Tag Archives: HHS

Ars Technica reports: Federal health policies and decisions are quickly becoming less transparent under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—despite him telling Health Department employees just last month that he would work with them to “launch a new era of radical transparency.” Since then, Kennedy has axed a public meeting on vaccines—leaving lingering questions about the future of those transparent …

Politico reports: The top spokesperson at HHS has abruptly quit after clashing with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his close aides over their management of the agency amid a growing measles outbreak. Thomas Corry announced on Monday that he had resigned “effective immediately,” just two weeks after joining the department as its assistant secretary for public affairs. The sudden …

404 Media reports: HHS is wasting workers’ time and taxpayer dollars on “a witch hunt to find any content deemed ‘bad.” Specifically, people who work on HHS websites are spending days scanning those sites and any documents they share in search of a list terms like “gay,” “sexuality,” “non-binary,” “inclusion,” “queer,” and “gender,” potentially so they could be later removed …

Via press release from Health and Human Services: Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took action to support President Trump’s executive orders defending women and children and restoring the concept of biological truth in federal government. “This administration is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. …

The Hill reports: New York Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand wrote a Monday letter to newly minted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to reverse recent cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that impact a program for 9/11 first responders. “To say funding for 9/11 first responders is government …

The Hill reports: President-elect Trump’s choice for deputy secretary of Health and Human Services is Jim O’Neill, an investor and historically close associate of billionaire Peter Thiel, the president-elect said Tuesday. O’Neill has also held roles as managing director at Thiel’s Mithril Capital Management and principal associate deputy secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services during former President …

The Associated Press reports: People with HIV who need a kidney or liver transplant will be able to receive an organ from a donor with HIV under a new rule announced Tuesday by U.S. health officials. Previously, such transplants could be done only as part of research studies. The new rule, which takes effect Wednesday, is expected to shorten the …

Politico reports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is enlisting associates with close ties to anti-vaccine organizations to help vet and interview candidates for senior roles at the Department of Health and Human Services, even as he publicly seeks to distance himself from the movement he once led. At least three informal advisers connected to the anti-vaccine movement are assisting Kennedy in …

Ars Technica reports: The US government will pay Moderna $176 million to develop an mRNA vaccine against a pandemic influenza—an award given as the highly pathogenic bird flu virus H5N1 continues to spread widely among US dairy cattle. The funding flows through BARDA, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, as part of a new Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) …

The New York Times reports: The Biden administration announced expansive new protections on Friday for gay and transgender medical patients, prohibiting federally funded health providers and insurers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The new rule reverses a policy instituted by the Trump administration and helps to fulfill part of President Biden’s vow to restore …

The New York Times reports: The Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that hospitals must obtain written informed consent from patients before they undergo sensitive examinations — like pelvis and prostate exams — especially if the patients will be under anesthesia. A New York Times investigation in 2020 found that hospitals, doctors and doctors in training sometimes …

The New York Times reports: Marijuana is neither as risky nor as prone to abuse as other tightly controlled substances and has potential medical benefits, and therefore should be removed from the nation’s most restrictive category of drugs, federal scientists have concluded. The recommendations are contained in a 250-page scientific review provided to Matthew Zorn, a Texas lawyer who sued …

The Washington Post reports: The nation’s top health agency is recommending easing restrictions on marijuana in what could portend a landmark shift in federal policy on cannabis. The Department of Health and Human Services has recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration that marijuana be reclassified as a lower-risk, Schedule III controlled substance. Marijuana is currently a Schedule I controlled substance, …

Politico reports: The Biden administration is updating the nation’s main health privacy law to offer stronger legal protections to people who obtain abortions in their state or who cross state lines for the procedure, as well as their doctors and loved ones. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights on Wednesday will issue a Notice of …

The Hill reports: HHS Sec. Xavier Becerra said the move by a federal judge in Texas to block the approval of a type of abortion medication could have far-reaching effects on the status of other federally-approved medications and vaccinations. “When you turn upside down the entire FDA approval process, you’re not talking about just mifepristone,” Becerra said on CNN. “You’re …

Reuters reports: Major U.S. retailers will begin selling lower-cost hearing aids without a prescription or medical exam under final Biden administration rules that take effect Monday. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August approved the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids, allowing millions of Americans to buy hearing aids without seeing an audiologist and potentially saving individuals thousands of dollars. …

Via press release from the Department of HHS: As part of long-standing, ongoing efforts to be better prepared to save lives following radiological and nuclear emergencies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is purchasing a supply of the drug Nplate from Amgen USA Inc; Nplate is approved to treat blood cell injuries that accompany acute radiation syndrome in …

Axios reports: The Biden administration struck an $11 million deal on Monday to support the packaging of the monkeypox Jynneos vaccine at a domestic facility. The move is another step the administration is taking to bolster the supplies of the vaccine amid limited availability. The Jynneos vaccine is produced by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, which signed a deal earlier …

Via press release from the White House: Today, HHS is announcing that it has accelerated Phase 4 of its National Vaccine Strategy and will be making an additional 1.8 million doses available for ordering starting Monday, August 22. Jurisdictions that are adopting the intradermal administration of vaccine and have used 90% of their current supply of vaccine will be able …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration plans to declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency as soon as Thursday in an effort to galvanize awareness and unlock additional flexibility and funding to fight the virus’s spread. The declaration would come from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who is expected to discuss the plan at an afternoon …