COVID-19

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 15 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials.  During the briefing, White House officials noted that under to the American Rescue Plan (the COVID-19 relief bill), the federal government will now cover 100 percent of the cost for Medicaid and children’s health insurance beneficiaries to get vaccinated.   Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS announced that it is increasing Medicare payments for administering COVID-19 [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12. White House President Biden announced his administration’s objective of making every American eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1.  See a fact sheet about the announcement. The White House has posted a transcript of the March 12 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. President Biden will nominate Melanie Egorin to serve as HHS’s Assistant Secretary for Legislation.   Department of Health and Human Services HHS announced that an additional 700 health centers supported by the [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 11. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 10 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has updated its guidance on nursing home visitation, easing current restrictions.  According to the updated guidance, facilities should permit responsible indoor visitation at all times and for all residents, regardless of vaccination status of the resident or visitor, except under specific, defined circumstances.  The updated guidance also emphasizes that “compassionate [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, March 8. New CDC Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People The CDC has issued new guidance on how people who are fully vaccinated can interact safely with others, including those who have and those who have not been vaccinated.  Learn more from the following resources: the CDC’s news release announcing the new guidance the new guidance itself the scientific rationale for the CDC’s guidance additional background information for fully vaccinated people on how to protect themselves and others   White House The White House [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 5. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 3 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials. The White House has announced two new members of its COVID response team: Charles Anderson – director of economic policy and budget Sam Berger – director of strategic operations and policy   Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has established Medicare codes for billing for the Janssen Biotech COVID-19 vaccine (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine).  [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2. White House The White House has posted a transcript of the March 1 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials.   Department of Health and Human Services HHS has announced a new round of appointments to positions in the department.  The new appointees are: Office of the Secretary Rachel Pryor, Counselor for Health Policy Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Florence Elizabeth “Beth” Lynk, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (Health Care) Office of [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, February 25. The White House President Biden has extended the declaration of a national health emergency because of COVID-19. The White House announced a new effort to make masks more available in communities hard hit by the pandemic.  The administration will deliver more than 25 million masks to more than 1300 community health centers and 60,000 food pantries and soup kitchens. The White House COVID-19 response team and public health officials held a press briefing on Monday, February 22.  See a transcript of [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Monday, February 22. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has updated its FAQ on Medicare COVID-19 billing issues with 13 new questions addressing vaccines, monoclonal antibody treatments, and ambulatory surgery centers functioning as acute-care hospitals during the public health emergency.  The questions, all labeled “2/19/2021,” can be found on pages 27-28, 135-137, and 152-153. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has updated its Provider Relief Fund FAQ with an updated question about how applicants should set up an account of behalf of [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, February 19. The White House The White House announced that it is increasing the vaccine supply sent weekly to states to 13.5 million doses a week.  This is a 57 percent increase over weekly shipments a month ago.   Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has updated its “COVID-19 Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies” web page.  The page includes: information about Medicare Part B payments for COVID-19 and certain monoclonal antibodies during the public health emergency information about payment allowances and effective dates [...]