U.S. Congress Archives - Page 9 of 50

Nursing Home Staffing Rules Prompt Pushback

Episode 350

June 6, 2024

The nursing home industry — as well as a healthy number of Congress members — are all pushing back on the Biden administration’s new rules on nursing home staffing. Industry officials say that there are not enough workers to meet the requirements and that the costs would be prohibitive. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are trying to force Republicans to explain their exact positions on assuring access to contraceptives and in vitro fertilization. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join ��ϳԹ�� News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews ��ϳԹ�� News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported and wrote the latest ��ϳԹ�� News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a free cruise that turned out to be anything but.

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Signage outside the Federal Trade Commission headquarters in Washington, DC.

Health Worker for a Nonprofit? The New Ban on Noncompete Contracts May Not Help You

Provider groups are disappointed that the Federal Trade Commission’s new rule may not protect those who work for nonprofit hospitals and health care facilities, which employ the largest number of medical professionals.

By Harris Meyer

June 5, 2024

A still from a video showing Anthony Fauci sitting at a table before a House of Representatives committee.

COVID-19

Watch: Anthony Fauci Defends Feds’ Covid Response, Calling Lawmakers’ Accusations ‘Preposterous’

At a June 3 congressional hearing that underscored the nation's deep political divide over the coronavirus pandemic response, the longtime National Institutes of Health official addressed the agency’s controversies head-on.

By Hannah Norman

June 4, 2024

A photo of Anthony Fauci walking inside the U.S. Capitol.

COVID-19

After Grilling an NIH Scientist Over Covid Emails, Congress Turns to Anthony Fauci

In a trove of emails brought to light through a congressional probe, a former close adviser to longtime National Institutes of Health official Anthony Fauci spoke of hiding messages from public disclosure.

By David Hilzenrath

May 31, 2024

Health Brief

Wyden Demands Penalties for Obamacare Enrollment Fraud

By Julie Rovner

May 30, 2024

An aerial photo shows the entrance and front parking lot of a hospital.

An Obscure Drug Discount Program Stifles Use of Federal Lifeline by Rural Hospitals

A disconnect between two federal programs meant to help keep hospitals afloat discourages struggling rural facilities from accepting the aid.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

May 30, 2024

A man wearing a blue suit and blue tie speaks while seated at a table during a hearing in Washington, D.C.

Exclusive: Senator Urges Biden Administration To Thwart Fraudulent Obamacare Enrollments

With tens of thousands of Americans already affected by enrollment scams that leave some without doctors or treatments, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wants increased enforcement against rogue agents or other perpetrators and legislation to allow for criminal penalties.

By Julie Appleby

May 21, 2024

What the Health? From ��ϳԹ�� News

Bird Flu Lands as the Next Public Health Challenge

Episode 347

May 16, 2024

Public health authorities are closely watching an unusual strain of bird flu that has infected dairy cows in nine states and at least one dairy worker. Meanwhile, another major health system suffered a cyberattack, and Congress is moving to extend the availability of telehealth services. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat join ��ϳԹ�� News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Atul Grover of the Association of American Medical Colleges about its recent analysis showing that graduating medical students are avoiding training in states with abortion bans and major restrictions.

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Two photos shown side by side. The left photo is of Lucas Kunce speaking to a crowd while holding a microphone. The right is of Sen. Josh Hawley walking down a hallway in the U.S. Capitol.

Democrats Seek To Make GOP Pay for Threats to Reproductive Rights

Democrats running for office are using abortion rollbacks to galvanize voters, with abortion rights ballot initiatives amplifying their lines of attack. In Missouri, the leading Democratic candidate for the Senate also blames Republican Sen. Josh Hawley for threatening access to IVF.

By Samantha Liss

May 10, 2024

��ϳԹ�� News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is Wrong About a Ban on NIH Research About Mass Shootings

Since 2020, the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies have collectively funded millions of dollars in gun-related research, including studies addressing mass shootings.

By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact

May 2, 2024

Medical Providers Still Grappling With UnitedHealth Cyberattack: ‘More Devastating Than Covid’

Medical providers say they're still coping with the Change Healthcare cyberattack disclosed in February even though parent company UnitedHealth Group reported that much is back to normal and its revenue is up over last year.

By Samantha Liss

April 19, 2024

What the Health? From ��ϳԹ�� News

Too Big To Fail? Now It’s ‘Too Big To Hack’

Episode 343

April 18, 2024

Congress this week had the chance to formally air grievances over the cascading consequences of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, and lawmakers from both major parties agreed on one culprit: consolidation in health care. Plus, about a year after states began stripping people from their Medicaid rolls, a new survey shows nearly a quarter of adults who were disenrolled are now uninsured. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join ��ϳԹ�� News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, ��ϳԹ�� News’ Julie Rovner interviews Caroline Pearson of the Peterson Health Technology Institute.

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A close up photo of a person taking notes in a journal while on a telehealth call. Their laptop is on the couch beside them.

Congress Likely to Kick the Can on Covid-Era Telehealth Policies

With an end-of-year deadline and a presidential election approaching, payment rules that fueled rapid expansion of telehealth in the United States face a last-minute congressional decision.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

April 10, 2024

The Health 202

As Republicans Wrestle With IVF, the Biden Administration Expands Benefits

By Michelle Andrews

April 5, 2024

In vitro fertilization medications and sanitary products are displayed on a countertop.

Feds Join Ranks of Employers with Generous Fertility Benefits

Starting this year, federal employees can choose plans that cover a broad menu of fertility services, including up to $25,000 annually for in vitro fertilization procedures. At the same time, politics around IVF and reproductive health have become a central issue in the current election-year debate.

By Michelle Andrews

April 4, 2024

A photo of Martin O'Malley speaking at a Senate committee hearing.

Social Security Chief Testifies in Senate About Plans to Stop ‘Clawback Cruelty’

Commissioner Martin O’Malley testifies to two Senate panels that his agency will stop the “injustices” of suspending people’s monthly benefits to recover alleged overpayments. The burden will be on the Social Security Administration to prove the beneficiary was to blame.

By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group

March 21, 2024

A photo of Martin O'Malley standing inside a Senate committee hearing room.

��ϳԹ�� News / CMG TV Stations Investigation

Exclusive: Social Security Chief Vows to Fix ‘Cruel-Hearted’ Overpayment Clawbacks

New Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley is promising to change how the agency reclaims billions of dollars it wrongly pays to beneficiaries, saying the existing process is “cruel-hearted and mindless.”

By Fred Clasen-Kelly

March 13, 2024

A photo of President Biden speaking at a podium to a crowd seated before him.

��ϳԹ�� News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Biden Said State of the Union Is Strong and Made Clear His Campaign Is Off and Running

President Joe Biden used his roughly 68-minute address to Congress to counter lackluster public approval ratings and draw clear contrasts between his administration’s policies and those of Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Abortion and health care were in the spotlight.

By ��ϳԹ�� News and PolitiFact staffs

March 8, 2024

A photo of a helicopter taking off in front of a large hospital building.

VIP Health System for Top US Officials Risked Jeopardizing Care for Soldiers

The historically troubled White House Medical Unit is just one part of a government health system that gives VIP care to top officials, military officers, military retirees, and families. Pentagon investigators say some were prioritized over rank-and-file soldiers.

By David Hilzenrath

March 8, 2024

What the Health? From ��ϳԹ�� News

The State of the Union Is … Busy

Episode 337

March 7, 2024

At last, Congress is getting half of its annual spending bills across the finish line, albeit five months after the start of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address, an over-the-counter birth control pill is (finally) available, and controversy erupts over new public health guidelines for covid-19 isolation. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join ��ϳԹ�� News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Neera Tanden, the White House domestic policy adviser, about Biden’s health agenda. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

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