Senators Grill Becerra On Cybersecurity Rules, Marijuana Restrictions
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra testified before the Senate Finance Committee Thursday. The ransomware attack on Change Healthcare dominated a lot of the questioning, along with other topics such as drug prices, the FDA's cannabis recommendations, migrant health, and more.
Stat:
HHS Secretary Becerra Pressed On Change HealthCare Cyberattack
Senators want answers from the Biden administration on the recent cyberattack that froze millions of hospital and physician insurance claims. During a hearing Thursday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to institute cybersecurity requirements for both hospitals and insurers and to “start holding these executives [accountable] who are not doing their job in line with the kind of safety standards Americans have the right to expect on cyber.” (Owermohle, 3/14)
Politico:
HHS Secretary Defends Scientific Rigour Of Cannabis Review On Capitol Hill
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra defended the FDA's review of cannabis science and its recommendation to loosen federal marijuana restrictions during a Thursday hearing on Capitol Hill. "There has been a lot of science that's been collected over the years on cannabis," Becerra said during the hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. "We have far more information now." (Fertig, 3/14)
Modern Healthcare:
How HHS Rule Could Improve Access For Patients With Disabilities
Healthcare providers must ready themselves to comply with new standards for accommodating patients with disabilities. The Health and Human Services Department issued a proposed rule in September that would require providers to retrofit facilities and medical equipment to meet patients’ physical and sensory needs, ensure websites, mobile apps and virtual care programs are user-friendly for people with disabilities, and remove disability status as a factor in clinical support tools. The final rule could appear within weeks. (Hartnett, 3/14)
The Hill:
HHS Officials To Tout Biden’s Health Care Agenda On ‘Match Day’ For Medical Students
Roughly a dozen Biden administration health officials will mark “Match Day” for medical students on Friday, traveling to different medical schools across the country and speaking about President Biden’s health care agenda. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra will visit a medical school in Washington, D.C., while other officials will be at medical schools in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville and other cities in Wisconsin, California and North Carolina. (Samuels, 3/14)
Also —
Stat:
Pushing For An NIH Office For Post-Infection Chronic Illness
When the White House released President Biden’s 2025 budget requests this week, funding for biomedical research was stagnant. The more conservative wishlist from the president acknowledges a reduced appetite in Congress for non-defense government spending. (Cueto, 3/15)
