Budget Battles
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One Big Accounting 'Gimmick' in the Infrastructure Bill
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US Finally Hits a Major Covid Milestone
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The Great Tax Cut Race
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Federal Dollars Drive Huge Drop in Poverty
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Do or Die Time for Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan
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No Hiring Boom in States That Cut Unemployment Aid
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Fauci’s Billion-Dollar Plan to Fight the Next Pandemic
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Trump’s Health Secretary Calls on Republicans to Encourage Vaccinations
Alex Azar, the former secretary of Health and Human Services under President Trump, is calling for Republicans to embrace and encourage Covid-19 vaccinations. In a piece for The New York Times...
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Is Congress Shortchanging Pandemic Preparedness Funding?
Washington Post Columnist Catherine Rampell reports that the bipartisan infrastructure package being considered in the Senate doesn’t include any of the $30 billion in “biopreparedness and...
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Fauci’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Plan to Fight the Next Pandemic
Dr. Anthony Fauci is pushing an “ambitious and expensive plan” to develop “prototype” vaccines against a number of different types of viruses so that the nation is better prepared if the next...
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VA Becomes First Federal Agency to Require Vaccines for Employees
By Michael RaineyThe U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that employees who provide medical care will now be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the first time a federal agency has made such...
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Biden Admin Announces New Funding to Boost Covid Vaccination and Testing
The Biden administration said Thursday that it would put $1.6 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan passed in March toward boosting testing and mitigation efforts across a number of...
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Life Expectancy Sees Biggest Drop Since WWII
By Michael RaineyLife expectancy in the U.S. fell by a year and a half in 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. The Covid-19 pandemic was responsible for most of the decline,...
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Medicare at Age 60? Dems Debate a Major Change
By Michael RaineyDemocrats are reportedly debating the possibility of lowering the eligibility age for Medicare as part of their $3.5 trillion spending package currently under construction in Congress. Lowering the...
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Americans’ Medical Debts Are Far Larger Than We Thought
By Michael RaineyCollection agencies in the U.S. hold about $140 billion in unpaid medical bills, according to a study published Tuesday by Jama: The Journal of the American Medical Association. The new analysis...
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Biden and Infrastructure Plans Win Positive Reviews in New Poll
By Michael RaineyA poll released Monday suggests that most Americans are generally in agreement with President Biden’s upbeat assessment of how things are going in the U.S. According to a CBS News/You Gov survey of 2...
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CDC Director Warns of 'Pandemic of the Unvaccinated'
By Michael RaineyWith the delta variant of the Covid-19 virus driving an uptick in new cases in some parts of the U.S., health officials are warning about the dangers of delaying or avoiding vaccination. “This is...
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Democrats Eye Major Expansion of Medicare Coverage
By Michael RaineyThe $3.5 trillion budget blueprint agreed to by Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee reportedly includes vision, dental and hearing coverage through Medicare – a major change for the program that...
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Health Costs of Gun Violence Top $1 Billion a Year: GAO
The cost of initial hospital treatment of gun-related injuries tops $1 billion a year, with Medicaid and other public health coverage accounting for more than 60% of the total, according to a report...
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Obamacare and Medicaid Enrollment Reach Record Highs
More than 2 million Americans have signed up for health coverage via the Obamacare marketplaces during a special enrollment period that started in February, the Biden administration said Wednesday...
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The Growing Vaccination Divide Between Trump and Biden Counties
The stark partisan divide on Covid-19 vaccinations has resulted in a growing gap in vaccination rates between counties that voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and those that supported Donald Trump. A new...
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FDA Chief Calls for Watchdog Review of Alzheimer's Drug Approval
The acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration on Friday asked an independent watchdog to review the process that led to the controversial approval of drugmaker Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s...