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Jessie Hellmann

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Sprinklers water the lawn in front of the Supreme Court on April 29, 2024.

Ruling could give Kennedy more power over health care coverage

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 22, 2025 at 10:06am
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., conducts a news conference on autism at the Hubert Humphrey Building in Washington on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

HHS to look at environmental toxins as cause of autism

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 16, 2025 at 3:06pm
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., talks with reporters in the Russell Senate Office Building before a Senate vote on Feb. 19.

Hawley’s change of heart reflects evolving politics of Medicaid

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 15, 2025 at 7:00am
Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter chairs the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee.

Congress now faces an $880 billion Medicaid question

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 10, 2025 at 4:56pm
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been critical of weight loss drugs, instead placing a focus on lifestyle changes to lose weight.

Trump pulls back Biden’s plan to cover weight loss drugs

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 4, 2025 at 7:27pm
Signs point the way to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District across from Wigwam Stadium on Feb. 27 in Seminole, Texas.

Amid measles outbreak, Trump pulls funding for vaccines

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 4, 2025 at 11:14am, Updated April 7, 2025 at 1:41pm
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz prepares to testify during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Friday, March 14, 2025.

Senate confirms Oz for CMS administrator on party-line vote

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 3, 2025 at 5:25pm
The Supreme Court building in Washington. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Supreme Court backs FDA in flavored e-cigarette denials

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 2, 2025 at 11:37am
Matt Cutler, right, a former Health and Human Services employee who was fired on Tuesday, talks with Maine independent Sen. Angus King, left, inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Tuesday.

HHS layoffs cut deep swath through health infrastructure

By Sandhya Raman, Lia DeGroot and Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 1, 2025 at 6:06pm
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz prepares to testify during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Friday, March 14, 2025.

Oz opposes abortion, trans care in letter to GOP senator

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 31, 2025 at 4:50pm
President Donald Trump greets members after addressing a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

White House halts long-running HIV research network for youth

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 26, 2025 at 4:41pm
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator nominee Mehmet Oz prepares to testify during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on March 14.

Senate Finance advances Oz nomination to lead CMS

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 25, 2025 at 4:12pm
Jayanta Bhattacharya, nominee for director of the National Institutes of Health, prepares to tesify at his Senate confirmation hearing on March 5. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Trump cancels NIH grants on equity research

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 24, 2025 at 6:18pm
With Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi behind him, President Donald Trump delivers his 2019 State of the Union address, in which he vowed to end HIV in the United States by 2030.

Trump’s policies threaten his 2019 vow to end HIV, experts say

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 19, 2025 at 7:00am
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator nominee Mehmet Oz prepares to testify during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Friday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

CMS pick Oz vows to go after Medicare Advantage

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 14, 2025 at 5:09pm
People protesting personnel cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hold signs outside the organization's main headquarters on Wednesday in Atlanta. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Weldon nomination yanked amid vaccine concerns

By Lia DeGroot and Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 13, 2025 at 11:17am, Updated at 1:58pm
Supporters of transgender youth demonstrate outside Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on Feb. 6 in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order threatening to pull federal funding from health care providers that offer gender-affirming care to children.

After Trump’s inauguration, a dramatic halt to LGBTQ+ research

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 7, 2025 at 2:19pm, Updated March 10, 2025 at 1:02pm
Jay Bhattacharya, nominee to serve as director of the National Institutes of Health, prepares to testify during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday.

Trump NIH nominee aims to soothe senators over embattled agency

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 5, 2025 at 3:12pm, Updated at 4:23pm
Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., arrives to a meeting in the Capitol Visitor Center on Dec. 5.

Medicaid work rules have increased coverage loss, not employment

By Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted February 27, 2025 at 7:00am, Updated March 3, 2025 at 3:16pm
“Entitlements are difficult to deal with, and I say that from experience, because we worked a long, long time on Medicaid,” said Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Senate Republicans divided on Medicaid cuts in budget plan

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 20, 2025 at 8:13am
House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie talks with reporters after a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the Capitol on Feb. 5.

Medicaid overhaul proves to be politically perilous proposition

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 13, 2025 at 7:00am
A researcher demonstrates pipetting viscous genomic DNA at the NIH Intramural Sequencing Center in Rockville, Md., in 2023.

Judge temporarily blocks NIH research cuts after 22 states sue

By Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted February 10, 2025 at 4:00pm, Updated February 11, 2025 at 7:03pm
Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., right, and Mark Warner, D-Va., led 22 members of Congress in a letter to acting Health and Human Services Secretary Dorothy Fink citing concerns about the “significant delays” that health centers and other HRSA grantees have been experiencing.

Community health centers caught up in funding freeze

By Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted February 6, 2025 at 7:01pm
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., waits to vote in the Senate Finance Committee on the nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Senate panel approves RFK Jr. nomination

By Jessie Hellmann and Lia DeGroot
Posted February 4, 2025 at 11:57am, Updated at 1:15pm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, arrives for his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 29.

Key physician groups stay silent on Kennedy nomination 

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 3, 2025 at 5:03pm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies at his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday.

During Day 2 of RFK Jr. hearings, some GOP concerns

By Jessie Hellmann and Lia DeGroot
Posted January 30, 2025 at 5:04pm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, and his wife Cheryl Hines, arrive for his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

Democrats grill Kennedy on vaccines, abortion in Senate hearing

By Lia DeGroot and Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 29, 2025 at 3:12pm
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump speak to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One en route to North Carolina and California on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.

Trump executive order targets transgender care

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 28, 2025 at 6:45pm
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One en route to North Carolina and California on Friday.

Trump directive on grants spurs uncertainty for health programs

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 28, 2025 at 3:42pm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arrives for a meeting with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., on Dec.16. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Kennedy to divest from law firms that sue over vaccines

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 22, 2025 at 5:17pm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be secretary of Health and Human Services, meets with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Jan. 9.

How RFK Jr. drove mistrust of a cancer prevention vaccine

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 16, 2025 at 7:00am, Updated January 22, 2025 at 5:30pm
In this photo illustration, bottles of the generic prescription pain medication buprenorphine are seen in a pharmacy in Boca Raton, Florida. The narcotic drug is used as an alternative to methadone to help treat opioid use disorder.

DEA, HHS finalize rule allowing telehealth drug treatment

By Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted January 15, 2025 at 3:40pm
A resident in a wheelchair at an assisted living facility in Boston, MA in 2020.

Trump’s immigration plans could imperil long-term care workforce

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 9, 2025 at 7:00am, Updated at 11:24am
Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, testifies during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Dec. 11.

Biden administration finalizes rule on medical debt

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 8, 2025 at 4:03pm
Robert Kennedy, Jr., nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, arrives for his meeting with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., in the Hart Senate Office Building on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

Kennedy faces questions about food, vaccines in GOP meetings

By Ariel Cohen, Lia DeGroot, Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted December 17, 2024 at 6:53pm, Updated December 18, 2024 at 3:11pm
A resident sits in a wheelchair at an assisted living facility in Boston in 2020. President-elect Donald Trump will enter office facing a long-term care crisis marked by understaffed nursing homes, workforce shortages and care that is unaffordable and inaccessible for millions of people.

Nursing home staffing rule in limbo as Trump 2.0 approaches

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted December 4, 2024 at 10:54am
Mehmet Oz speaks during a meeting with business leaders at Washington Crossing, Pa., on Nov. 6, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Oz to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Trump taps Dr. Oz to serve as Medicare, Medicaid administrator

By Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted November 19, 2024 at 5:39pm
Pharmacy prescription drugs, for daily use to combat various medical problems, sit in a home in Sullivan County, N.Y.

Future of Medicare drug price negotiations murky under Trump

By Lia DeGroot and Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 15, 2024 at 10:18am
Delaware Sen.-elect. Lisa Blunt Rochester is shown speaking on the third night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 21.

A look at the health priorities of incoming Senate Democrats

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 7, 2024 at 6:24pm
Bernie Moreno, Republican U.S. Senator-elect from Ohio, attends a campaign event in Holland, Ohio, on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Moreno defeated Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

A look at new GOP senators on health policy

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 7, 2024 at 6:14pm
Sarah McBride, Democrat representative-elect for Delaware, is seen on the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20.

How key results could influence health policy

By Sandhya Raman, Lia DeGroot and Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 6, 2024 at 4:10pm, Updated at 7:28pm
A person smokes marijuana during a 420 celebration at Washington Square Park in New York on April 20, 2024.

Voters largely reject marijuana initiatives

By Jessie Hellmann and Jessica Wehrman
Posted November 6, 2024 at 10:48am
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced it would permit states to allow Medicaid providers to counsel parents and caregivers of children about firearm safety and injury prevention.

Biden wants Medicaid doctors to talk to parents about firearms

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 4, 2024 at 10:26am
A marijuana activist wears a marijuana-themed tie during a rally at the U.S. Capitol to call on Congress pass cannabis overhaul legislation.

Ballot initiatives include cannabis, insurance measures

By Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted October 31, 2024 at 5:33pm
Buprenorphine is used as an alternative to methadone to help treat opioid use disorder.

Medicaid limits access to life-saving doses of addiction care

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted October 24, 2024 at 6:30am
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel joins, from left, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Rep. Tony Cardenas and Senate Mental Health Caucus co-chairs Alex Padilla and Thom Tillis for a news conference outside the Capitol on March 21 to announce new efforts to use geographical data to help people who call the 988 mental health crisis hotline to connect to local help instead of using their telephone number's area code.

FCC requires 988 calls be routed to local call centers

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted October 17, 2024 at 2:10pm
Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is pictured during a commercial break while recording ABC’s “The View” in New York on Tuesday.

Harris unveils plan to allow Medicare to cover in-home care

By Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted October 8, 2024 at 12:43pm
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says the rule would mean that calls and messages to 988 would no longer be "needlessly sent to crisis centers hundreds of miles away.”

FCC to vote to require 988 calls be routed to local call centers

By Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted September 25, 2024 at 5:00am
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., right, Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., center, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The committee will vote next week on whether to hold the CEO of Steward Health Care in contempt for refusing a subpoena.

Senate HELP to hold contempt vote for CEO who refused subpoena

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted September 12, 2024 at 3:28pm
Groups serving aging Americans say a combination of factors has made them increasingly worried about potential cuts to Meals on Wheels programs.

Nutrition programs for older adults face service cuts

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 29, 2024 at 1:30pm
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to discuss the new drug prices Thursday at an event in Maryland.

CMS announces Medicare prices for first negotiated drugs

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 15, 2024 at 10:46am
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speak to the cameras outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on April 26, 2022. Paxton is challenging President Joe Biden's nursing home staffing rule.

Texas sues Biden over nursing home staffing mandate

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 14, 2024 at 4:16pm
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., left, has questioned whether the TRICARE's pharmacy benefit manager has effectively limited access to medication among U.S. service members, families, and veterans.

TRICARE becomes part of fight over pharmacy benefit managers

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 13, 2024 at 10:31am
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses an event with descendants of iconic civil rights leaders to celebrate Black History Month at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on February 13.

Harris’ Senate portfolio included maternal health, telehealth

By Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted July 25, 2024 at 7:00am
Jeremy Wong smokes an e-cigarette at The Vaping Buddha in San Francisco.

Fight over flavored vapes lands at Supreme Court

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 2, 2024 at 2:19pm
People from across the United States who lost loved ones because of the opioid epidemic rallied at the Justice Department in Washington on Dec. 3, 2021.

Supreme Court blocks Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 27, 2024 at 1:23pm
Madison Tolchin visits Paula Glass, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, for a health checkup in Wellington, Fla. in 2017.

Appeals court rules preventive care task force unconstitutional

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 21, 2024 at 3:56pm
A pandemic-era program that pays hospitals to provide acute inpatient care in patients’ homes will expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts.

‘Hospital at home’ gains bipartisan support but questions remain

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 21, 2024 at 6:00am
Empty infant beds sit gathered in a corner in a quiet maternity ward at rural Madera Community Hospital, which closed in January 2023, creating a lack of health care services for the blue-collar Central Valley agricultural community in Madera, Calif.

Wyden wants more Medicaid funding to keep obstetric units open

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 17, 2024 at 4:05pm
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., speaks during a news conference in March. He has reintroduced a bill aimed at streamlining the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage.

Bipartisan prior authorization legislation introduced

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 12, 2024 at 5:42pm
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., attends a news conference outside the Capitol. Durbin blasted the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday for not doing more to eliminate illegal vaping products that can be found in gas stations, vape shops and other retail locations.

FDA, DOJ hammered on response to illegal vapes

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 12, 2024 at 5:09pm
Rohit Chopra, director of the CFPB, testifies during a Senate Banking Committee hearing last November. Chopra was part of a Tuesday call announcing a proposed rule that would bar credit reporting agencies from including medical debt on credit reports sent to lenders.

Biden rule would ban medical debt from credit reports

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 11, 2024 at 5:42pm
The federal 340B program, which provides lower-cost drugs to hospitals and health centers in exchange for helping low-income populations has become mired in a debate over whether the program has expanded beyond its original intent.

Fierce fight with no end in sight for drug discount program

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 3, 2024 at 9:50am, Updated at 6:26pm
Some 2,225 hospitals have received the Biden administration's new "birthing friendly" designation, leading some to question the value of the label.

‘Birthing friendly’ label requires little effort by hospitals

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 9, 2024 at 5:00am
Martin O’Malley, commissioner of the Social Security Administration, called on Congress to take action sooner than later to shore up the Social Security trust fund.

Stronger economy improves outlook for Medicare, Social Security

By Caitlin Reilly and Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 6, 2024 at 6:18pm
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.

UnitedHealth Group CEO blames hack on aged technology systems

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 1, 2024 at 5:52pm
A child receives a flu shot. Community health centers have struggled to regain their financial footing in the aftermath of the Change Healthcare hack.

Hack poses financial problems for community health centers

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 25, 2024 at 3:45pm
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., has joined Rep. Michael C. Burgess, R-Texas, to sponsor legislation that would allow chairs and ranking members of health and budget committees to request the Congressional Budget Office score preventive health measures over a longer period of time — up to 30 years.

Lawmakers push changes to CBO scoring for preventive health

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 29, 2024 at 6:30am
Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., told the American Medical Association that he was optimistic that cuts to doctors under a 2015 law could be reversed or partially reversed as part of the next spending bill.

Physicians lobby Congress on Medicare pay cuts

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 13, 2024 at 4:19pm
Rep. Larry Bucshon leaves a House Republican Conference meeting in the Longworth Building in October 2023.

Lawmakers’ retirements risk leaving doctor pay fix unfinished

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 8, 2024 at 7:00am
An electron photomicrograph of two spiral-shaped Treponema pallidum bacteria. T. pallidum Is the causative agent of syphilis.

HHS launches syphilis strategy amid rising cases

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 30, 2024 at 2:20pm
In fiscal 2023, 188 nursing homes, also known as skilled nursing facilities, closed in the U.S., according to a CQ Roll Call analysis of government data. Facilities that closed were more likely to have severe inspection violations, have racked up fines for providing poor care, were rated poorly by state and federal governments and were on lists for extra monitoring.

Data shows nursing home closure often linked to care issues

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 18, 2024 at 6:00am
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra says the rule would help ensure that patients could receive timely access to care.

Biden administration finalizes prior authorization changes

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 17, 2024 at 2:41pm
Vanessa Leavitt puts out Tang and Kool-Aid for patients to take with their methadone treatment at CAP Quality Care clinic in Westbrook, Maine.

Methadone access becomes flashpoint in fight over opioid crisis

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 2, 2023 at 5:30am
Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., hopes to add an amendment that would bar funding from finalizing the Biden administration’s proposed rule to set minimum staffing levels in nursing homes. 

GOP adds social policy riders to House Labor-HHS-Education spending bill

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 1, 2023 at 2:26pm
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who is up for reelection next year, plans to make caregiving a key part of his campaign platform, according to his campaign manager.

As 2024 nears, advocates push for caregiving as campaign issue

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted October 19, 2023 at 7:00am
A compromise reached between Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bernie Sanders and Sen. Roger Marshall would authorize $26 billion in spending for community health centers and other health programs.

Sanders, Marshall reach deal on health programs, but challenges remain

By Jessie Hellmann and Lauren Clason
Posted September 14, 2023 at 5:29pm
Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra testifies to a Senate committee on March 22.

HHS releases long-awaited nursing home staffing proposal

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted September 1, 2023 at 3:28pm
The Biden administration on Tuesday released the first 10 drugs eligible for Medicare price negotiation.

HHS lists first 10 drugs subject to Medicare price negotiation

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 29, 2023 at 8:42am, Updated at 2:55pm
Empty shelves at a Target store in Queens, N.Y., during last year's baby formula shortage.

FDA taps new Human Foods Program head after baby formula crisis

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 23, 2023 at 3:07pm
Luke Schiller, of Centennial, Colo., needs around-the-clock care for cerebral palsy, among his other illnesses. Luke’s mother, Amy Wiedeman, says they’ve never been able to hire all the help for which Luke qualifies, so she and her ex-husband take night shifts making sure Luke doesn’t choke or have a seizure.

Families, states chart path forward on paid caregiving

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 21, 2023 at 12:19pm
Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., led Senate efforts to pass the organ transplant bill, calling for its passage last week during a committee hearing.

Senate sends organ transplant bill to Biden’s desk

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 28, 2023 at 11:36am
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he aims to have bipartisan reauthorization community health center legislation ready by the first week of September. That measure is one of a handful of health programs Congress must pass before the end of this fiscal year.

Health deadlines pile up as Congress adjourns for August

By Lauren Clason, Ariel Cohen, Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted July 27, 2023 at 6:00am
About 20 percent of Americans have medical debt, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — an issue that has garnered increased attention as health care costs continue to rise.

Biden urged to tackle medical debt beyond credit cards

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 20, 2023 at 6:00am
Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, designated xylazine mixed with fentanyl as an emerging threat in April — the first time a substance has received that designation.

Biden administration offers plan to counter deadly xylazine use

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 11, 2023 at 8:37am
President Joe Biden has made it a priority to improve long-term care options for older adults and people with disabilities. But Medicaid reimbursement rates remain low and workforce shortages remain a threat.

Biden’s long-term care agenda faces headwinds

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 11, 2023 at 5:00am
President Joe Biden addresses the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on May 29.

Biden sets up health costs as campaign talking point

By Ariel Cohen and Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 7, 2023 at 6:33pm
House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers has called for tying reimbursements for certain services provided by hospital outpatient departments to Medicare rates for independent physician practices, a proposal known as “site-neutral payments.”

Once cushioned from lawmaker scrutiny, hospitals see a shift

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 8, 2023 at 4:59am
Prescription drugs are pictured in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 26, 2022.

Merck sues government over drug price negotiation

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 6, 2023 at 10:42am
While Medicare Advantage plans lure customers with television ads promising plans with dental, vision and hearing benefits that traditional Medicare doesn’t offer, critics say the actual value of those benefits to enrollees is questionable, with many finding they have to still pay significant amounts out of pocket.

Medicare Advantage supplemental health plans draw scrutiny

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 22, 2023 at 10:16am
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., right, Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., center, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., are seen during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in March. Sanders and Cassidy this week announced a May 2 markup of a series of bills aimed at addressing drug prices.

House, Senate craft separate health care packages

By Lauren Clason and Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 27, 2023 at 7:00am
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration does not currently have any grants for organizations focusing on alcohol use and older adults.

Ageism, stigma hinders response to senior alcohol use disorder

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 20, 2023 at 7:00am
A bottle of the generic prescription pain medication buprenorphine. The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing limiting telehealth prescriptions for buprenorphine to an initial 30-day supply until the patient can be seen in person by a physician.

DEA proposal sparks concerns about access to telehealth

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 10, 2023 at 4:50pm
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., right, pictured at a news conference with a "Biden's war against seniors" poster.

Social Security, Medicare funds face depletion within a decade

By Laura Weiss and Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 31, 2023 at 12:38pm
Rep. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio, shown here in December, spoke in favor of the measure before House passage.

House clears COVID-19 intelligence measure

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 10, 2023 at 12:26pm
A Federal Trade Commission rule banning noncompete clauses has doctors and hospitals at odds, with doctors saying the clauses limit career growth and hospitals saying they need the language to retain workers.

Noncompete rule puts doctors, hospitals at odds

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 9, 2023 at 6:00am
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the rule would help ensure that patients could receive timely access to care.

The politics of Medicare funding

By David Lerman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 24, 2023 at 2:00pm
Criticism over two Medicare Advantage rules spurred HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to send out a rare statement criticizing the insurance industry for peddling "disinformation" about the rules' impact.

Insurers, Republicans square off with Biden on Medicare ‘cuts’

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 22, 2023 at 12:33pm
President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday.

Biden mixes doable, aspirational health messages in speech

By Lauren Clason, Sandhya Raman, Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted February 9, 2023 at 7:01am
Incoming Senate HELP Chairman Bernie Sanders has expressed worry about drug company plans to increase COVID-19 vaccine costs after the public health emergency ends.

End of public health emergency causes cascade of changes

By Sandhya Raman, Lauren Clason, Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted February 2, 2023 at 6:30am