On Thursday, the Senate voted 65 to 27 to approve a House-passed short-term spending bill ahead of the February 18 deadline, when the prior continuing resolution (CR) expired. The CR passed by the Senate will fund the federal government through March 11, which will give Democrats and Republicans additional time to come to an agreement on a larger, long-term omnibus government funding bill. 

The Senate voted 50-46 to confirm Robert Califf as the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This will be Califf’s second time leading the agency, as he previously served as the FDA Commissioner during former President Obama's second term. The Republican Senators who voted in his favor were Roy Blunt (MO), Richard Burr (NC), Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Mitt Romney (UT), and Pat Toomey (PA). Democrats and Independents who opposed his confirmation included Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Maggie Hassan (NH), Ed Markey (MA), and Joe Manchin (WV). Califf faced opposition from these Democrats, in part, due to his close ties to the pharmaceutical industry and the Senators’ concerns regarding the opioid epidemic. Califf tried to ease these concerns, by committing to not taking a position at any drug or medical device company or accept money from them for four years after leaving his role as FDA Commissioner.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it is making $55 million available to 29 HRSA-funded health centers to help improve access to virtual health care for underserved populations. The virtual care provided by these health centers includes telehealth and remote patient monitoring. The full list of award recipients can be found here.

The Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing on identifying and addressing barriers to care for children and adolescents suffering from mental health problems. The hearing delved into many of the challenges that the mental health workforce faces, including a shortage of workers (especially in rural areas) and inadequate provider reimbursement rates. Members of Congress, and the witnesses at the hearing discussed how important telemental services have been for improving access to care and reducing some of the stigmas associated with mental health disorders. Additionally, the witnesses underscored the importance of providing mental health care to children in schools and recommended that Medicaid update its guidance surrounding behavioral health care provided in schools. MCRT’s summary of the hearing can be found here.

On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing titled, "Americans in Need: Responding to the National Mental Health Crisis." MCRT’s summary of the hearing can be found here.

President Joe Biden tapped Dr. Alondra Nelson to temporarily be the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Dr. Francis Collins to be the temporary President and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, until “permanent leadership is nominated and confirmed.” Nelson and Collins will help to fill the vacancy left by Eric Lander, who resigned last week due to reports that he bullied and mistreated his coworkers. Nelson currently serves as OSTP’s Deputy Director for Science and Society, and Collins recently stepped down from his long-time role as the director of the National Institutes of Health. More information can be found here.

This week, the Senate voted 50-46 to confirm Robert Califf as the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This will be Califf’s second time leading the agency, as he previously served as the FDA Commissioner during former President Obama's second term. The Republican Senators who voted in his favor were Roy Blunt (MO), Richard Burr (NC), Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Mitt Romney (UT), and Pat Toomey (PA). Democrats and Independents who opposed his confirmation included Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Maggie Hassan (NH), Ed Markey (MA), and Joe Manchin (WV). Califf faced opposition from these Democrats, in part, due to his close ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Califf tried to ease these concerns, by committing to not taking a position at any drug or medical device company or accept money from them for four years after leaving his role as FDA Commissioner.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it is making $55 million available to 29 HRSA-funded health centers to help improve access to virtual health care for underserved populations. The virtual care provided by these health centers includes telehealth and remote patient monitoring. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that “Virtual care has been a game-changer for patients, especially during the pandemic,” and that “This funding will help health centers leverage the latest technology and innovations to expand access to quality primary care for underserved communities.” The full list of award recipients can be found here.

On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is seeking stakeholder feedback on the barriers that Medicaid and CHIP enrollees face when trying to access and maintain coverage. CMS is also looking for feedback on challenges beneficiaries face when trying to obtain health care services through Medicaid and CHIP. The RFI is open for a 60-day public comment period, which began on February 17. The RFI can be found here.

The Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing on identifying and addressing barriers to care for children and adolescents suffering from mental health problems. The hearing delved into many of the challenges that the mental health workforce faces, including a shortage of workers (especially in rural areas) and inadequate provider reimbursement rates. Members of Congress, and the witnesses at the hearing discussed how important telemental services have been for improving access to care and reducing some of the stigmas associated with mental health disorders. Additionally, the witnesses underscored the importance of providing mental health care to children in schools and recommended that Medicaid update its guidance surrounding behavioral health care provided in schools. MCRT’s summary of the hearing can be found here.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden tapped Dr. Alondra Nelson to temporarily be the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Dr. Francis Collins to be the temporary President and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, until “permanent leadership is nominated and confirmed.” Nelson and Collins will help to fill the vacancy left by Eric Lander, who resigned last week due to reports that he bullied and mistreated his coworkers. Nelson currently serves as OSTP9’s Deputy Director for Science and Society, and Collins recently stepped down from his long-time role as the director of the National Institutes of Health. More information can be found here.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing to make changes to the VA Schedule for respiratory, auditory and mental disorders. These changes include “modernizing the evaluative rating criteria for sleep apnea,” “evaluating tinnitus (ringing in the ears) as a symptom of the underlying disease which causes it,” and “evaluating mental health conditions based on a more robust and holistic approach that assesses how impactful the disability is to cognition.” More information these proposed changes can be found here. 

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