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Jessie Hellmann

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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., right, Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., center, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The committee will vote next week on whether to hold the CEO of Steward Health Care in contempt for refusing a subpoena.

Senate HELP to hold contempt vote for CEO who refused subpoena

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted September 12, 2024 at 3:28pm
Groups serving aging Americans say a combination of factors has made them increasingly worried about potential cuts to Meals on Wheels programs.

Nutrition programs for older adults face service cuts

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 29, 2024 at 1:30pm
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to discuss the new drug prices Thursday at an event in Maryland.

CMS announces Medicare prices for first negotiated drugs

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 15, 2024 at 10:46am
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speak to the cameras outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on April 26, 2022. Paxton is challenging President Joe Biden's nursing home staffing rule.

Texas sues Biden over nursing home staffing mandate

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 14, 2024 at 4:16pm
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., left, has questioned whether the TRICARE's pharmacy benefit manager has effectively limited access to medication among U.S. service members, families, and veterans.

TRICARE becomes part of fight over pharmacy benefit managers

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 13, 2024 at 10:31am
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses an event with descendants of iconic civil rights leaders to celebrate Black History Month at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on February 13.

Harris’ Senate portfolio included maternal health, telehealth

By Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted July 25, 2024 at 7:00am
Jeremy Wong smokes an e-cigarette at The Vaping Buddha in San Francisco.

Fight over flavored vapes lands at Supreme Court

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 2, 2024 at 2:19pm
People from across the United States who lost loved ones because of the opioid epidemic rallied at the Justice Department in Washington on Dec. 3, 2021.

Supreme Court blocks Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 27, 2024 at 1:23pm
Madison Tolchin visits Paula Glass, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, for a health checkup in Wellington, Fla. in 2017.

Appeals court rules preventive care task force unconstitutional

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 21, 2024 at 3:56pm
A pandemic-era program that pays hospitals to provide acute inpatient care in patients’ homes will expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts.

‘Hospital at home’ gains bipartisan support but questions remain

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 21, 2024 at 6:00am
Empty infant beds sit gathered in a corner in a quiet maternity ward at rural Madera Community Hospital, which closed in January 2023, creating a lack of health care services for the blue-collar Central Valley agricultural community in Madera, Calif.

Wyden wants more Medicaid funding to keep obstetric units open

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 17, 2024 at 4:05pm
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., speaks during a news conference in March. He has reintroduced a bill aimed at streamlining the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage.

Bipartisan prior authorization legislation introduced

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 12, 2024 at 5:42pm
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., attends a news conference outside the Capitol. Durbin blasted the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday for not doing more to eliminate illegal vaping products that can be found in gas stations, vape shops and other retail locations.

FDA, DOJ hammered on response to illegal vapes

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 12, 2024 at 5:09pm
Rohit Chopra, director of the CFPB, testifies during a Senate Banking Committee hearing last November. Chopra was part of a Tuesday call announcing a proposed rule that would bar credit reporting agencies from including medical debt on credit reports sent to lenders.

Biden rule would ban medical debt from credit reports

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 11, 2024 at 5:42pm
The federal 340B program, which provides lower-cost drugs to hospitals and health centers in exchange for helping low-income populations has become mired in a debate over whether the program has expanded beyond its original intent.

Fierce fight with no end in sight for drug discount program

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 3, 2024 at 9:50am, Updated at 6:26pm
Some 2,225 hospitals have received the Biden administration's new "birthing friendly" designation, leading some to question the value of the label.

‘Birthing friendly’ label requires little effort by hospitals

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 9, 2024 at 5:00am
Martin O’Malley, commissioner of the Social Security Administration, called on Congress to take action sooner than later to shore up the Social Security trust fund.

Stronger economy improves outlook for Medicare, Social Security

By Caitlin Reilly and Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 6, 2024 at 6:18pm
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.

UnitedHealth Group CEO blames hack on aged technology systems

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 1, 2024 at 5:52pm
A child receives a flu shot. Community health centers have struggled to regain their financial footing in the aftermath of the Change Healthcare hack.

Hack poses financial problems for community health centers

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 25, 2024 at 3:45pm
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., has joined Rep. Michael C. Burgess, R-Texas, to sponsor legislation that would allow chairs and ranking members of health and budget committees to request the Congressional Budget Office score preventive health measures over a longer period of time — up to 30 years.

Lawmakers push changes to CBO scoring for preventive health

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 29, 2024 at 6:30am
Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., told the American Medical Association that he was optimistic that cuts to doctors under a 2015 law could be reversed or partially reversed as part of the next spending bill.

Physicians lobby Congress on Medicare pay cuts

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 13, 2024 at 4:19pm
Rep. Larry Bucshon leaves a House Republican Conference meeting in the Longworth Building in October 2023.

Lawmakers’ retirements risk leaving doctor pay fix unfinished

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 8, 2024 at 7:00am
An electron photomicrograph of two spiral-shaped Treponema pallidum bacteria. T. pallidum Is the causative agent of syphilis.

HHS launches syphilis strategy amid rising cases

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 30, 2024 at 2:20pm
In fiscal 2023, 188 nursing homes, also known as skilled nursing facilities, closed in the U.S., according to a CQ Roll Call analysis of government data. Facilities that closed were more likely to have severe inspection violations, have racked up fines for providing poor care, were rated poorly by state and federal governments and were on lists for extra monitoring.

Data shows nursing home closure often linked to care issues

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 18, 2024 at 6:00am
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra says the rule would help ensure that patients could receive timely access to care.

Biden administration finalizes prior authorization changes

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 17, 2024 at 2:41pm
Vanessa Leavitt puts out Tang and Kool-Aid for patients to take with their methadone treatment at CAP Quality Care clinic in Westbrook, Maine.

Methadone access becomes flashpoint in fight over opioid crisis

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 2, 2023 at 5:30am
Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., hopes to add an amendment that would bar funding from finalizing the Biden administration’s proposed rule to set minimum staffing levels in nursing homes. 

GOP adds social policy riders to House Labor-HHS-Education spending bill

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 1, 2023 at 2:26pm
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who is up for reelection next year, plans to make caregiving a key part of his campaign platform, according to his campaign manager.

As 2024 nears, advocates push for caregiving as campaign issue

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted October 19, 2023 at 7:00am
A compromise reached between Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bernie Sanders and Sen. Roger Marshall would authorize $26 billion in spending for community health centers and other health programs.

Sanders, Marshall reach deal on health programs, but challenges remain

By Jessie Hellmann and Lauren Clason
Posted September 14, 2023 at 5:29pm
Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra testifies to a Senate committee on March 22.

HHS releases long-awaited nursing home staffing proposal

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted September 1, 2023 at 3:28pm
The Biden administration on Tuesday released the first 10 drugs eligible for Medicare price negotiation.

HHS lists first 10 drugs subject to Medicare price negotiation

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 29, 2023 at 8:42am, Updated at 2:55pm
Empty shelves at a Target store in Queens, N.Y., during last year's baby formula shortage.

FDA taps new Human Foods Program head after baby formula crisis

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 23, 2023 at 3:07pm
Luke Schiller, of Centennial, Colo., needs around-the-clock care for cerebral palsy, among his other illnesses. Luke’s mother, Amy Wiedeman, says they’ve never been able to hire all the help for which Luke qualifies, so she and her ex-husband take night shifts making sure Luke doesn’t choke or have a seizure.

Families, states chart path forward on paid caregiving

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 21, 2023 at 12:19pm
Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., led Senate efforts to pass the organ transplant bill, calling for its passage last week during a committee hearing.

Senate sends organ transplant bill to Biden’s desk

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 28, 2023 at 11:36am
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he aims to have bipartisan reauthorization community health center legislation ready by the first week of September. That measure is one of a handful of health programs Congress must pass before the end of this fiscal year.

Health deadlines pile up as Congress adjourns for August

By Lauren Clason, Ariel Cohen, Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted July 27, 2023 at 6:00am
About 20 percent of Americans have medical debt, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — an issue that has garnered increased attention as health care costs continue to rise.

Biden urged to tackle medical debt beyond credit cards

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 20, 2023 at 6:00am
Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, designated xylazine mixed with fentanyl as an emerging threat in April — the first time a substance has received that designation.

Biden administration offers plan to counter deadly xylazine use

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 11, 2023 at 8:37am
President Joe Biden has made it a priority to improve long-term care options for older adults and people with disabilities. But Medicaid reimbursement rates remain low and workforce shortages remain a threat.

Biden’s long-term care agenda faces headwinds

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 11, 2023 at 5:00am
President Joe Biden addresses the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on May 29.

Biden sets up health costs as campaign talking point

By Ariel Cohen and Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 7, 2023 at 6:33pm
House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers has called for tying reimbursements for certain services provided by hospital outpatient departments to Medicare rates for independent physician practices, a proposal known as “site-neutral payments.”

Once cushioned from lawmaker scrutiny, hospitals see a shift

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 8, 2023 at 4:59am
Prescription drugs are pictured in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 26, 2022.

Merck sues government over drug price negotiation

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 6, 2023 at 10:42am
While Medicare Advantage plans lure customers with television ads promising plans with dental, vision and hearing benefits that traditional Medicare doesn’t offer, critics say the actual value of those benefits to enrollees is questionable, with many finding they have to still pay significant amounts out of pocket.

Medicare Advantage supplemental health plans draw scrutiny

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 22, 2023 at 10:16am
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., right, Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., center, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., are seen during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in March. Sanders and Cassidy this week announced a May 2 markup of a series of bills aimed at addressing drug prices.

House, Senate craft separate health care packages

By Lauren Clason and Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 27, 2023 at 7:00am
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration does not currently have any grants for organizations focusing on alcohol use and older adults.

Ageism, stigma hinders response to senior alcohol use disorder

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 20, 2023 at 7:00am
A bottle of the generic prescription pain medication buprenorphine. The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing limiting telehealth prescriptions for buprenorphine to an initial 30-day supply until the patient can be seen in person by a physician.

DEA proposal sparks concerns about access to telehealth

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 10, 2023 at 4:50pm
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., right, pictured at a news conference with a "Biden's war against seniors" poster.

Social Security, Medicare funds face depletion within a decade

By Laura Weiss and Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 31, 2023 at 12:38pm
Rep. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio, shown here in December, spoke in favor of the measure before House passage.

House clears COVID-19 intelligence measure

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 10, 2023 at 12:26pm
A Federal Trade Commission rule banning noncompete clauses has doctors and hospitals at odds, with doctors saying the clauses limit career growth and hospitals saying they need the language to retain workers.

Noncompete rule puts doctors, hospitals at odds

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted March 9, 2023 at 6:00am
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the rule would help ensure that patients could receive timely access to care.

The politics of Medicare funding

By David Lerman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 24, 2023 at 2:00pm
Criticism over two Medicare Advantage rules spurred HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to send out a rare statement criticizing the insurance industry for peddling "disinformation" about the rules' impact.

Insurers, Republicans square off with Biden on Medicare ‘cuts’

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted February 22, 2023 at 12:33pm
President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday.

Biden mixes doable, aspirational health messages in speech

By Lauren Clason, Sandhya Raman, Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted February 9, 2023 at 7:01am
Incoming Senate HELP Chairman Bernie Sanders has expressed worry about drug company plans to increase COVID-19 vaccine costs after the public health emergency ends.

End of public health emergency causes cascade of changes

By Sandhya Raman, Lauren Clason, Jessie Hellmann and Ariel Cohen
Posted February 2, 2023 at 6:30am
Georgia Republican Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter says he and other lawmakers, including Democrats, will soon launch a bipartisan “Patient Access Caucus” to focus on issues impacting access to health care. PBMs will be a focus, he says.

Drug company middlemen likely to be a focus in 118th Congress

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 26, 2023 at 7:30am
North Carolina Republican Dan Bishop nominates Florida's Byron Donalds for speaker on Thursday. Florida Republican Matt Gaetz applauds.

Another day, similar result: Adjournment with no speaker

By Aidan Quigley, Lindsey McPherson, Niels Lesniewski, Mark Satter and Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 5, 2023 at 1:35pm, Updated at 8:42pm
Vanessa Leavitt puts out Tang and Kool-Aid for patients to take with their methadone treatment at CAP Quality Care clinic in Westbrook, Maine, on Jan. 22, 2015.

Providers say Medicare Advantage hinders new methadone benefit

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 4, 2023 at 6:30am
A person who lost a relative to a drug overdose sits among imitation graves set up near the Capitol on Sept. 24. Analysts say Medicare has failed to cover some of the most effective treatments for substance use disorder.

Older adults face Medicare hurdles for substance use treatment

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 30, 2022 at 10:06am
Five states weighed in on abortion-related measures during Tuesday's elections, with voters appearing likely to follow Kansas’ lead in either rejecting measures limiting a woman’s right to an abortion or protecting that right.

Abortion rights backers see big wins in Tuesday results

By Sandhya Raman, Lauren Clason and Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 9, 2022 at 1:40pm
The cuts are part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' attempt to implement a new payment system for home health care.

Home health groups fight back against proposed cuts

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted October 4, 2022 at 4:12pm
Doctors' groups have launched what has become an annual lobbying campaign aimed at restoring cuts spurred by a 2020 decision to increase Medicare payments for underpaid services.

Doctors lobby Congress for Medicare payment bump, again

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted September 7, 2022 at 5:00am
Insurers argue that drug companies’ copay assistance programs allow drug companies to steer patients toward expensive brand-name drugs, driving up health costs for everyone.

Patient groups sue HHS over copay assistance rule

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 30, 2022 at 3:38pm
The July 11 guidance from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra directed hospitals to provide abortions when necessary to stabilize or save the life of a patient facing complications of pregnancy loss, severe preeclampsia or other medical conditions when determined necessary by a physician. 

Judge blocks HHS guidance on abortions as emergency care

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 24, 2022 at 2:01pm
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, announced Monday that he would step down in December after more than 50 years of government service.

Fauci to step down in December

By Lauren Clason and Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 22, 2022 at 2:14pm
The Biden administration on Tuesday released the first 10 drugs eligible for Medicare price negotiation.

Senate’s Medicare drug pricing may ripple into private market

By Lauren Clason and Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 10, 2022 at 3:05pm
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., dons a Portland Trail Blazers themed “Rip City” hat in the Hart Building on Thursday, Aug. 4.

After four-hour debate, Senate begins voting on budget bill amendments

By Aidan Quigley, Jessie Hellmann and Benjamin J. Hulac
Posted August 6, 2022 at 11:40pm
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Idaho law conflicts with federal law requiring treatment, including abortion, to stabilize a patient.

Justice Department sues Idaho over abortion ban

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted August 2, 2022 at 3:51pm
Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto went to the Senate floor this week to decry "misleading" ads in her state about the prescription drug provision.

Groups launch last-ditch effort against drug pricing changes

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 29, 2022 at 11:46am
Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., above, and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., are negotiating a scaled-back reconciliation bill, and health care advocates hope Medicaid expansion and home health care are part of that equation.

Reconciliation talks so far quiet on Medicaid expansion

By Lauren Clason and Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 14, 2022 at 6:30am
Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, left, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are among a small bipartisan group of lawmakers working on legislation to enshrine rights to abortion and contraception into law.

Biden administration says pharmacists cannot deny contraceptives

By Ariel Cohen, Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 13, 2022 at 5:57pm
Sen. Joe Manchin III has concerns about the cost of extending the subsidies, telling one publication they should be reserved for people “who really need it the most.”

Insurers propose premium increases as subsidy cliff looms

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted July 11, 2022 at 10:52am
Anti-abortion protesters react outside the Supreme Court following its decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Eighteen states so far have passed laws to punish doctors who perform the procedure with jail time, leading doctors to worry about the implications for miscarriage care.

Advocates mobilize as abortion bans take effect

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 24, 2022 at 4:56pm
Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion in the 7-2 case surrounding reimbursement rates for kidney dialysis.

Supreme Court sides with insurer in dialysis coverage case

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 21, 2022 at 2:04pm
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, suggested states should be able to use grant money for assisted outpatient treatment.

Grant funding becomes sticking point in gun negotiations

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 17, 2022 at 9:03am
Connecticut Sen. Christopher S. Murphy speaks about gun violence legislation negotiations during the Senate Democrats’ news conference on June 7. Murphy says he's worried about gun homicides being conflated unfairly with mental illness.

Mental health becomes focal point of Senate gun framework

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 15, 2022 at 5:57pm
Georgia Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath sponsored the bill to allow federal courts to issue orders temporarily barring some individuals from possessing firearms or ammunition.

House passes ‘red flag’ bill in hopes of stemming shootings

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 9, 2022 at 1:11pm
Many hospitals still aren’t fully following price transparency rules imposed a year and a half ago, and the federal government still hasn’t issued any fines.

Many hospitals don’t fully comply with price transparency rules

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted June 2, 2022 at 5:00am
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., the first senator to give birth while in office, says she is worried that in vitro fertilization, which she used to get pregnant, might be in peril if the Supreme Court overturns the legal right to an abortion.

Doctors, advocates worry end of Roe v. Wade could endanger infertility treatment

By Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted May 13, 2022 at 6:00am
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., who faces one of the toughest reelection fights of this cycle, released a digital ad attacking three Republican challengers for their support of abortion bans.

Democrats see leaked Supreme Court ruling as potential game changer

By Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted May 11, 2022 at 4:59pm
The Gun Violence Memorial, composed of 40,000 flowers that represent the deaths from gun violence in the United States each year, is pictured on the National Mall on April 14, 2021.

CDC: 2020 saw most firearm deaths since 1994

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 10, 2022 at 3:01pm
Doctors worry that waivers allowing medication-assisted therapies for opioid use disorder will vanish as the pandemic subsides.

End of COVID-19 emergency endangers substance use treatment

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 10, 2022 at 5:00am
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., walks back into the Capitol on Tuesday after speaking on the Senate steps about a leaked draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade.

Senate Democrats look to write abortion rights into law, but may lack votes

By Niels Lesniewski and Jessie Hellmann
Posted May 3, 2022 at 11:28am, Updated at 4:00pm
Sen. Raphael Warnock, left, said he hopes the Senate votes on his bill this month. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer has said only that the vote will come after the recess.

With Senate readying vote on insulin bill, advocates seek changes

By Jessie Hellmann
Posted April 6, 2022 at 6:30am