HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said more information would be coming with plans to get the mail-order Covid test program restarted “as quickly as possible.” | Drew Angerer/Getty Images By Chelsea Cirruzzo 09/20/2023 01:29 PM EDT The federal government will again offer free Covid-19 tests through the mail, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters Wednesday, amid … Read more
“We always hope for collaboration, but the rule has sticks as well,” Neera Tanden, head of President Joe Biden’s domestic policy council, told POLITICO. “We hope insurers will change their behavior going forward without the sticks, but we will continue to fully enforce the parity law.” Those sticks include fines of $100 per policyholder per … Read more
Her trust tour, which has several more stops in the works, comes as the Biden administration begins its latest Covid-19 vaccine push and at a time when her agency faces scrutiny over its decisions and messaging during the pandemic. She is contending with a public that has, for the most part, moved beyond Covid and … Read more
In his speech earlier Friday afternoon, Pence told the crowd of conservative activists that, if elected, he will take executive actions to curb abortion in addition to pushing Congress to pass a 15-week ban. He said he would strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood and reverse the Biden administration’s policy allowing military servicemembers to travel … Read more
Nearly eight in 10 Democrats, 79 percent, say they will “definitely” or “probably” get the new vaccine, which will be made widely available by the end of this week. But only 39 percent of Republicans expect to seek out the updated shot, reflecting the sharp political divide that’s hampered the Covid response in recent years. … Read more
“He wants to come in at the right time,” McCaul said Tuesday about Bush’s involvement. “This is one of his biggest legacies.” On Wednesday, the former president published an op-ed asking Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR for five more years “without delay,” saying that failing to do so would be “a source of national shame.” Bush’s … Read more
“Although most of them only survived for two years, they saved taxpayers and consumers more money in those two years than the entire program cost,” said John Morrison, a former Montana insurance commissioner who helped start Mountain Health CO-OP, one of the three remaining insurers, and served as president of the — now defunct — … Read more
The FDA’s actions Monday made updated mRNA Covid-19 shots available for anyone 6 months and older. Those 5 years and older can receive either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shot, as long as it has been at least two months since their prior shot. Children 6 months to 4 years old can receive one or two … Read more
But other advisers noted that a universal recommendation could lead to fewer individuals getting shots, if they see it as business as usual. “We really want to emphasize those who are at risk of death,” said Dr. Sarah Long, a professor of pediatrics at Drexel University, who voted for the recommendation. “In non-high-risk groups, I … Read more
Novavax asked the FDA to authorize its updated shot earlier this summer, but has not yet received a decision from the FDA. The company has received shipments of the vaccine in the U.S. If it receives authorization, it will be the only non-mRNA vaccine option available. What’s next: The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices … Read more
