By PAUL NATINSKY
Like the rest of the cuts by chainsaw, the 15-percent cap on indirect costs for National Institutes of Health projects is a sharp-edged reduction in spending. Purportedly targeted at reducing waste and inefficiency, the indiscriminate reduction belies that mission.

The most rudimentary of analyses would have proved the approach infeasible. About $9 billion of the NIH’s $35 billion in grants for 2023 were for indirect costs, which include equipment and office space, technology, research security, data processing, biosafety, financial and accounting support, and legal and compliance support. Indirect costs average around 28%, with some over 60%, according to NIH-reported numbers. The costs are negotiated on a project-by-project basis.

The proposed [Read More]

By PATRICIA CALLAHAN

This story first appeared in ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.

Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered staff this week not to release their experts’ assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging, according to internal records reviewed by ProPublica.

In an aborted plan to roll out the news, the agency would have emphasized the importance of vaccinating people against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that has spread to 19 states, the records show.

A CDC spokesperson told ProPublica in a written statement that the agency decided against releasing [Read More]

By JESSE ADAM MARKOS, ESQ.
Wachler & Associates, P.C.

Michigan is currently facing a shortage of physicians, especially in the state’s many rural and underserved areas.  In response, efforts are being made to remove barriers to entry for high-quality providers, like the often-confusing licensing process across state lines.  More specifically, the Michigan Legislature has recently taken action to renew Michigan’s standing as part of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (“ILMC”) and to ensure that it can remain within the compact permanently.  The ILMC streamlines the licensing process for physicians seeking to practice across state lines and has proven successful in increasing access to care.  However, Michigan’s participation in the compact is currently [Read More]

By NICOLETTE TABER
Dickinson Wright

On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (“the Departments”) issued their 2024 Report to Congress on the enforcement and implementation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (“MHPAEA”). This regularly required report follows the Departments’ Final Rules issued in September 2024. (For more information on the September 2024 Final Rules, click here to read my previous article on this topic).

The 142-page report to Congress highlights the Departments’ efforts to strengthen and enforce the protections of MHPAEA, the Departments’ efforts to raise awareness of MHPAEA by working with federal and state partners, and areas of [Read More]

Possible Federal Cuts To Medicaid, Education Always On Flood’s Mind

State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks and State Budget Office Director Jen Flood said they have been watching the federal government “daily” to see if any changes could hit what the state expects in their 2026 budget.

Speaking at an Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) event, Flood said she has seen proposed federal cuts to nearly $900 million in Medicaid funding and a possible 10 percent removal from education in federal grant funding because of the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.

“I can say Medicaid is on my mind every day right now. Michigan is one of the states that actually draws [Read More]

A Rep. Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills) bill providing parity for cancer patients who take treatments orally at home was introduced in the House on early this month.

Currently, chemotherapy received intravenously at a hospital or clinic is covered by insurance, and is cheaper because it’s billed as a service. Oral chemotherapies, however, are only covered if an IV form is not available, and they have a more expensive out-of-pocket cost because they’re billed as a drug.

Steckloff said the types of chemotherapy available in both forms are “staggering”, leading Michiganders who want to take treatments orally to pay completely out-of-pocket.

Her own oral chemotherapy medication is only covered because there isn’t an IV alternative available, [Read More]

“Is public health prepared for the future?” was a question posed and answered today by Michigan Association of Local Public Health Executive Director Norm Hess. The answer, he said, is no.

During his presentation before the House Health Policy Committee, Hess said the current local public health system is underfunded, understaffed and underappreciated, which could lead to a decreased ability to respond if the state faces another widespread public health emergency.

Hess said part of the problem comes from divided public perception about public health after health officers had to make “very difficult decisions” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Public health officers were sometimes faced with option one, which was sticky, option two, which [Read More]

By EWA MATUSZEWSKI
We are entering the era of the community health worker (CHW). With decades-old roots in public and community health, it took a pandemic to truly recognize the value of the community health worker role in connecting community with clinician. Now it’s time to spread the word.

There are few barriers to entry for this in-demand position. It doesn’t require a college degree or a healthcare background. The basic requirements are a high school diploma or equivalent and being at least 18 years old.  The average annual salary is about $45,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Plus, the CHW role truly welcomes all – immigrants with knowledge of [Read More]

By DANIEL AYYASH, WACHLER & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

Overview

On February 28, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new efforts by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) through its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the quality and safety of nursing homes, protect vulnerable residents and the healthcare heroes who care for them, and crack down on bad actors. The Administration expressed its commitment to these urgent actions as its first steps toward fulfilling a broader goal to ensure taxpayer dollars go towards the safe, adequate, and respectful care seniors and people with disabilities deserve – not to the pockets of predatory owners and operators who seek to maximize [Read More]