California is offering COVID-19 boosters to its entire adult population; FDA recalls millions of home COVID-19 tests over false positives; veterans’ access to health resources will be expanded.
Public health officials in California have endorsed COVID-19 booster shots for all adults in the state, not just the populations listed by the CDC, NPR reports. As a result, millions of Californians are now eligible for the doses and officials are telling providers they should not turn away a patient seeking a booster. Individuals must still be 6 months past their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 months past their Johnson & Johnson shot. Currently, the CDC recommends boosters only for those who received a Johnson & Johnson shot, or those aged 65 and older, with underlying health conditions, or who work in an environment where they are more susceptible to infection.
The FDA has issued a Class I recall of 2.2 million at-home COVID-19 tests manufactured by Ellume due to false positive results, according to CBS News. The company was the first to receive approval for over-the-counter tests, and the announcement comes after a similar recall last month of 200,000 kits for the same reason. However, the reliability of negative test results was not affected by the issue, the FDA said. Purchasers can enter their lot numbers on an Ellume website to determine if they received a faulty test, as the problem is limited to specific lots. In September, the Biden administration announced it will invest $1 billion to expand the supply of at-home tests in the United States.
To mark Veterans Day, the White House announced expanded health care resources for individuals exposed to burn pits and other environmental hazards throughout their time in the military, The Hill reports. The Biden administration said the Department of Veterans Affairs would help devise a testing model to determine whether veterans developed health problems as a result of exposure. In addition, veterans who served in specific regions who developed conditions like asthma, rhinitis, and sinusitis based on presumed exposure to particulate matter within 10 years of their service can now apply for disability benefits. The agency is also slated to host Q&A sessions about the new disability eligibility.
Covering antiobesity medications like semaglutide could save Medicare around $500 million annually; preliminary CDC data showed a 3% decline in the number of US overdose deaths last year; the Biden administration recently announced the first national maternal mental health strategy.
Read More
CMS Medicare Final Rule: Advancing Benefits, Competition, and Consumer Protection
May 7th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Karen Iapoce, senior director of government products and programs at ZeOmega, about the recent CMS final rule on Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage.
Listen
After the ACA Expanded Health Care Access, 2024 Elections May See Voters Demand Affordability
May 15th 2024At the spring conference of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, speakers discussed how health policy, affordability, and transparency may play a role in voters’ decisions.
Read More
Panel Addresses Minority Physician Shortage, Maternal Health at Senate Committee Hearing
May 15th 2024The senate hearing held by the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vermont), chairman of the committee, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, (R, Louisiana), addressed the critical issue of physician and health care worker shortages, as well as the maternal health crisis, in the US.
Read More