U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Archives

Federal funds to battle opioid addiction coming to rural western Washington hospitals

By Lauren Gallup September 15, 2023

Map of Percent Change in Reported 12 Month-ending Count of Drug Overdose Deaths, by Jurisdiction: April 2022 to April 2023, showing Washington with an increase of 31.33%. // Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For people seeking medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder in some rural Washington communities, there could soon be more options. Recent grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been allocated to develop medication-assisted treatment (MAT) at rural clinics. Read More

U.S. Will Protect Gay And Transgender People Against Discrimination In Health Care

By NPR News May 10, 2021

In this June 11, 2017 file photo, Equality March for Unity and Pride participants march past the White House in Washington. The Biden administration says the government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care. That reverses a Trump-era policy that sought to narrow the scope of legal rights in sensitive situations involving medical care. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Monday that LGBTQ people should have the same access to health care as everyone else. T(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Gay and transgender people will be protected from discrimination in health care, the Biden administration announced Monday, effectively reversing a Trump-era rule that went into effect last year.Read More

Rachel Levine Makes History As 1st Openly Trans Federal Official Confirmed By Senate

By NPR News March 24, 2021

The Senate voted Wednesday, March 24, 2021 to confirm Dr. Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services. The vote is a history-making one: Levine is the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate.

The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Dr. Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services. The vote is a history-making one: Levine is the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate.Read More

‘It’s a Minefield’: President Biden’s Pick For Health Secretary Faces Abortion Politics

By NPR News February 24, 2021

Xavier Becerra, President Biden's nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, contended with critics of abortion rights on the first day of his confirmation hearings Tuesday. Sarah Silbiger/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Physicians, clinics and women's health advocates are looking to Xavier Becerra, Biden's nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services, to help swiftly unwind Trump-era funding cuts and rules that have decimated the nation's network of reproductive health providers over the past four years.Read More

In Historic 1st, Biden To Nominate Transgender Doctor As Assistant Health Secretary

By NPR News January 19, 2021

Dr. Rachel Levine has previously won state Senate confirmation in Pennsylvania, including a unanimous vote in 2015 to endorse her as Pennsylvania's physician general. Courtesy of Biden transition team

Joe Biden is nominating Pennsylvania health expert Dr. Rachel Levine to be assistant secretary for health in the department of Health and Human Services, in a move that could make Levine the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation.Read More

Joe Biden Picks California Attorney General Xavier Becerra For Top Health Post

By NPR News December 6, 2020

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has been selected to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration, a source familiar with transition discussions confirms to NPR. CREDIT: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

The state official and former congressman would enter the job with a historic public health crisis raging. In his current role, Becerra has fought Trump efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.Read More

FDA Approves First At-Home Coronavirus Test; Likely Won’t Be Widely Available Until Spring

By NPR News November 18, 2020

A coronavirus test is administered in Salt Lake City in Tuesday. At-home coronavirus tests will offer faster results than the traditional tests. CREDIT: Rick Bowmer/AP

The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit is expected to provide results in 30 minutes or less. Its approval could help alleviate the strain on the nation's precarious coronavirus testing system.Read More

Internal Documents Reveal COVID-19 Hospitalization Data The Government Keeps Hidden

By NPR News October 30, 2020

The ICU at Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Fla., was 99% full this week, according to an internal report produced by the federal government. It's among numerous hospitals the report highlighted with ICUs filled to over 90% capacity. CREDIT: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Where are hospitals reaching capacity? Which metro areas are running out of beds? NPR has learned federal agencies collect and analyze this information in detail but don't share it with the public. Read More

Another Problem On The Health Horizon: Medicare Is Running Out Of Money

By NPR News July 21, 2020

Everyone involved even tangentially in health care today is consumed by the coronavirus pandemic, as they should be. But the pandemic is accelerating a problem that used to be front and center in health circles: the impending insolvency of Medicare.Read More

Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump Administration

By NPR News June 12, 2020

Roger Severino, who directs the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services, has long argued that "sex discrimination" protections in the Affordable Care Act aren't meant to encompass protections for transgender people. CREDIT: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Trump has reversed Obama-era protections that prohibit discrimination in health care based on gender identity. Critics warn the rule could harm a vulnerable group — LGBTQ people — during a pandemic.Read More

Read: Whistleblower Complaint Claims Federal Response To COVID-19 Prioritized Politics Over Science

By PBS Newshour May 6, 2020

In the complaint filed Tuesday, Dr. Rick Bright cites “his efforts to prioritize science and safety over political expediency” as reasons for his ousting.

A former vaccine expert with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) alleges in a whistleblower complaint that he was ousted because his efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic conflicted with those of President Donald Trump and other administration officials.Read More

Federal funds to battle opioid addiction coming to rural western Washington hospitals

U.S. Will Protect Gay And Transgender People Against Discrimination In Health Care

Rachel Levine Makes History As 1st Openly Trans Federal Official Confirmed By Senate

‘It’s a Minefield’: President Biden’s Pick For Health Secretary Faces Abortion Politics

In Historic 1st, Biden To Nominate Transgender Doctor As Assistant Health Secretary

Joe Biden Picks California Attorney General Xavier Becerra For Top Health Post

FDA Approves First At-Home Coronavirus Test; Likely Won’t Be Widely Available Until Spring

Internal Documents Reveal COVID-19 Hospitalization Data The Government Keeps Hidden

Another Problem On The Health Horizon: Medicare Is Running Out Of Money

Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump Administration

Read: Whistleblower Complaint Claims Federal Response To COVID-19 Prioritized Politics Over Science

In Fine Print, HHS Seems To Have Banned Surprise Medical Bills During The Pandemic

Where That $8.3 Billion In U.S. Coronavirus Funding Will And Won’t Go

Federal Government Cracks Down On Some Flavored Vaping Products

Under Siege And Largely Secret: Businesses That Serve Immigration Detention

Richer Medicare Payments For Rural Hospitals Could Come At Urban Centers’ Expense

Trump Administration Proposes Rule To Reverse Protections For Transgender Patients

Shelters For Immigrant Teens Expanded As Record Numbers Continue To Cross