STAT+: House panel advances bill to extend Medicare’s telehealth flexibilities, setting up December talks
A House committee on Wednesday advanced legislation that would extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities and a…
Category: Congress
Senate IVF bill fails again as Democrats pressure GOP on reproductive health
WASHINGTON — The Senate failed again Tuesday to advance legislation that would protect access to…
STAT+: Democrats keep IVF in the spotlight with another Senate vote
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
STAT+: Top staffer on drug pricing to depart Senate Finance Committee
WASHINGTON – Shawn Bishop, the Democratic staffer who drafted much of the drug pricing portion…
Opinion: STAT+: How to keep the BIOSECURE Act from hobbling U.S. biotech and pharma
In a rare display of bipartisan agreement, Congress is getting serious about addressing China’s influence…
Five takeaways from Congress’ hearing on overhauling organ transplant system
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, two transplant doctors, one watchdog and a nephrologist-turned-advocate sat before members…
STAT+: House passes bill that targets China biotechs
WASHINGTON — The House Monday passed a bill by 306 to 81 votes to make…
Opinion: Letting funding for the All of Us research program lapse will cost the U.S. far more than it saves
I was in high school when I first encountered the ruthlessness of the number one…
Oprah, Walz and other Democrats hammer reproductive freedom message at DNC
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
STAT+: Congressional probe questions clinical trials run in China, citing Army involvement
A House committee is investigating whether brand drug companies are collaborating with the Chinese military…
Opinion: Congress is unprepared for the post-Chevron world. It needs help from subject matter experts
The U.S. Congress needs help. It lacks the expertise to do its job in the…
STAT+: Lawmakers cast doubt on expert panel studying alcohol for 2025 dietary guidelines
Alcohol policy researchers are fuming over a letter sent by members of Congress last month,…
With Biden’s departure in sight, advocates seek to preserve gains of Cancer Moonshot
In President Biden’s address to the nation after dropping out of the election race, he…
Opinion: DNA data security requires robust protections, not rhetoric
The BIOSECURE Act, now rolling through Congress, aims to protect the DNA data of Americans…
STAT+: Powerful Senate committee demands testimony from CEO of bankrupt Steward hospital chain
Federal lawmakers investigating the Steward Health Care bankruptcy moved on Thursday to compel testimony from…
Opinion: The ‘Risky Research Review Act’ would do more harm than good
In an era of rapid scientific and technological advances when politicians and scientists are struggling…
Sen. Menendez’s conviction may cost pharma a key ally in Congress
A New York jury on Tuesday found Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts for…
Roche looks to have a competitive GLP-1 drug
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STAT+: The effort to reform physician pay is set to pit primary care docs against highly paid specialists
WASHINGTON — There’s been a long lull in fighting between primary care and specialty doctors…
STAT+: The pharmaceutical industry keeps losing Washington friends
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
STAT+: Drugmakers are losing crucial friends on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON — Sen. Bob Menendez is the poster child for a pharmaceutical industry ally. He…
STAT+: Report shows U.S. biotechs are wary of Chinese partnerships due to looming BIOSECURE Act
A looming anti-China biotechnology bill has spooked U.S. life sciences companies, according to a new…
Opinion: Senate, FTC cracking down on pharma patent shenanigans
Why do Americans pay so much more for common medications than people in other countries?…
How U.S. responses to public health emergencies could be hamstrung by the Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The U.S. response to the pandemic got politically messy. A Friday Supreme Court…
Will Medicare finally begin covering weight loss drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy?
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House panel passes bills to expand Medicare obesity drug coverage, cancer screening
WASHINGTON — A House committee overwhelmingly passed four bills on Thursday that would expand Medicare…
House panel proposes new strategy for Medicare to cover weight loss drugs Wegovy, Zepbound
WASHINGTON — As weight loss medications have exploded in popularity, a bill to allow Medicare…
Opinion: Listen: Rep. Diana DeGette on why reproductive freedom must be protected
It has been two years since the Supreme Court made the historic decision to overturn…
Senators push Medicare for a PET scan pay bump
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
Opinion: Two years since Dobbs, reproductive freedom must be protected from assault
It’s been two years since America’s highest court removed a constitutional right — for the…
STAT+: House panel weighs new plan for Medicare coverage of Wegovy, cancer blood tests
WASHINGTON — A House panel is exploring holding a vote on scaled-back versions of two…
A new era for NIH
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
With sweeping NIH reform on the table, GOP previews new era of research scrutiny
WASHINGTON — There seems to be broad agreement that change is coming for the National…
Novo Nordisk CEO agrees to Bernie Sanders’ demand to testify on Ozempic, Wegovy prices
WASHINGTON — Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen will testify before the Senate after Sen….
STAT+: Does Sanders have the votes to subpoena a Novo exec?
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
Senators slam the FDA’s new vape enforcement plan: ‘What in the hell have you been waiting for?’
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Justice claim they’re getting…
What do Parkinson’s and obesity have in common?
Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get…
FDA says it’s getting serious about illegal vapes. It’s still likely to get a tongue lashing.
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
House Republicans press for new guardrails on ‘gain-of-function’ research by NIH
WASHINGTON — Republican leaders of a prominent committee overseeing federal health agencies are pushing to…
Bernie Sanders calls vote to subpoena Novo Nordisk U.S. head over Ozempic, Wegovy prices
WASHINGTON — Senate health committee chair Bernie Sanders has called a vote to subpoena the…
Opinion: Curing rare childhood diseases will falter unless Congress steps up
When our son Peter was diagnosed with an ultra-rare form of muscular dystrophy at the…
STAT+: At BIO, signs Congress’ tough stance on China is chilling biotech relationships
SAN DIEGO — U.S. legislation that seeks to restrict American biotechs from working with certain Chinese…
Opinion: Close a regulatory loophole in the ACA to provide vaccine access for all Americans
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (generally known as the ACA), was signed into…
Senators tussle over abortion policy against the backdrop of a presidential campaign
WASHINGTON — Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, U.S. senators on…
Anthony Fauci, facing GOP accusers, says debate on Covid origins has been ‘seriously distorted’
WASHINGTON — Anthony Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease official and a longtime foil…
STAT+: Dark money group runs ads on China biotech bill
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
At Las Vegas conference, methadone clinics blast idea of doctors prescribing directly
LAS VEGAS — Mark Parrino, the longtime leader of the U.S. methadone clinic industry, kicked…
STAT+: Pharma’s losing bet in New Jersey
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and…
Fresh scrutiny of post-Covid spending reignites yearslong tension over emergency stockpiles
WASHINGTON — For four years, Democrats and Republicans have routinely clashed over funding to curb…
STAT+: FDA poised to publish guidelines for clinical trial diversity
The Food and Drug Administration is poised to tell drug and medical device makers how…