Biden Publishes COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Fact Sheet
President Biden released high-level details of his COVID-19 vaccination plan on January 15, following public remarks (written) that came a day after the release of his coronavirus relief plan.
McCarran-Ferguson Exemption Repeal Becomes Law
The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act (H.R. 1418) was signed into law on January 13. The law repeals the antiquated McCarran-Ferguson antitrust exemption granted to the health insurance industry decades ago.
Product Recall Alert
AGD Members- Before reading this week's Capitol Connections, please take a moment to review the following information regarding a product recall alert:
Congress Passes Repeal of McCarran-Ferguson Exemptions
The U.S. Senate recently voted on December 22 to pass the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act (H.R. 1418), a bill to repeal the antiquated McCarran-Ferguson antitrust exemption granted to the health insurance industry decades ago.
CDC Clarifies that Dentists and Dental Personnel Included in Initial Phase of COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Recommendation
On December 28, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC provided updated examples of its definition of "healthcare personnel (HCP)" that it recommends be among those offered the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
117th Congress Convenes with Pending Senate Elections Set to Determine Balance of Power
The 117th Congress officially began on January 3, which will reset the legislative docket and entail members of Congress introducing new legislation and reintroducing many bills that were not enacted into law over the last two years.
Lawmakers Include Oral Health Allocations in Annual Government Funding Package
Congress passed a $1.4 trillion "omnibus" government funding package for fiscal year (FY) 2021 on December 21, after several delays due to pending negotiations on the latest COVID-19 relief bill.
HHS Sending Out Phase 3 Provider Relief Funds
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on December 16 that the next round of Provider Relief Fund distributions was starting, as it had completed reviews of Phase 3 applications.
FDA Approves Emergency Use of COVID-19 Vaccines
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older.
Congress Reaches Deal on $900 Billion COVID-19 Relief Package
Following months of negotiations and the passage of several short-term funding extensions to prevent a government shutdown, Congressional leaders finally reached a deal on December 20 to provide additional pandemic relief for Americans and U.S. economy through a $900 billion legislative package.