News

Some individuals with “long COVID” may have a disability under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and other civil rights laws that entitles them to protection from discrimination, the departments of Health and Human Services and Justice said in guidance released.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency released an advisory on reimbursable communications and outreach expenses for nonprofit medical facilities and state and local governments participating in activities to increase COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine confidence through its Public Assistance Program

The AHA told Senate leaders it strongly opposed “any attempt to take away previously-appropriated funding for hospitals and health systems, physicians, nurses and other health care providers providing heroic care during a global pandemic,” and said it would be short-sighted to rescind COVID-19 Provider Relief Funding while COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are surging again throughout the nation.

AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity has been working for more than 25 years to advance health equity, diversity and inclusion by supporting hospitals, health systems, patients and communities. While the health care field has made some progress, we still have a long way to go. 

The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously overturned a lower court ruling that a voter-approved constitutional amendment to expand the state’s Medicaid program was unconstitutional.

The National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center July 28 at 9:30 a.m. ET will host a virtual pilot of its new training program designed to equip providers with information and resources to better serve survivors of human trafficking with substance use and/or co-occurring disorders.

The AHA’s American Organization of Nursing Leadership affiliate, the American Nurses Association, and Johnson & Johnson released a report examining nurse-led innovations that improved patient care and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic and opportunities to continue that progress going forward.

Eligible nonprofit organizations can apply through July 26 for a portion of $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for workplace infectious disease training, including for COVID-19, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a press release.

Pfizer Inc. announced that the federal government has agreed to purchase an additional 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.

The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded rural health clinics about $49,500 each for outreach to increase COVID-19 vaccinations in medically underserved communities.

The widespread belief that we have completely turned the corner in our fight against COVID-19 does not apply equally to all parts of the country. In many states and communities, the rate of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are moving in the wrong direction.  

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Sutter Health in Northern California used the range of its system to meet the needs of patients, staff and clinicians, from testing solutions to vaccine rollout.

State attorneys general announced a $26 billion proposed settlement with Johnson & Johnson and distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen over the companies’ alleged role in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic.

U.S. life expectancy fell by an average of 1.5 years in 2020 to 77.3 years, primarily due to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reminded states’ Medicaid agencies that the Department of Homeland Security’s public charge final rule is no longer in effect, and that they “may only share information about a Medicaid applicant or beneficiary when sharing that information is directly related to administration of the Medicaid state plan.”

Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., who cosponsored legislation that repealed the McCarran-Ferguson antitrust exemption for commercial health insurers, asked the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to update them by Aug. 4 on what their agencies have done to enforce the law.

The AHA Board of Trustees adopted a policy statement that supports hospitals and health systems that adopt mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies, “with local factors and circumstances shaping whether and how these policies are implemented.”

The House Energy and Commerce Committee today advanced two AHA-supported bills to enhance maternal health care quality and outcomes, including in rural areas.

Reps. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., Tom Cole, R-Okla., G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., today launched the bipartisan Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus, which will highlight opportunities to coordinate federal investments in health and social drivers of health such as food, housing and transportation.

Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., Darin LaHood, R-Ill., and Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, yesterday reintroduced the Value in Health Care Act, AHA-supported legislation to strengthen Medicare’s value-based payment models and accountable care organizations.