Ben Affleck was seen working at Dunkin’ Donuts in the Boston area today.
In Health Today, we look at the focus of House Republicans on the investigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, its origins, and how the federal government has responded.
welcome to Hills Healthcare Here, we follow the latest developments in policy and news that affect your health. Nathaniel Weisel and Joseph Choi. Would someone forward this newsletter to you?
House Republicans Consider Virus Origin, Pandemic Funding
Republicans have significantly refocused the House panel investigating the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. This is a move consistent with the new majority surveillance focus.
As part of the package of rules that passed House of Representatives 220-213 Monday night, a 12-member task force on the coronavirus response will examine the origins of the pandemic, including federal funding for gain-of-function research. Take responsibility for investigating.
The panel’s focus is a major shift from how it operates in the Democratic-controlled House. Former Speaker James Cliburn (DS.C.) prioritized examining the Trump administration’s early responses and shortcomings, as well as the former president’s political interference.
- Gain-of-function research investigations are central to the general Republican position that the virus may have originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, and was backed by funding from the U.S. government. Late last year, Republicans on the House Foreign Relations Committee released a report concluding that the pandemic began with a virus leaked from a Wuhan lab.
- The Coronavirus Commission will also examine trillions of dollars in aid provided to address the impact of the pandemic, federal COVID-19-related mandates, and school closures.
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Sanders: Moderna’s VAX price hike is ‘greedy’
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on Moderna not to quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying Tuesday that the plan amounted to “unacceptable corporate greed.”
In a letter Tuesday to Moderna CEO Stephen Bancel, Sanders urged the company to reconsider its decision “in view of the role the federal government has played in the development of the vaccine” and refrain from raising prices. urged.
- Sanders, the incoming chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said the company’s decision to charge up to $130 for shots after it was moved to the commercial market was “outrageous” and cost taxpayers billions of dollars. said it would take
- “As you know, the federal government has supported Moderna every step of the way over the years, all the way back to 2013, when your company reportedly had only three employees. “With the ongoing public health crisis and growing federal deficit, it’s not the time for Moderna to quadruple the price of this vaccine,” he wrote. “Now is not the time for unacceptable corporate greed.”
Bansel told The Wall Street Journal on Monday that Moderna will charge between $110 and $130 per dose in the U.S. when the government contract ends and the vaccine moves into commercial distribution. He said he was considering it.
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Cannabis-related endoplasmic reticulum visits among seniors on the rise in California.
A new study shows that more seniors are visiting emergency rooms in California with cannabis-related problems.
Cannabis is now legal in California for both medical and recreational use. The state made him the first in the country to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, but the substance wasn’t approved for recreational use until November 2016.
- From 2005 to 2019, state emergency departments observed a 1,808% increase in the rate of cannabis-related travel among people 65 and older.
- According to the study, cannabis-related emergency room visits in California spiked among seniors from 2013 to 2017, but leveled off after 2017 following the implementation of the state’s legalization program. became. Based on these findings, the researchers noted that recreational marijuana legalization did not appear to correlate with increased emergency room visits among older adults.
According to data from the Department of Healthcare Access and Information, the number of emergency department visits related to cannabis use among California seniors increased from 20.7 per 100,000 visits in 2005 to 100,000 visits in 2019. increased to 395 times per
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100 deaths linked to recalled Fisher-Price infant sleepers
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Monday that there have been at least 100 deaths linked to Fisher-Price’s now-recalled Rock’n’Play sleeper, more than triple the number of deaths originally reported.
A consumer memo posted on the Commission’s website states, “You must immediately stop using Rock’n’Play and contact Fisher-Price to request a refund or voucher.”
“It is illegal to sell or distribute recalled sleepers,” the commission added.
- In April 2019, a recall was issued by the giant of children’s toy manufacturing. Over 30 of his deaths were associated with this product at the time. The commission said the death occurred after “the infant was unrestrained or otherwise rolled onto its belly or side”.
- About 70 deaths have been linked to this product since the first recall. At least eight of the fatalities are reported to have occurred since the initial recall announcement.
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Officials Turn Medicare, Social Security Talks Against Republicans
The White House is turning the tables on House Republicans over a conservative-led spending proposal that warns Democrats could mean cuts to vital programs like Medicare and Social Security.
The Biden administration is already building on the strategies it deployed during the midterm election season, with multiple Republican lawmakers asking how the new House majority will consider cutting entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. Emphasis was placed on what to use.
Strategists and White House officials believe the possibility that Republicans are holding the debt ceiling hostage in exchange for spending cuts is both economically dangerous and a political loser for the Republican Party.
As part of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R, Calif.) many demands last month, seven Republican hardliners included calls to limit spending.
- But some Republicans are firm believers in not touching Medicare and Social Security. That’s how many conservatives last year distanced themselves from Senator Rick Scott (R, Florida)’s proposal to put funding for these programs on his five-year ballot. .
- House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) said Sunday that Republicans want to balance the budget and cut spending, but that includes “all areas of state government except Social Security and Medicare.” ‘ included.
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what we are reading
- New Republican House Majority Focuses on Abortion Message (Roll Call)
- FDA pathway to clear medical devices puts patients at risk, study suggests (Stat)
- Hospitals using volunteer staff risks circumventing labor laws, experts say (Kaiser Health News)
by state
- Nurses extend strike to second day at two major New York City hospitals (New York Times)
- California Senate New Health Committee to Prioritize Mental Health and Homelessness (Los Angeles Times)
- Lawsuit challenges use of old lethal injection drug as Texas prepares to execute Robert Flatta (Texas Tribune)
hill editorial
Nurses deserve better, but strikes aren’t the answer
That’s all for today, thanks for reading. For the latest news and coverage, visit The Hill’s Health Care page. see you tomorrow.
