President Biden today signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which includes a number of provisions that affect hospitals and health systems.

The legislation includes provisions to bolster the nation’s COVID-19 health care response with additional resources for vaccines, treatment, personal protective equipment, testing, contact tracing and workforce development; additional new funding for rural hospitals and health care providers for COVID-19 relief; increased health care coverage through Medicaid and federal subsidies for insurance marketplaces and COBRA; and changes to the Medicare wage index; among other provisions.

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The Department of Health and Human Services June 30 announced it will terminate emergency use authorization declarations for certain drugs and medical devices…
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Flu and COVID-19 vaccination rates among all health care workers for the 2024-25 respiratory virus season was 76.3% and 40.2%, respectively, according to a…