March 1, 2021
Congress
  • The House approved President Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic rescue plan in a 219-212 vote, sending the measure on to the Senate as Democrats work to pass it into law before boosted unemployment payments expire next month.
  • Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced legislation to support the expansion of telehealth services for substance use disorder treatment. The bill builds upon the Trump Administration’s actions to waive regulatory restrictions for accessing care in the wake of the pandemic.
  • Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced the bipartisan Telehealth Modernization Act, which would update coverage restrictions that have long provided lifesaving telehealth services for many of the nation’s roughly 61 million Medicare beneficiaries.
  • Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Susan Collins (R-ME) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to reduce healthcare costs and ensure parity for veterans impacted by the pandemic.
  • Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced legislation to expand access to housing counseling and assistance for households struggling to remain in their homes because of the pandemic.
  • Representatives Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) introduced bipartisan legislation to create an independent, non-partisan commission, closely modeled after the 9/11 Commission that investigated the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, to assess the nation’s preparedness and response to COVID-19 and provide recommendations to improve our country’s readiness for future epidemics and pandemics.
  • Representatives Mark Takano (D-CA) and Mike Bost (R-IL) introduced the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans’ and Caregivers’ COVID-19 Immunizations Now Expanded Act of 2021.
Administration
  • President Biden signed an executive order on Securing America's Critical Supply Chains. Specifically, the EO requires a 100-day government review of the U.S. supply chains with a goal of ending the nation's reliance on China and other countries for critical goods such as active pharmaceutical ingredients for the development of prescription medications.
  • The Congressional Budget Office released a report titled "Estimated Budget Effects of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021."
  • The White House released a fact sheet on President Biden's new effort to deliver 25 million masks to disadvantaged U.S. communities to curb the pandemic.
  • The Biden Administration increased lending to small businesses in need and announced changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to “further promote equitable access to relief.”
  • The Small Business Administration, in coordination with the Biden Administration, is taking steps to promote equitable access to the PPP.
  • HHS and the Department of Defense announced the purchase of 100,000 treatment courses of a second therapeutic treatment from Eli Lilly.
States
  • Track where states stand on reopening.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released resources to assist states to reopen.
  • CMS has approved over 200 requests for state relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including recent approvals for Alaska, Iowa, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah and Virginia.
National Association of Health Underwriters | COVID-19@nahu.org