Following the November 5th election, the Republicans are poised to have a “trifecta” and be in control of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.  When all votes are counted and certified the Republicans are expected to have a 53-47 majority in the Senate and a four seat or less majority in the House. This margin… (Lewis, November 18, 2024) #Affordable Care Act, #Budget, #Coverage Decisions, #Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), #Food and Drug Administration, #Health Equity, #Health Insurance Exchanges, #Hospitals, #Medicare Advantage, #Mental and Behavioral Health, #Nutrition, #Pharmacy Benefit Managers, #Public Health, #Social Determinants of Health, #Tax, #Telehealth, #Transparency, #Workforce

Today, Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act for Farm Bill reauthorization (press release; fact sheet; text). The legislation largely follows the framework Sen. Stabenow released in May (Impact summary), although the bill includes $39 billion in new funding. In addition to agricultural programs, the Farm Bill authorizes several important… (McClurg, November 18, 2024) #Nutrition, #Telehealth

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) jointly issued a third temporary rule that extends the full set of COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities for prescription of controlled medications through December 31, 2025. What is it. The agencies note that as the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continue to… (Marceno, November 15, 2024) #Opioids, #Telehealth