. But if most of the country’s political and emotional energy is instead focused on Trump himself, rather than real, actual debates, then I think Trump is winning, period, and the country is losing.

Persons: carlos lozada, polgreen Wow, ross douthat, lydia polgreen, Kiefer Sutherland, carlos lozada Totally, michelle cottle Perfect, lydia polgreen You’re, Kiefer, I’m Ross Douthat, michelle cottle I’m Michelle Cottle, carlos lozada I’m Carlos Lozada, Lydia Polgreen, michelle cottle Chin, Biden, lydia polgreen It’s, —, can’t, Donald Trump, Grover Cleveland, michelle cottle, Jesus, Donald Trump’s, Carlos Lozada, it’s, Carlos, ross, carlos lozada You, “, Trump, Nikki Haley, carlos lozada Yes, He’s, United States — carlos lozada, carlos lozada Harold Meyerson, ”, Harold — carlos lozada —, michelle cottle —, — Trump, Trumpism, lydia polgreen Trump, carlos lozada —, part’s, michelle cottle You’re, Lydia, let’s, Michelle, — ross douthat Michelle, michelle cottle Oh, Hillary Clinton, — ross, lydia polgreen Get, michelle cottle Mexico’s, Mike Shear, Julie Davis’s, ” ross douthat, carlos lozada Michelle, michelle cottle I’m, George Floyd, I’m — ross, polgreen, I’m, — michelle cottle, he’s, lydia polgreen I’m, Dobbs, ross douthat Carlos, we’ve, unquote, carlos lozada Well, carlos lozada He’s, — carlos lozada Boo, Matt Iglesias, That’ll, that’ll, Peter Navarro, doesn’t, there’ll, lydia polgreen There’ll, carlos lozada Ross, there’s, ” michelle cottle, lydia polgreen Couldn’t, John Roberts, Peter Baker, Susan Glasser’s, Maggie Haberman’s, — michelle cottle Beat, ross douthat —, It’s, Asli Aydintasbas, she’s, Ross, Viktor Orbán, Joe Biden, ideologues, ross douthat Lydia, — carlos lozada, ross douthat Go, nope — ross, Miley Cyrus, it’s Truman, I’ve, lydia polgreen There’s, Bilbo, Martin Freeman, michelle cottle Big, michelle cottle Carlos, We’ve, carlos lozada You’re, We’ll, lydia polgreen Bye Organizations: New York, Republican, New York Times, Siena College, Trump, Heritage Foundation, Leadership, GOP, Republicans, HHS, Department of Health, Human Services, Department of Life, CDC, Department of Justice, Justice Department, National Guard, of Homeland Security, Democrats, Politico, America, United States Constitution, Swans, East, Brooklyn, Northwest Missouri State University, carlos lozada Business Locations: New, America, Douthat, ”, Washington, United States, lydia polgreen Get Mexico, Francisco, China, Turkish, Turkey, Manhattan, Brooklyn

The ramifications of a cyberattack on a critical health care technology company are still being felt across the U.S. nearly two weeks later. Change Healthcare has acknowledged the hack, which reportedly affected billing and care authorization portals. “Our experts are working to address the matter, and we are working closely with law enforcement and leading third-party consultants such as Mandiant and Palo Alto Networks on this attack against Change Healthcare’s systems,” Change Healthcare said. “On Feb. 21, 2024, we discovered a threat actor gained access to one of our Change Healthcare environments,” Change Healthcare said. A spokesperson affiliated with Change Healthcare declined to answer whether a ransom has been paid, according to Wired.

Persons: paychecks, Chuck Schumer, Jesse Ehrenfeld, Rick Pollack, “, ”, Schumer, ” Schumer, Pollack Organizations: Healthcare, Palo Alto Networks, New, American Medical Association, Department of Health, Human Services, American Hospital Association, HHS, AHA, UnitedHealth Group, The Washington Post, Justice Department, Health, Medicare, Medicaid Services, Wired, Change Healthcare Locations: U.S, Palo, New York, Optum

☆ Cyberattack on health insurance IT giant continues to disrupt business for doctors, therapists
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“I’ve begun manually billing and I’m praying that I will be paid,” Disney told CNN. Lack of payment isn’t sustainableCarter Groome, chief executive of Health First Advisory, a cybersecurity firm whose clients include big health care organizations, estimated that some health care providers are losing more than $100 million per day because of the outage. “That’s just not sustainable in an industry with not a lot of cash on hand,” Groome told CNN. As of Wednesday morning, Change Health Care said the company’s affected network was still offline. Hackers using the malware have claimed a slew of attacks on US universities, health care providers and hotels in the last 18 months.

Persons: “ I’ve, ” Disney, Purvi, Parikh hasn’t, Carter Groome, That’s, ” Groome, ”, Leslie Porras, ” Porras, Tyler Mason, Mason, Parikh, ” Mason, Amy Cizik, Cizik, ” Cizik, Andrea Palm, ALPHV ransomware, John Riggi, ” Riggi Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Disney, Health, Advisory, Pipeline, ”, Healthcare, Care, “, Senior US, FBI, Human Service, Homeland Security, Reuters, Justice Department, American Hospital Association, AHA Locations: Maryland, New York, Utah, Salt Lake City

☆ Women can exercise less often than men and still see greater health benefits, new study shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Women may see greater health benefits from exercising regularly than men do, according to a recent study. DON'T MISS: Exercise 2-4x more than the HHS recommends to achieve maximum benefit, says new studyResearchers also found that women were able to see greater health benefits with less exercise than their male counterparts. Men who engaged in about five hours of moderate to vigorous exercise each week lowered their chances of dying by 18% in comparison to men who didn't. The reason why women may have stronger benefits from regular exercise than men isn't clear, though it's possible it boils down to differences in anatomy, the study's researchers told CBS News. Exercising regularly is great for heart health in general"I think the big message is physical activity helps to reduce cardiovascular mortality, period," Garg tells CNBC Make It.

Persons: Beteal, wasn't, Nadish, Garg Organizations: American College of Cardiology, HHS, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, CBS News, Hermann, CNBC, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services Locations: UHealth, Houston

☆ UnitedHealth subsidiary Change Healthcare down for a fourth day following cyberattack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Change Healthcare's systems are down for a fourth straight day after parent company UnitedHealth Group disclosed that a suspected cybersecurity threat actor gained access to part of its information technology network on Wednesday. UnitedHealth, the biggest health-care company in the U.S. by market cap, owns the health-care provider Optum, which merged with Change Healthcare in 2022. Optum services more than 100 million patients in the U.S., according to its website, and Change Healthcare offers solutions for payment and revenue cycle management. ET Saturday, Change Healthcare said the disruption is expected to continue "at least" through the day. The AHA declined to comment on the Change Healthcare cyberattack.

Persons: UnitedHealth, We're, CISA Organizations: UnitedHealth Group, Healthcare, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, CNBC, CVS Health, CVS, American Hospital Association, AHA, Department of Health, Human Services, FBI, Infrastructure Security Agency, HHS Locations: U.S

☆ Child care benefits at work: Employers are increasingly offering resources to parents with daycare needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And among those that do, less than a third selected any single benefit such as subsidized child care services (11%), child care referrals and consultations (28%); and back up child care (26%), which gives parents access to a daycare center or babysitter when their usual child care arrangements fall through on a given day. Among those, 37% offer access to backup child care, 16% subsidize child care and 10% provide onsite child care. Among respondents who said they were thinking of quitting their jobs, 41% said their compensation was not high enough to cover child care costs, and 30% said they didn’t have adequate child care. An onsite child care center like one from Bright Horizons can provide licensed and trained care providers and well-qualified early education teachers. Other options to ease working parents’ experienceFor many employers, though, an onsite child care center may be tough to swing.

Persons: ”, Jessica Chang, “ Covid, ” Chang, Mercer, It’s, We’ve, Stephen Kraemer, Kraemer, hadn’t, Carmen Perez, Perez, Seda, Chang Organizations: New, New York CNN, US Department of Labor, US Department of Health, Human Services, Century Foundation, “ Employers, Adecco Group, Bright Locations: New York, United States, California

☆ Cyberattack leaves patients facing the choice to pay – or wait for their prescriptions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

It is only the latest in long list of hacking incidents that have roiled the health care sector in the last few years. Mara FurlichPrescription insurance processing at big university health systems in Indiana and California have also been disrupted, according to internal email correspondence at the health systems reviewed by CNN. In a regulatory filing Thursday, Change Healthcare’s parent firm said “suspected nation-state associated” hackers had breached some of their computer systems. The Change Healthcare spokesperson declined to comment when asked on what information the company based its assessment that foreign government-linked hackers could be responsible. The FBI and CISA did not respond for requests for comment on whether they agreed with Change Healthcare’s assessment on who was responsible for the hack.

Persons: Mara Furlich, Furlich, ” Furlich, Camp Pendleton, Luke Bonczyk, Abi, ”, “, CISA, Max Henderson Organizations: CNN, FDA, Healthcare, Naval Hospital, American Hospital Association, FBI, Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Health, Human Services, HHS, Optum, “ Locations: United States, Detroit, Camp Pendleton, Southern California, Indiana, California

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration struggled to properly vet and monitor the homes where they placed a surge of migrant children who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021, according to a federal watchdog report released Thursday. In about a third of the cases reviewed by the federal watchdog, the agency did not have legible documentation for the adults on file. The federal watchdog analyzed the case files of more than 300 migrant children from early 2021, months after thousands of children had trekked to the U.S. border seeking asylum. HHS is supposed to obtain IDs for the adults – called sponsors – who take in migrant children. And, for every five cases, HHS didn’t follow up to check on the children it had placed, often for months.

Persons: —, Biden, ”, Haley Lubeck, “, Jeff Nesbit, Joe Biden, – Organizations: WASHINGTON, of Health, Human Services, HHS Locations: U.S, Mexico

☆ How a new surveillance method is identifying more cases of Lyme disease in the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But this sharp increase “likely reflects changes in surveillance methods rather than change in disease risk,” according to the CDC. The vast majority of Lyme disease cases in the US are reported from just over a dozen jurisdictions in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and upper-Midwest where ticks are particularly prevalent. Despite the significant spike, the number Lyme disease cases that are reported to the CDC is just a fraction of the estimated number of total cases. There are about 476,000 estimated diagnoses of Lyme disease in the US each year – nearly eight times more than even the improved surveillance methods captured in 2022. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the US, along with Zika virus, West Nile virus, dengue, malaria, plague, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and alpha-gal syndrome.

Persons: Lyme, –, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, of State, Territorial, Get CNN, CNN Health, US Department of Health, Human Services, HHS Locations: United States, Northeast, Lyme

☆ Biden administration examining role of supply chain middlemen in generic drug shortages
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

They are group purchasing organizations, which broker drug purchases for hospitals and other health-care providers, and drug wholesalers, which buy medicines from manufacturers and distribute them to providers. But the Biden administration is zeroing in on other players in the drug supply chain to uncover the "root causes and potential solutions" to ongoing shortages. The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday said it is examining the role that drug wholesalers and companies that purchase medicines for U.S. health-care providers play in shortages of generic drugs, which account for the majority of Americans' prescriptions. Group purchasing organizations and wholesalers have gotten limited attention on Capitol Hill, even as reining in high drug costs has become a key priority among lawmakers in both chambers. PBMs contend that manufacturers are responsible for high drug prices, while drugmakers say rebates and fees collected by those middlemen force them to increase list prices for products.

Persons: Biden, Doug Farrar, Cencora Organizations: FTC, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Trade Commission, Public Affairs, CNBC, HHS, Cardinal Health, Group, Capitol, CNBC PRO Locations: U.S

Hospitals in recent years have shifted their use of online technology to support everything from telehealth to medical devices to patient records. Brett Callow, an analyst for the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, counted 46 cyberattacks on hospitals last year, compared with 25 in 2022. The dramatic increase in these online raids has prompted the nation’s top health agency to develop new rules for hospitals to protect themselves from cyber threats. The attacks can put hospitals’ networks offline for weeks or months, forcing hospitals to turn away patients. In Chicago, Lurie hospital’s network has been offline for two weeks.

Persons: —, John Riggi, Association’s, “, ” Riggi, Ann, Robert H, Lurie, Brett Callow, Emsisoft, ” Callow, Callow, ”, Andrea Palm, Palm, Jason Castillo’s, Castillo, ” Castillo, it’s, Kathleen Foody Organizations: WASHINGTON, Midwestern children's, American, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, FBI, of Health, Human Services, Health, HHS, Associated Press Locations: Midwestern, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Chicago

☆ Federal judge tosses lobbying group's lawsuit challenging Medicare drug price negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The decision is an early win for the Biden administration as it grapples with a flurry of other legal challenges that drugmakers have filed against the Medicare drug price negotiations. The judge's ruling won't end the legal battle over the policy, which could end up at the Supreme Court. A slate of major companies with drugs selected for negotiations, including J&J, Merck , and Bristol Myers Squibb , have filed separate lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the price talks. The suit also argued that the price talks violate the Eighth Amendment because they include a "crippling" excise tax aimed at forcing drugmakers to accept the government-dictated price of medicines. The groups also argued that the price talks violate due process by denying pharmaceutical companies and the public input on how Medicare negotiations will be implemented.

Persons: Biden, drugmakers, Judge David Ezra of, Ezra, NICA's, Nicole Longo, PhRMA, Eli Lilly, Johnson, NICA Organizations: U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, Supreme, Medicare, Western, Western District of Texas, Pharmaceutical Research, Manufacturers of America, Global Colon Cancer Association, National, Center Association, CNBC, Pfizer, Johnson, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chamber of Commerce, Department of Health, Department of Justice Locations: Washington ,, Western District, PhRMA, Ohio

For some people with COVID-19, antiviral pills that can be taken at home can lessen the chances of winding up in the hospital. Here’s how to get the pills in the U.S.:— Take an at-home COVID-19 test and contact your health care provider. Photos You Should See View All 45 Images— Use a test-to-treat site, where pharmacists can check if you have COVID-19, write the prescription and give you the pills all in one stop. Find a test-to-treat site at treatments.hhs.gov. Paxlovid is the most commonly prescribed antiviral pill for COVID-19.

Persons: Paxlovid, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: National Institutes of Health’s, Pfizer, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: U.S, treatments.hhs.gov

☆ Cyberattack on a Chicago children’s hospital has shut down its systems for a week
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Sara Smart | Andy Rose | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A children’s hospital in Chicago is still trying to restore its computer systems nearly a week after a cybersecurity incident prompted it to shut down its network. Lurie Children’s Hospital says the outage has affected email, phones and some other electronic systems. The hospital remains operational, but it said the outage has made scheduling, accessing medical records and prescription history difficult for patients and staff. Lurie has not given any details on the nature of the cybersecurity incident or whether a ransom has been demanded for full access to its systems. Late last week, Lurie established a call center for clients who are unable to reach the hospital through their regular phone number or electronic messaging systems.

Persons: Lurie Children’s, “, ” Lurie, Lurie, Andy Bernstein, Linda Burt, Andrea Palm, Sean Lyngaas Organizations: CNN, Lurie, Lurie Children’s Hospital, WLS, Ardent Health Services, Department of Health, Human Services Locations: Chicago, Illinois, St, Margaret’s, Spring Valley , Illinois, East Texas, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, America, “

☆ US Government Sends Initial Offers for Medicare Drug Price Cuts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - The Biden administration is sending drugmakers opening offers for the U.S. Medicare program's first ever price negotiations on Thursday, the White House said in a statement. President Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allows Medicare, which covers 66 million Americans mostly aged 65 and older, to negotiate prices for some of its most costly drugs. The initial offers have been sent to manufacturers of 10 high-cost medicines, which include Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer's blood thinner Eliquis, Merck & Co's diabetes drug Januvia and Johnson & Johnson's blood thinner Xarelto. The HHS and White House did not disclose details on the offers. (Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra and Sriraj Kalluvila)

Persons: Biden, Medicare program's, Joe Biden's, Januvia, Johnson, Urvi Dugar, Sriparna Roy, Toby Chopra, Sriraj Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Medicare, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, HHS, White Locations: Bengaluru

Leaders from government, the arts, academia and philanthropy gathered in Washington for “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities." Panel discussions focused on turning to the arts and humanities to solve challenges, from improving health to bridging divides. HHS and the NEA have a long history of working together to improve health using the arts, including through music, Becerra said. That's through painting, that's through food, that's through performances and music,” Lowe said in an interview before the summit. “They're so tied together it's hard to separate the two.”Biden's executive order said the arts, humanities and museum and library services are essential to the well-being, health, vitality and democracy of the nation.

Persons: Tanden, ” Maria Rosario Jackson, Renee Fleming, Anna Deavere Smith, Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Radhika Fox, Jackson, Xavier Becerra, Becerra, Biden, NEH, Shelly Lowe, ” Lowe, ”, ” Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, Environmental Protection Agency, Arts and Culture, Democratic, Associated Press, NEA, EPA's, Water, Health, Human Services, HHS, National Endowment, Humanities, United, White Locations: United States, Washington, Seattle , New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, Boston, York, New Jersey, Culture, America

☆ Big pharma is at a crossroads, as J&J, Merck and others prepare to lose heaps of revenue from blockbuster drugs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Bristol Myers Squibb's Eliquis is a blood thinner used to prevent clotting, to reduce the risk of stroke. Bristol Myers Squibb's Opdivo is an immunotherapy used to treat cancers, including melanoma and lung cancer. Investors will get updates on Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb's plans for the years ahead when they report earnings on Thursday and Friday, respectively. That's unlike generics, which are cheaper copycats of small-molecule drugs like Bristol Myers Squibb's Eliquis. Bristol Myers Squibb is also testing a new form of Opdivo, which is currently administered into a patient's veins.

Persons: Johnson, William Blair, Matt Phipps, Bristol Myers, Johnson's, Merck's Keytruda, J's Stelara, Opdivo, Phipps, biosimilars, Eliquis, Biosimilars, Humira, JB Reed, Samsung's, Piper Sandler, Christopher Raymond, AbbVie, Raymond, Chris Schott, Schott, Robert Davis, Keytruda, Davis, JPMorgan's Schott, Bristol Myers Squibb, George Frey, J, Amgen, J confidentially, Mike Perrone, It's, Anna Moneymaker Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Johnson, NYSE Big, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Biden, William Blair & Company, CNBC, Guggenheim, Bristol, Leerink Partners, Bloomberg, Getty, Bioepis, JPMorgan, JPMorgan Health Care, Moderna, Bristol Myers, Karuna Therapeutics, Hardy, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Reuters, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Pharma, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services Locations: drugmakers, EY, Europe, U.S, Cambridge , Massachusetts, Arda, EY's Americas, Bristol, Salt Lake City , Utah, Washington , DC

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