DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Senate legislation would cap insulin at $35 per month for people with private insurance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this photo illustration, insulin pens manufactured by the Novo Nordisk company are displayed on March 14, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Bipartisan Senate legislation introduced Friday would cap the price of insulin at $35 per month for people with private insurance. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which became law last year, capped the price of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare. More than 2 million patients with diabetes who take insulin are privately insured, according to the Health and Human Services Department. In March, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi announced they would slash prices of their most widely used insulin products in response to growing public pressure to address rising costs.

☆ Millions will start losing Medicaid coverage as Covid safety net is dismantled
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Congress basically barred states from terminating Medicaid coverage during the pandemic through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Congress slipped a provision in federal spending legislation in December that allows states to start disenrolling people on April 1. Although some states will start terminating coverage in April, others are waiting until May, June, July and October before they do so. A list of when all 50 states will start ending coverage is below. Click here for a list of when states will have their first round Medicaid coverage terminations.

The derailment of the train, operated by Norfolk Southern (NSC.N), forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off chemicals. “We have mobilized a robust, multi-agency effort to support the people of East Palestine, Ohio," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing. [1/3] A view of a caution tape as members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (not pictured) inspect the site of a train derailment of hazardous material in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 16, 2023. DeWine called on Congress to review railroad safety regulations, lamenting states have little power to demand information about what types of hazardous goods are rolling through their borders. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday more needs to be done to address rail safety in the face of hundreds of annual train derailments.

☆ House GOP asks Fauci and dozens of health officials to testify in investigation into Covid origins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

House Republicans have asked former White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony to testify before Congress as they launch a new investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. "If there are oversight hearings I absolutely will cooperate fully and testify before the Congress," Fauci told reporters during his final briefing at the White House. He stepped down from his posts at the White House and at the helm of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in December. EcoHealth Alliance provided funding, which originated at NIH, to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses. About $600,000 of that money went directly to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study the threat posed by bat coronaviruses.

☆ The Covid emergency in the U.S. ends May 11. HHS officials say here's what to expect
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Liao Pan | China News Service | Getty ImagesThe Health and Human Services Department on Thursday laid out what will change and will remain the same when the three-year-long Covid public health emergency ends in May. HHS officials in call with reporters laid out what the the public can expect when the emergency ends. Immediate changes:People with private health insurance may have to pay for Covid tests, both over-the-counter and lab, depending on their plan. These protections were once tied to the public health emergency, but Congress then decided to phase them out separately. In short, states can start kicking people off Medicaid as early as April if they no longer meet eligibility requirements for the public health insurance program.

☆ U.S. plans to stop buying Covid shots for the public this fall. Here's what that means
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

There is a federal program to provide free vaccines to children whose families or caretakers can't afford the shots. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., slammed the vaccine price hike in a letter to Moderna's CEO last month. Under the ACA, private health insurance is required to cover all immunizations recommended by the CDC at no cost to the consumer. There may be a small number of legacy private health insurance plans from before the ACA that are not required to cover Covid vaccines, Cox said. Consumers could also see their health insurance premiums increase if Pfizer and Moderna hike the price of the shots, Cox said.

☆ Obamacare enrollment to open this spring for people losing Medicaid after pandemic protections end
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The 17 states that run their own marketplaces can implement a special enrollment period but are not required to do so. Individuals who lose Medicaid won't have to provide any additional documentation to shop for Obamacare. Medicaid enrollment swelled during the pandemic after Congress basically banned state governments from kicking people off the program for the duration of the public health emergency. Congress passed a federal spending bill in December that separated the Medicaid coverage protections from the public health emergency. HHS has estimated that 15 million people will lose Medicaid coverage once the pandemic-coverage protections end.

☆ FDA withdraws Covid antibody treatment Evusheld because it's not effective against 93% of subvariants
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The FDA pulled Evusheld from the market because it is not effective against more than 90% of the Covid subvariants that are currently circulating in the U.S. People with compromised immune systems, such as cancer chemotherapy and organ-transplant patients, are some of the groups most vulnerable to severe disease from Covid. More than 7 million adults in the U.S. have a compromised immune system. He said lawmakers' failure to pass additional Covid funding means there isn't money to invest in new antibodies. President Joe Biden told people with compromised immune systems to consult with a doctor.

“She wouldn’t be able to walk up to medical without help,” the former staff member said, referring to the office where staff medical professionals worked. James Shirey Jr., 14, died of complications from congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a genetic disorder, while at Diamond Ranch Academy in 2009. Diamond Ranch Academy disputed some of the lawsuit’s allegations in a court filing, and denied wrongdoing, but paid his family a $750,000 settlement in 2017. Diamond Ranch Academy was founded in 1999 by Rob and Sherri Dias. Dean Goodridge wants to see accountability for Diamond Ranch Academy, and any other facilities where children have died.

☆ White House Considers Fed Vice Chair for Role as Biden’s Top Economic Adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Andrew Restuccia | Ken Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—President Biden is considering Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard as the next head of the National Economic Council, according to administration officials and others familiar with the matter. A final decision hasn’t been made, the officials said, adding that Mr. Biden is in the process of conducting interviews. Several other contenders are under discussion for the key economic policy-making role, the officials said, including Sylvia Mathews Burwell , who led the Office of Management and Budget and the Health and Human Services Department during the Obama administration. Ms. Burwell has been the president of American University since 2017.

☆ The Deceptive Campaign for Bivalent Covid Boosters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Allysia Finley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

You might have heard a radio advertisement warning that if you’ve had Covid, you could get it again and experience even worse symptoms. The message, sponsored by the Health and Human Services Department, claims that updated bivalent vaccines will improve your protection. This is deceptive advertising. But the public-health establishment’s praise for the bivalent shots shouldn’t come as a surprise. Federal agencies took the unprecedented step of ordering vaccine makers to produce them and recommending them without data supporting their safety or efficacy.

☆ U.S. uninsured rate fell during Covid pandemic as Medicaid and Obamacare coverage grew
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The uninsured rate in the U.S. for people under age 65 dropped from 11% in 2019 to 10.5% in 2021, according to a report released Friday by the Health and Human Services Department. By the first quarter of 2022, the uninsured rate dropped to an all-time low of 8%, according to the report. But pandemic health policies created a safety net for people who lost private coverage and made it easier for them to find insurance. Medicaid enrollment swelled by more than 20 million from February 2020 through September 2022 as a consequence. Many of these people are expected to transition to Obamacare marketplace coverage.

☆ Biden administration extends Covid public health emergency as highly infectious omicron XBB.1.5 spreads
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Eduardo Munoz | ReutersThe Biden administration has extended the Covid-19 public health emergency until April as a highly transmissible omicron subvariant stokes concern that the U.S. may face another wave of hospitalizations from the disease this winter. The U.S. has renewed the Covid public health emergency every 90 days since the Trump administration first issued the declaration in January 2020.watch nowThe emergency declaration has had a vast impact on the U.S. health-care system over the past three years. It has protected public health insurance coverage for millions, provided hospitals with greater flexibility to respond to patient surges and expanded telehealth. Once U.S. officials decide to end the public health emergency, hospitals will lose flexibility in how they deploy staff, add beds and care for patients when there's a surge in admissions. Congress banned states from kicking people off the program for the duration of the public health emergency.

☆ Biden administration will select first 10 drugs for Medicare price negotiations by September
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The negotiated prices for those 10 Medicare Part D drugs will go into effect in January 2026. This includes drugs for rare diseases, plasma or blood-derived products, drugs developed by small biotech companies and drugs that Medicare spends less than $200 million on. The products may not be part of the eventual price negotiations due to generic competition or a change in Medicare expenditures. In the program's second phase, HHS will select another 15 Medicare Part D drugs to negotiate, with prices taking effect in 2027. In phase four, HHS will negotiate prices for 20 Part B or D drugs, taking effect in 2029.

☆ Millions at risk of losing Medicaid in the spring under provision tucked inside $1.7 trillion federal spending bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Tucked inside a more than 4,000-page, $1.7 trillion bill that funds the federal government through September is a provision that would eliminate the Medicaid coverage protections from the public health emergency. "Whereas right now since the Covid-19 public health emergency started, states were not allowed to terminate Medicaid coverage." The public health emergencyi, first declared in January 2020 by the Trump administration, has been renewed every 90 days since the pandemic began. People generally lose Medicaid coverage if their income rises and falls outside the program's parameters. HHS estimates that about a third of those who will lose Medicaid coverage will qualify for tax credits for marketplace insurance.

LANSING — State officials in Michigan announced changes this week to address administrative failures that have made it difficult for some of the state’s most vulnerable foster youth to earn a high school diploma. The actions came after NBC News reported on foster youth in Michigan who were denied credit for classes they took while living in state-funded, state-licensed residential facilities. He was one of five foster youth who addressed the board or had their statements read into the record on Tuesday. “The first thing we need to do is to get into the Legislature and make certain that there’s no such thing as noncredit-bearing courses in Michigan public education. The foster youth and their advocates said they’re hopeful that real change is coming.

☆ Biden administration will end monkeypox public health emergency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People line up to get a monkeypox vaccination at a new walk-up monkeypox vaccination site at Barnsdall Art Park on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022 in Hollywood, CA. The Biden administration will end the public health emergency declared in response to the monkeypox outbreak, as new infections have declined dramatically and vaccination rates have increased. Becerra declared an emergency in August in an effort to accelerate a vaccination and education campaign as the virus was spreading swiftly in the gay community. But infections have slowed dramatically since August, when new cases peaked at 638 per day on average. U.S. health officials have said the outbreak has slowed because vaccinations have increased dramatically, and people have changed their behavior in response to education campaigns about how to avoid infection.

☆ FDA pulls Covid antibody treatment because it's not effective against dominant omicron variants
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A key monoclonal antibody used to treat people with weak immune systems who catch Covid is no longer authorized for use in the U.S. because it is not effective against emerging omicron subvariants. The FDA, in a notice Wednesday, said bebtelovimab is not approved for use because it is not expected to neutralize the omicron BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants. They are causing 57% of new infections nationally and make up a majority of cases in every U.S. region except one. But bebtelovimab stocks should be kept on hand in the event that Covid variants which the antibody can neutralize become dominant again in the future, according to FDA. Many people with weak immune systems, such as organ transplant patients, cannot take Paxlovid with other medications they need.

☆ Drug overdose deaths among seniors have more than tripled in two decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Deaths from drug and alcohol use are rising among America's seniors. Drug overdose deaths more than tripled among people age 65 and older during the past two decades while deaths from alcohol abuse increased more than 18% from 2019 to 2020, according to data published Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics. While some drug deaths among seniors are from accidental misuse of drugs, many are suicides from overdosing on opioids, Kuerbis said. Drug overdose deaths were highest among Black seniors. Alcohol deaths were highest among American Indian seniors followed by Hispanics, white Americans, Black Americans and Asian Americans, according to the data.

☆ Flu hospitalizations increase nearly 30% as U.S. enters holiday season
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Flu has hit unusually hard and early this season, putting pressure on emergency departments across the nation. Flu activity normally picks up after Thanksgiving, but hospitalizations were already at a decade high in early November. Scientists and public health experts are worried flu hospitalizations will surge even more after millions traveled to see family and friends for Thanksgiving. About 11 people out of every 100,000 have been hospitalized with the flu since early October, the highest level in a decade. "The fact that we're already at this high level going into the holiday season makes me nervous," said Scott Hensley, a microbiologist and flu expert at the Penn Institute for Immunology.

☆ Lawsuit Filed to Reverse Approval, Access to Abortion Pill
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Liz Essley Whyte | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A new abortion battle is moving to the courts, this time over a pill for ending pregnancies. Abortion opponents sued the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services department in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, on Friday, seeking to undo the approval of the abortion-inducing pill called mifepristone as well as subsequent agency decisions easing access to the drug.

☆ Children's hospitals call on Biden to declare emergency in response to 'unprecedented' RSV surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The president should declare an emergency under the Stafford Act or the National Emergencies Act, and the health secretary should declare a public health emergency, Wietecha and Del Monte wrote. ACEP described the situation as a public health emergency. Oregon this week became the first state to declare on emergency in response to the RSV surge. A national public health emergency would be determined based on countrywide data, science trends and the insight of public health experts, the spokesperson said. UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh has faced a huge surge in respiratory illnesses since September, said Dr. Raymond Pitetti, director of the hospital's emergency department.

☆ As flu hospitalizations surge in the U.S., the Southeast is the hardest hit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Five out every 100,000 people in the U.S. were hospitalized with the flu during the week ending Nov. 5, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's the highest hospitalization rate this early in the flu season since 2010, more than 10 years ago. Flu hospitalizations have surged to a decade high in the U.S. with the Southeast the hardest region right now. Flu activity is also very high in Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York City and Texas, according to the CDC. "There are also early signs of influenza causing severe illness in precisely these two groups of individuals this season," Romero told reporters during a call earlier this month.

☆ U.S. is extending Covid public health emergency through spring 2023, administration official says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. is extending the Covid public health emergency through the spring of 2023, a Biden administration official said on Friday. The decision to extend emergency comes as public health officials are expecting another Covid surge this winter as people gather more indoors where the virus spreads easier. The Health and Human Services Department previously extended the public health emergency until January. The public health emergency, first declared in January 2020 and renewed every 90 days since, has had a vast impact on the U.S. health-care system. The declaration has dramatically expanded public health insurance through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

☆ Nearly 2% of healthy infants hospitalized with RSV before first birthday, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Even healthy infants face a considerable risk of hospitalization from respiratory syncytial virus, according to a large European study published Thursday. Dutch and British scientists, in a study published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine, found that 1.8% of healthy infants are hospitalized with RSV before their first birthday. This means about 1 in 56 healthy infants are hospitalized with the virus annually. The scientists found that a majority of the infants hospitalized with RSV were younger than 3 months. About 1 in 18 infants hospitalized with RSV required treatment in the intensive care unit.

Search resuls for: "Human Services Department"

25 mentions found