Health and Human Services Department
U.S. Moves to Stretch Out Monkeypox Vaccine Supply
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has decided to stretch out its limited supply of monkeypox vaccine by allowing a different method of injection that uses one-fifth as much per shot, according to people familiar with the discussions. In order for the Food and Drug Administration to authorize so-called intradermal injection, which would involve injecting one-fifth […]
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Officials Wrestle With Whether to Allow New Monkeypox Vaccination Strategy
WASHINGTON — It sounded like a simple solution to the shortage of monkeypox vaccine: Merely by changing the way doses are injected, the federal government could vaccinate five times as many people with the supply it has in hand. But the approach — injecting one-fifth of the current dose into the skin instead of a […]
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As Monkeypox Spreads, U.S. Declares a Health Emergency
Gay rights activists, who have been sharply critical of the administration, have been demanding an emergency declaration for weeks. “This is all too late,” said James Krellenstein, a founder of PrEP4All, an advocacy group that works to expand treatment for people with H.I.V. “I don’t really understand why they didn’t do this weeks ago.” The […]
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Biden Administration Is Elevating an H.H.S. Division to Oversee Pandemic Responses
The Biden administration is creating a new division within the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate the nation’s response to pandemic threats and other health emergencies, a recognition that the department is structurally ill equipped to handle disasters like the coronavirus pandemic. The change, announced internally on Wednesday, will elevate an existing office […]
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Under Pressure, Biden Will Issue Executive Order on Abortion
WASHINGTON — Under pressure to do more to respond to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, President Biden will issue an executive order on Friday aimed at ensuring access to contraception and other women’s health services, White House officials said. Details about what the president’s new order will do remain unclear. A […]
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As Monkeypox Spreads, U.S. Plans a Vaccination Campaign
Clinics nationwide will begin offering vaccinations against monkeypox to anyone who may have been exposed to the virus, federal health officials announced on Tuesday. Until now, immunizations were offered only to people with a known exposure. States will receive doses of a safer and newer monkeypox vaccine called Jynneos from the federal stockpile, based on […]
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‘No Magic Bullet’ for Preserving Abortion Access, Biden’s Health Secretary Says
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s health secretary, facing criticism from other Democrats that the administration is not doing enough to counter the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, said on Tuesday that there was “no magic bullet” to preserve access to abortion — even as he outlined a series of steps his department will take […]
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Bracing for the End of Roe v. Wade, the White House Weighs Executive Actions
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s top aides are weighing whether he can or should take a series of executive actions to help women in Republican-controlled states obtain abortions if the Supreme Court eliminates a woman’s right to end her pregnancy, according to senior administration officials. Some of the ideas under consideration include declaring a national public […]
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Medicare Advantage Plans Often Deny Needed Care, Federal Report Finds
Every year, tens of thousands of people enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans are denied necessary care that should be covered under the program, federal investigators concluded in a report published on Thursday. The investigators urged Medicare officials to strengthen oversight of these private insurance plans, which provide benefits to 28 million older Americans, and […]
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