Older Men Still Overscreened for Prostate Cancer, Survey Says
Older men are being overscreened for prostate cancer, despite U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines against prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in men ages 70 and up, a survey study showed. Among a cohort of over 30,000 men, recent PSA screening rates were 55.3% for men ages 70 to 74, 52.1% for those ages 75 […]
Biden Administration Reverses Trump-Era ‘Public Charge’ Rule
Noncitizens can receive or apply for health benefits and other services without hurting their chances of securing permanent residency status — a “green card” — thanks to a final rule from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued on Thursday. The rule centers around the contentious “public charge” reason for inadmissibility and focuses on clarifying […]
Federal Court Judge Mulls Challenge to ACA Preventive Care Mandates
The fate of preventive care services covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) now lies in the hands of a conservative Texas federal court judge who once tried to strike down the entire ACA. Judge Reed O’Connor, who once declared the ACA to be unconstitutional — a ruling that was later invalidated by the Supreme […]
U.S. To Increase Monkeypox Testing As WHO Weighs Possibility Of Global Health Emergency
The Department of Health and Human Services announced plans on Wednesday to accelerate testing for monkeypox nationwide, while the World Health Organization convened an emergency meeting Thursday to decide whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency. HHS said it will ship monkeypox testing kits to five commercial laboratory companies with the help of the […]
USPSTF: Screen Kids 8 and Up for Anxiety
In new draft guidelines, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for the first time recommends that healthcare providers screen children for anxiety, regardless of whether they are showing signs and symptoms. USPSTF is recommending anxiety screening for children ages 8 and older (B grade) and reaffirmed their recommendations to screen for major depression in […]
HHS Claws Back $100 Million in Provider Pandemic Relief Money
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is collecting $100 million in pandemic assistance money from providers who failed to comply with the agency’s reporting requirements, a Bloomberg Law report found. On March 10, HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) sent notices to providers who received more than $10,000 in relief money but […]
CMS Revamps Direct Contracting Model
In response to feedback from stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Thursday that it will cancel one direct contracting accountable care organization (ACO) model and replace a second direct contacting model with a redesigned version focused on improving health equity for patients. Stakeholder groups shared clashing responses to the new […]
Are the Right Men Getting Screened for Prostate Cancer?
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening for prostate cancer increased after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended individual decision-making for men ages 55 to 69 in 2017, reversing its 2012 guidance that advised against PSA screening in all men. Now, a retrospective cohort study found that from 2016 to 2019 the overall mean rate of PSA […]
HHS Announces Actions in Response to Texas Law Banning Abortions After 6 Weeks
WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced several actions Friday aimed at protecting reproductive rights in Texas following passage of a bill that outlaws all abortions in the state after 6 weeks’ gestation. “Every American deserves access to health care no matter where they live – including access to safe and […]