Salary Bump at Mass General Brigham No Deterrent for Residents Looking to Unionize
House staff may be primed for a salary increase at Mass General Brigham in Boston, but they’re still proceeding with efforts to unionize nonetheless. Just last month, Mass General Brigham announced compensation and benefits adjustments to include a 10% salary increase for all residents and clinical fellows, as well as an increased annual stipend of […]
House Republican Argues Against FDA Budget Increase
During a House hearing on the FDA’s 2024 budget request, a Republican subcommittee chair said he was not too pleased with the idea of a $7.2 billion budget — an 8% increase over the 2023 enacted agency budget. The $522 million increase includes $372 million in new budget authorities coupled with $150 million for new […]
House Lawmakers Squabble Over HHS Budget
Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee sparred on Tuesday over provisions in President Biden’s budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Committee chair Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) said he found it “disappointing” that the proposed budget “continues to double down on out-of-control government spending, which only adds to our already […]
Opinion | Abortion Is Not Murder in the Eyes of the Law
Recently, the Utah House of Representatives passed a bill that would have allowed pregnant women to use the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. The Utah Senate rejected this bill. HOV lanes are intended to reduce traffic congestion and help the environment. They have no further ambition. Bills like this are really attempts to imbue a fetus […]
‘Ted Lasso’ Star Jason Sudeikis Talks Mental Health At White House
The stars of Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” appeared at the White House on Monday to discuss the importance of mental health. “No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter who you voted for,” we all know someone who has “struggled, that’s felt isolated, that’s felt anxious, that has felt alone,” said […]
Republican Lawmakers Worry X-Waiver Elimination Could Stir Buprenorphine Diversion
Could dropping the “X-waiver” have unintended consequences? That’s what some House members suggested during a hearing on ways to address the fentanyl crisis, along with other healthcare issues. “Sometimes … medications are dangerous, potentially, and even though we want more access, we still have to stick with science, and make sure the proper individuals, who […]
House Subcommittee Report Details Pandemic Failures, Lessons Learned
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis discussed their final report highlighting the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from the need to invest in next-generation vaccines to the importance of tackling misinformation, during a hearing Wednesday. The report, the culmination of 42 hearings and member briefings, 37 analyses, and testimony from dozens […]
House Bill Would Fix Glitch in Medicare Non-Emergency Ambulance Transport Program
WASHINGTON — Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) will introduce a bill in the House on Thursday that is aimed at fixing problems with Medicare’s program for non-emergency ambulance transport for certain low-income beneficiaries, MedPage Today has learned. The Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transport (RSNAT) prior authorization model started in 2014 as a project of the Centers […]
Republicans in Congress Introduce Bill to Restrict Abortion Nationwide
WASHINGTON — Republican members of the House and Senate introduced a bill on Tuesday that would ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks’ gestation. “Working closely with the preeminent pro-life groups in the country, we are today introducing legislation to ban abortion at a time when unborn children can feel pain,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the […]
House Passes Bill Allowing Medicare Drug Price Negotiation
WASHINGTON — By a party-line vote of 220-207, the House passed the Inflation Reduction Act — a bill that among other provisions allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices — and sent it to President Biden for his signature. “The Inflation Reduction Act is also one of the most significant pieces of health care legislation to […]