News and Issues

It will be important for the Trump administration and incoming Biden administration to develop plans to strictly enforce these requirements on insurers and providers to ensure that the public receives the vaccine for free as intended. The federal government should also put mechanisms in place so that any noncompliance that results in a bill to a patient can be resolved without cost or administrative burden for the patient. Laws and regulations ensure access to free COVID-19 vaccines for individuals regardless of their insurance status, although some of these protections are in effect only during the public health emergency or for the initial doses purchased through the COVID-19 Vaccination Program. more »

"There is growing evidence that extreme weather events related to climate change are on the rise — droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, and heatwaves are all becoming more common. Climate-related events are already adversely affecting the lives of many Americans. The economic and financial impacts are also increasingly evident: we are already seeing elevated financial losses associated with an increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Some have described Pacific Gas and Electric's bankruptcy as the first climate-related bankruptcy of a major US corporation... more »

Barack Obama writes with grace and honesty. Clarity defines his discussions of policy and politics ... and helps us to understand the strategies guiding the decisions of the new president-elect as Biden forms a government... Elizabeth Strout's stories are brilliantly observed and can leave you breathless with surprise. James McBride's main character runs us ragged in the 2020 mystery novel Deacon King Kong in the maelstrom of aging and loss. In each, there is the poignancy of older characters chasing life... Homeland Elegies by Pakistani-American playwright Ayad Akhtar’s bears some comparison with Olive, Again. It is described as a novel but is more comfortably thought of as linked stories... Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain evokes the chaotic domestic world of drinkers without a scintilla of sentimentality and The Brothers Mankiewicz is a well shaped biography based on new interviews and archival sleuthing. Read on for the entire look at these new reads. more »

All states have released updated prioritization criteria for Phase 1, primarily in response to ACIP deliberations and guidance. Some had planned emergency meetings in anticipation of the FDA’s announcement and ACIP’s follow-on recommendation. Importantly, most indicate that these criteria could change depending on supply, vaccine characteristics, and other factors.  more »