U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Federal judge sides with Texas, blocks HHS guidance on emergency abortions
WASHINGTON — A federal district judge has granted the Texas attorney general’s request to temporarily block guidance from the federal government that says federal law protects health care providers who perform abortions to save the life or health of pregnant patients in emergency situations. Judge James Wesley Hendrix wrote the U.S. Department of Health and […]
Medicaid expands care after childbirth for Ohioans from 2 months to full year
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decided Tuesday to […]
Twenty states, D.C. join in opposing Texas lawsuit on emergency abortion care
WASHINGTON — Attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia filed a brief in federal court on Tuesday, challenging Texas’ assertion that states shouldn’t have to comply with a federal law that protects doctors who end a pregnancy to save the patient’s life. The brief argues the judge in the case shouldn’t grant […]
U.S. HHS chief vows to protect abortion access, but says much depends on states
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra pledged Tuesday to work to preserve abortion access in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s “despicable” decision overturning Roe v. Wade — though the department’s specific actions will depend on how states seeking to limit abortion access proceed. Becerra said HHS would enforce federal laws to […]
Biden administration details new research plan on ‘long COVID’ illness
The Biden administration announced plans Tuesday to create a national research action plan that could provide answers to public health officials trying to diagnose and treat so-called long COVID-19. The illness that lasts for months and possibly even years has so far confounded doctors trying to figure out exactly why some people are left with […]
Biden to tap Navajo health head to lead Native American health agency
President Joe Biden intends to nominate Roselyn Tso to lead the Indian Health Service, the White House said in a news release Wednesday. Tso, a member of the Navajo Nation, is the Navajo area director for the IHS, overseeing federal health care for nearly 250,000 Native American people in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Tso […]
As if COVID wasn’t bad enough, experts warn of lingering symptoms
With nearly 5,000 new cases of COVID per day, Ohio and the rest of the world are still dealing with a pandemic that started nearly two years ago. What we’ve barely begun to deal with, two experts said last week, is the long hangover many experience as “long COVID.” That expression refers to a set […]
Former Wisconsin health leader pledges ‘common-ground’ agenda if confirmed for HHS post
WASHINGTON — When Andrea Palm worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration, she says there was a theme to the policy issues that ended up on her plate: ones that required bipartisan cooperation. The agency’s secretary at the time, Sylvia Burwell, had a nickname for Palm’s portfolio: the “common-ground […]
Senate panel splits over Xavier Becerra, Biden’s pick to lead Health and Human Services
WASHINGTON — A Senate panel divided evenly along party lines Wednesday over the nomination of Xavier Becerra, President Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The 14-14 vote came in the Senate Finance Committee, with Democrats in support of advancing Becerra’s nomination and Republicans opposed to sending it to the full […]
Federal rural health panel offers little help for the public on COVID-19
WASHINGTON — The pandemic is ripping through rural America, but the website for a federal advisory panel on rural health is silent on COVID-19. The panel is headed by former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer. Colyer, a Republican and physician, continues to tout the use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment despite warnings about its use. He […]
Much of the federal coronavirus money distributed so far goes to hospitals that need it least, critics say
The rich keep getting richer — even among hospitals dealing with a historic pandemic.
Fauci warns reopening too soon could cause ‘suffering and death’
WASHINGTON — A top Trump administration health official warned U.S. senators Tuesday that reopening the economy too quickly could cause suffering, death and an even longer economic setback. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told lawmakers there could be a surge […]