Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Gives $66.5M To Community Groups To Promote Vaccinations
NPR: Community Groups Receive Federal Funding For Vaccine Outreach
In this politically polarized time, White House health officials have acknowledged that they are not always the best messengers when it comes to promoting COVID-19 vaccines. So the Biden administration has worked to equip community groups to do their own local outreach. On Tuesday, the Health Resources and Services Administration is distributing $66.5 million to community groups working in 38 states and in Washington, D.C. This is the fourth round of the $250 million in funding allocated in the American Rescue Plan. (Simmons-Duffin, 2/8)
In more news from the Biden administration —
Modern Healthcare: HHS Running Out Of Money To Pay Providers For Treating Uninsured COVID-19 Patients
The Provider Relief Fund has paid out more than $17 billion to providers treating, testing and vaccinating the uninsured throughout the pandemic. The Health and Human Services Department program has been a lifeline for providers, especially in states such as Texas and Florida with high rates of people who don't have health coverage. But there's only $7.6 billion left and the money will run out in the coming months, an HHS spokesperson said. Congress isn't currently considering making more funding available, meaning providers and patients are likely to soon have to bear the costs themselves. (Hellmann, 2/8)
Axios: Scoop: Top NSC Global Health Official To Depart White House
Beth Cameron, the National Security Council's senior director for global health security and biodefense, will be leaving her position this spring, Axios has learned. Cameron joined the Biden administration to help re-establish the Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, which former Trump national security adviser John Bolton had folded into another office as part of an effort to streamline the NSC. Cameron played an early role in shaping White House policy for what President Biden had deemed his No. 1 priority on the campaign trail: defeating the pandemic. (Basu, 2/8)
And in other news from Washington, D.C., about Republican health care policies —
The Washington Post: Heritage Foundation, Former Powerhouse Of GOP Policy, Adjusts In Face Of New Competition From Trump Allies
The Heritage Foundation has long shaped mainstream Republican policy in Washington. It drafted much of Ronald Reagan’s agenda to slash federal spending and launched a ferocious campaign to repeal Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. But in recent months, the venerable think tank in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol has revamped its leadership after its former president, Kay Coles James, was subject to a torrent of criticism from a prominent conservative cable host. Heritage replaced James with a Texas firebrand more determined to fight pandemic restrictions, critical race theory in schools, and “teaching transgenderism to kindergartners,” bending the institution toward issues that have resonated with former president Donald Trump and his allies. (Stein and Torbati, 2/7)
