Health care was one of the most active issue areas in 2023 and this trend is expected to continue when Congress returns in the New Year for the second session of the 118th Congress. The activity by the health committees of...more
1/2/2024
/ Appropriation ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Clinical Laboratories ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Diagnostic Tests ,
Drug Pricing ,
Fiscal Year ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Price Transparency ,
Proposed Rules ,
Supply Shortages
Health care has been one of the most active issue areas in the 118th Congress. The activity by the health committees of jurisdiction in both the House and the Senate has been fueled in part by efforts to reauthorize various...more
9/1/2023
/ Animal Drugs ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Opioid ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Supply Shortages ,
Telehealth ,
Transparency
Key Points -
The anticipated zero draft of the WHO’s Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response Accord was released on February 1. This process will intertwine heavily with the renegotiations of the 2005 IHRs....more
The House and Senate convened this week to kick off the 118th Congress. Republicans control the House after four years of a Democratic majority. House Republicans have a very slim majority, with only 222 seats to the...more
1/12/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Congressional Budget Resolution ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Regulatory Agenda
On December 29, 2022, the President signed into law the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act) as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L....more
In this episode of OnAir: Health Care, Akin Gump senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle and consultant Dr. Mario Ramirez welcome Michael Hund of EB Research Partnership....more
On August 11, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated COVID-19 guidance “to help people better understand their risk, how to protect themselves and others, what actions to take if exposed to...more
8/25/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In October of 2018, Congress passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (P.L. 115-271). The comprehensive opioid treatment law passed both chambers of Congress with large bipartisan support and tackled many aspects...more
For the past two years, the United States government has had to deal with most major legislative and regulatory actions against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. In making policy, the federal government has been forced,...more
With the second session of the 117th Congress underway, stakeholders are poised for another busy legislative session set against the dynamic backdrop of an ongoing global pandemic and midterm election year. Numerous...more
In this episode of OnAir: Health Care, Akin Gump health care senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle and consultant Dr. Mario Ramirez welcome Dr. Michael Mina, chief science officer for eMed, a digital point-of-care...more
This episode of OnAir: Health Care is the first in a series on the opioid epidemic in the U.S. Akin Gump health care senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle and consultant Dr. Mario Ramirez welcome Gary Mendell, founder and CEO...more
For several years, policy-makers and commentators have expressed concern about the resilience of the United States’ pharmaceutical supply chain. Current U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities have been at the forefront of...more
10/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) ,
China ,
Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defense Production Act ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Life Sciences ,
Manufacturers ,
NDAA ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Supply Chain
Key Points -
The recent announcements around federal contractor requirements for mandatory vaccination and the upcoming OSHA Emergent Temporary Standard have created significant confusion for employers.
It’s important...more
10/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In this new episode of OnAir: Health Care, Akin Gump health care senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle and consultant Dr. Mario Ramirez welcome Akin Gump public law and policy partner Clete Willems and Centrient...more
8/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Manufacturers ,
Onshoring ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Secrets ,
TRIPS Agreement ,
Vaccinations ,
Waivers ,
WTO
In this new episode of OnAir: Health Care, Akin Gump health care senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle and consultant Dr. Mario Ramirez welcome House Ways and Means Committee health counsel Orriel Richardson and National...more
In this new episode of OnAir: Health Care, Akin Gump health care senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle and consultant Dr. Mario Ramirez welcome public law and policy partners Ed Pagano and Clete Willems to talk federal health...more
4/16/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Guidance ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Physicians ,
Public Health ,
Public Policy ,
Vaccinations
In this debut episode of OnAir: Health Care, Akin Gump health care senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle and consultant Dr. Mario Ramirez welcome partner Kelly Cleary to discuss health policy, medical science and Washington...more
4/14/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
New Guidance ,
Physicians ,
Vaccinations
On February 17, 2021, it was reported that President Biden would nominate Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the largest operating division of the U.S. Department of...more
On February 12, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released highly anticipated guidelines for school reopening during the pandemic. Whereas administrators, teachers and parents were hoping for very...more
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday, January 26 that it plans to purchase 200 million additional doses of vaccine against COVID-19. Additionally, the administration announced that it plans to increase shipments of...more