New rules aim to make foster care with family easier, provide protection for LGBTQ+ children
The Biden administration is moving to make it easier for caregivers to take in family members in the foster care system, requiring states to provide them with the same financial support that any other foster home would receive.
Biden administration announces $600M to produce COVID tests and will reopen website to order them
The Biden administration has announced that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household.
US will regulate nursing home staffing for first time, but proposal lower than many advocates hoped
An association that lobbies for health care facilities says President Joe Bidenโs decision to require nursing homes to comply with federal rules on staffing levels will cost them billions of dollars.
Marijuana recommendation by US health agency hailed as first step to easing weed restrictions
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders are hailing it as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug.
Judge limits Biden administration in working with social media companies
A judge on Tuesday prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies about โprotected speech,โ a decision called โa blow to censorshipโ by one of the Republican officials whose lawsuit prompted the ruling.
Justice Department calls abortion pill order โunprecedentedโ
The Justice Department is appealing a Texas court ruling that would halt approval of a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the U_S_ In its appeal Monday, the Justice Department called the decision โextraordinary and unprecedented.โ.
White House promises crackdown on migrant child labor
The Biden administration says it is creating a new task force to crack down on an explosion of the illegal exploitation of migrant children for labor in the U.S. Hundreds of companies that employed nearly 4,000 children last year were found in violation of federal labor laws, a dramatic increase in the last five years.
Biden's realism approach runs head-on into liberal pressure
When it comes to the thorniest issues confronting his administration, the instinct from Biden and his White House is to often speak about what he canโt do, citing constraints imposed by the courts or insufficient support in a Congress that is controlled by his own party.
US boosts monkeypox testing, 142 cases confirmed
The Biden administration has started shipping testing kits for monkeypox to commercial laboratories, in a bid to speed diagnostic tests for suspected infections for the virus that has already infected at least 142 people in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending tests to commercial labs, including Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare, which it said would significant expand the nationโs health systemโs capacity to...
The AP Interview: Health chief warns of COVID funds shortage
With the nation yearning for a new normal after its long struggle with the coronavirus, U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra is warning that vaccines, tests and treatments will be โstuck on the groundโ unless Congress provides additional funds the White House has demanded.
A retro feel to Biden's plan for covering OTC virus testing
The Biden administrationโs plan for health insurers to reimburse consumers for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests is recalling the model of a bygone era when the companies processed large volumes of claims from individuals โ with paper receipts.
As variant rises, vaccine plan targets โmovable middleโ
Thrown off-stride to reach its COVID-19 vaccination goal, the Biden administration is sending A-list officials across the country, devising ads for niche markets and enlisting community organizers to persuade unvaccinated people to get a shot.
The Latest: Washington Gov criticized for reopening plan
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is receiving criticism from lawmakers in his own party over his shifting economic reopening plan, with a group of Democrats from the stateโs second most populous county threatening the possibility of a special legislative session.
Biden taps Sen. Manchin's wife to co-chair Appalachian board
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., leaves the Senate chamber following a procedural vote on the nomination of Xavier Becerra, President Joe Biden's pick to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 11, 2021. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden is nominating Gayle Manchin, the wife of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, to be the co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, an economic development partnership involving the federal government and 13 states. Gayle Manchin, 73, has held multiple government positions linked to education in a state where her husband is a political force. A former teacher, she was on the West Virginia Board of Education from 2007 to 2015 and served a two-year term as its president. Manchin was also the state's secretary of education and the arts in 2017 and 2018, but was removed from the post by West Virginia Gov.
California high court: Judges must weigh ability to pay bail
The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, March 25, 2021, that judges must consider suspects' ability to pay when they set bail, essentially requiring that indigent defendants be freed unless they are deemed too dangerous to be released awaiting trial. The courtโs ruling allows cash bail, so long as defendants can afford it. Previously, judges set bail based on suspectsโ criminal records and pending charges. AdWhile it considered the case, the high court in August took the extraordinary step of requiring California judges to follow a lower court ruling and set bail amounts based on what suspects can afford to pay. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday nominated Assemblyman Rob Bonta, a leading proponent of ending cash bail.
Lawmakers: Require nursing homes to disclose vaccine data
Nursing homes have to publicly disclose their vaccination rates for flu and pneumonia, but theres no similar mandate for COVID-19 shots. Nursing homes have been required since last May to regularly report cases and deaths among residents and staff to the government. Nursing homes are again allowing loved ones to visit, and hugs are included. The main nursing home industry trade group, the American Health Care Association, says it supports disclosure of vaccination data. Wyden and Crapo said current government policy that encourages nursing homes to voluntarily report vaccination data to the government has only led to โlimited participation by the industry.โThe government should require nursing homes to break down vaccination data by race and ethnicity, given disparities in vaccine acceptance.