On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, the full Senate approved Andrea Palm as the Deputy Health Secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services by a vote of 61 to 37. A significant vote considering the number of close votes for some of the President’s nominees in the 50 to 50 Senate. One of
Last month the Centers on Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data that indicates that drug overdoses in this country reached an all-time high of 90,000 in the 12 month period that ended on September 30, 2020. The numbers represent a stark increase after the already high numbers seemed to stabilize between 2017 through 2019 at between
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) is holding up Senate confirmation of President Biden’s nominee to head up the Centers on Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. Senator Cornyn’s action comes in response to the Administration’s withdrawal of a Texas Medicaid waiver that had been approved shortly before the expiration of the Trump Administration. Under the 50-50
On Thursday, April 22, 2021, Zero to Three held the State of Babies Summit to release the State of Babies Yearbook: 2021, which shows that even before the economic and social fallout of COVID-19, the babies of our nation did not have the supports needed to thrive. The pandemic has only further exacerbated disparities that affect
On Thursday, April 15, 2021, the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for the departments of Labor-HHS-Education heard testimony from the new HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The testimony builds on the previous week's White House overview of the FY 2022 appropriations. The House focused several Thursday hearings on the FY 2022 appropriations meaning we are now in the full
In the last year, it has become impossible to shield ourselves from the role of law enforcement, mental health systems, and their relationships to racial justice. Historically, both systems have harmed communities of color and continue to do so today. Complicit in racism and discrimination, both law enforcement and mental health systems continually perpetuate "negatives
According to information released by HHS, many purchasers on the marketplaces will see their premiums decrease, on average, by $50 per person per month and $85 per policy per month. An average of four out of five consumers currently enrolled in a plan through HealthCare.gov will be able to find a plan for $10 or
April 1, 2021, started the implementation of new and additional tax credits for health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The March American Rescue Plan provided significant increases in tax credit for people who purchase insurance through the federal or their state ACA exchanges. The beginning of these new credits was April 1.
On Wednesday, March 31, 2021, President Biden will be in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to deliver a speech that will describe his vision and major next steps for his economic agenda. Last week several publications wrote of major plans the Biden Administration is considering for inclusion in the President’s detailed FY 2022 budget to be released
On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, President Biden celebrated the 11th anniversary of the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by extending the current open enrollment until August 15, 2021. The announcement extends a special pandemic-related enrollment period that had started on February 15 and was to last until May 15, 2021. It is also an