On September 19, the Senate Committee on Appropriations released the FY2020 Subcommittee Chairman’s recommendations for the Departments of Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) Chairman of the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee said, “The $3 billion NIH increase recommended in this bill marks a 40 % increase over the past five years paving the way for new advances that would give hope to millions of families.” The recommended NIH appropriations for FY2020 would enable NIH to receive $42.1 billion. …Continue reading
Funds Authorized for Broadband
The FCC https://www.fcc.gov has authorized $112.2 million over the next decade to expand broadband to nearly 48,000 unserved rural homes and businesses in nine states. This funding represents the fifth wave of support from last year’s Connect America Fund Phase II Auction https://www.fcc.gov/auction/903. Broadband providers will begin receiving funding later in September. …Continue reading
University to Promote Digital Health
The University of Arkansas Little Rock https://ualr.edu is one of five institutions sharing a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) https://www.nsf.gov to develop a multi-scale integrative approach to digital health. …Continue reading
Untapped Market: Help for the Disabled
Former Senator Tom Harkin, the Chief Sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, spoke at a National Press Club headliner news event on September 4, 2019 plus other leaders to discuss employing the disabled by providing assistive technology. Senator Harkin discussed how using assistive technology and adopting an inclusive mindset will make it possible to drive economic growth and gain access to a new talent pool. …Continue reading
Conference Call with Teladoc
Credit Suisse https://www.credit-suisse.com conducted a conference call with Teladoc Health (TDOC)https://www.teladoc.com management to review 2Q19 results, question Teladoc on the rise of telemedicine in the large employer market, behavioral health trends, CVS rollout, United Health Group https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com (UNH)/Teladoc contract, plus Teladoc’s relationship with Health Insurance Innovations (HIIQ https://www.hiiq.com. …Continue reading
USDA Invests in Community Facilities
USDA https://www.usda.gov is investing $52 million in 45 projects through the “Community Facilities Direct Loan Program”. This will benefit nearly 200,000 rural residents in 16 states, but the projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. …Continue reading
Reviewing Medicaid Opioid Data
The HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) https://oig.hhs.gov released the draft report “National Review of Opioid Prescribing in Medicaid is Not Yet Possible” on August 2019, to discuss how national Medicaid data submitted by all the states so far is not complete, accurate, or timely. …Continue reading