House Passes $1.9B Budget for VA EHRM, Uninsured Rate Drops During COVID
If it succeeds in the Senate, a new bill will allocate almost $2 billion for the troubled VA EHR modernization project, and HHS reported record registration during the 2023 open enrollment period.
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By - In healthcare policy news this week, an appropriations act aims to overhaul the VA’s Oracle Cerner EHR implementation. Meanwhile, HHS data showed that 6.3 million people gained healthcare insurance coverage between 2020 and 2023, dropping the overall uninsured rate to an all-time low.
House Bill Would Grant $1.9B for VA EHRM
The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill passed in the House will allocate $1.9 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) EHR modernization program if the Senate approves it. The funding is contingent on the VA developing a quarterly report of obligations, costs, and a deployment schedule for the EHRM project, which has fallen behind schedule and exceeded its original budget. Congress is also demanding a report of new EHR requirements and a plan that strictly lays out enterprise standards. READ MORE.
Biden Administration Launches Cyber Workforce Strategy
The Biden Administration’s recently released National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES) will utilize several public-private partnerships to address emerging cyber threats and enhance the national workforce.
“We must support the development of a strong cyber workforce. That cyber workforce has to meet the demand and fill hundreds of thousands of cyber job vacancies. That's a national security imperative, an economic imperative, a human security imperative, but it also is an opportunity for good-paying middle-class jobs,” Camille Stewart Gloster, deputy national cyber director, technology and ecosystem security at the Office of the National Cyber Director, noted in a press briefing. READ MORE.
FDA Approves Postpartum Depression Pill
On Friday, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zuranolone, a new treatment for women suffering from postpartum depression. Sage Pharmaceuticals received the approval after showing that a 14-day treatment could reduce symptoms of depression. Another recent study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry confirmed the medication’s safety and efficacy in postpartum mothers. READ MORE.
CMS Medicare Part D Premiums Will Fall by 1.8 Percent
New CMS projections expect that Part D premiums will drop from $56.49 to $55.50 in 2024. Premium reductions are primarily due to the Inflation Reduction Act, which limited the base beneficiary premium by 6 percent annually. Additionally, the IRA capped annual out-of-pocket costs, limited cost-sharing for insulin, and eliminated costs associated with adult vaccines. READ MORE.
Uninsured Rates Drop During Pandemic
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that uninsurance rates have dropped to record lows following the most recent open enrollment period. Research indicated that the largest enrollee groups were young adults and Americans below the federal poverty level.
“The Inflation Reduction Act has played a critical role in helping more Americans afford coverage through the Affordable Care Act. And this year, the nation's uninsured rate reached an all-time low, even breaking last year's record," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in the press release. "HHS will continue to do everything we can to help Americans keep or get coverage and access quality, affordable health care.” READ MORE.
