- Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Investments in Rural America, Invites Public Nominations for Rural Innovators Initiative
- Rural Victims of Intimate-Partner Violence Need More Resources and Support, Study Finds
- A Tribe in Maine Is Using Opioid Settlement Funds on a Sweat Lodge to Treat Addiction
- Fact Sheet: USDA, HHS Announce New Actions to Reduce Impact and Spread of H5N1
- Call for Experts: Forum on Aging, Disability, and Independence
- Bill to Expand Definition of 'Village' Qualifying for Water Funds Passes Alaska House
- Child Care Workers Caught in Middle of Michigan's Broken Child Care System
- Few Options Available for Substance Abuse Treatment in the Big Bend
- In Rural Texas, ERs Are Facing a Growing Mental Health Crisis
- Ways and Means Members Put Forth Solutions to Strengthen Telehealth Access and Improve Health Care for Rural Communities
- Sage Memorial Hospital in Navajo Nation Constructs New Facility to Improve Health Care
- How the State, Tribes and Federal Government Are Working to Curb SD's Syphilis Epidemic
- Rural Children Struggle to Access Hospital Services, Say Researchers
- RPHARM Program Fulfills Need for Rural Pharmacists
- A Pilot Program in Rural Vermont Hopes to Build a Blueprint for Substance Abuse Recovery
GAO: Don’t Get Too Carried Away with Telehealth
The Government Accountability Office says the full effect of CMS waivers on telehealth coverage during the pandemic isn’t yet known, so agencies should wait until there is more research before expanding telehealth coverage for Medicare and Medicaid programs. The GAO made its case before Congress and in a May 19 report. It has concerns in four areas: spending, program integrity, patient health and safety and equity. Read more.
Diabetes Vaccine Shows Promise for Some Patients in Early Trial
In a small, early study, a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes helped preserve the body’s natural production of insulin, at least in a subset of newly diagnosed patients. In patients with Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that’s necessary for cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. These patients need lifelong insulin injections to stay alive. And because so many hidden factors inside the body can affect how much insulin a person needs, people who are insulin-dependent often have high and low blood sugar. Read more.
Moderna Seeks Full FDA Approval of Its COVID-19 Vaccine
Moderna is the second vaccine maker to seek full approval from U.S. regulators, which would allow it to market the shot directly to consumers. Full approval also makes it easier for schools, employers and the military to require inoculation against COVID-19. More than 100 million of the shots have already been administered, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more.
Biden Revokes Trump Administration Requirement that New Immigrants Have Health Insurance
On May 14, President Biden rescinded a proclamation by former President Donald Trump from 2019 that required potential immigrants to the U.S. to demonstrate that they would purchase qualifying health coverage or have the financial means to pay for expected medical costs. However, because the Trump policy was on hold due to legal challenges, Biden’s move will not have much real-world effect on the immigrant health care landscape.
Health Equity – and Inequity – Mapped
A new tool tracks health disparities in the U.S. and highlights major data gaps. Developed by a coalition of researchers and advocates from Google, Gilead, and Morehouse School of Medicine, Health Equity Tracker is a portal that collects, analyzes, and makes visible data to illustrate the health disparities that are a mainstay of medicine in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic has especially highlighted these disparities. But it has also shown that data on race and ethnicity are inconsistently reported; 38 percent of federally-collected COVID-19 cases don’t specify race and ethnicity. The coalition’s hope is that even after the pandemic, the tool can highlight the medical problems plaguing the U.S. to help community health leaders make informed policy decisions about other health crises. Read more here. Another health equity tool is PA HEAT (Pennsylvania’s Health Equity Assessment Tool) that is available here. PA HEAT is intended to provide a granular geographic perspective of areas that have significant opportunities to improve equity.
CMS Revises Medicare Diabetes Prevention & Diabetes Self-Management Training
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revised the Medicare Learning Network Medicare Diabetes Prevention & Diabetes Self-Management Training (PDF) booklet to extend COVID-19 flexibilities to all patients getting services as of March 31, 2020, and update information for the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.
Government IDs and Pay NOT Required for COVID-19 Testing, Treatment or Vaccines
There is a growing number of reports that patients are being refused COVID-19 services because they cannot provide a government-issued ID or cannot pay. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has developed two fact sheets to help both patients and providers better understand that:
- Everyone is eligible for COVID-19 services, no matter their immigration status.
- Testing, treatment or vaccinations paid for by the federal government will not affect anyone’s immigration status nor be shared with immigration agencies.
- A Social Security Number or government ID may be requested but is NOT required.
- A person may not be billed for COVID-19 services if they are uninsured.
- The Fact Sheets and additional information can be found here in both English and Spanish.
EEOC Also Issues Guidance on Vaccine Incentives
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued guidance, Employer Incentives For COVID-19 Voluntary Vaccinations Under ADA and GINA – Technical Assistance Questions and Answers K.16 – K.21. It indicates that under equal employment opportunity laws, employers may offer limited incentives to employees to be vaccinated. The agency cautioned that a “very large incentive” could make employees feel pressured to disclose protected medical information and the incentives may not be deemed coercive. It also noted that other federal, state and local laws may come into play.
Health Insurance Offers Steep Savings Due to COVID-19 Relief
The American Rescue Plan Act, the latest effort out of Washington to lift the economy out of the COVID-19 doldrums, boosted subsidies, making it cheaper for more people to buy plans on Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces. Read more.
PA Health Department Says Adult Vaccinations on Track; Mask Order to Be Lifted by June 28
Pennsylvania Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam announced that the commonwealth’s mask order will be lifted by June 28. “After reviewing the vaccination data for people 18 and over and discussing it with the COVID-19 Vaccine Legislative Task Force, we have determined that the commonwealth’s mask order can be lifted on June 28 or when 70 percent of adults get their second dose, whichever comes first,” Acting Secretary Beam said. “Pennsylvanians are realizing that they have the power to stop COVID-19 and they are stepping up to get vaccinated.” To date, 52.7 percent of the 18 and older population are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, 97.7 percent of Pennsylvanians over 65 have received at least one dose of vaccine. Click here for more information on the commonwealth’s vaccination efforts and data dashboard.