September 25, 2020

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, President Trump asked me to join him at the Duke Energy Center in North Carolina where he unveiled his America First Health Care Plan. Under this plan there will be more choices, more care, lower costs, and most importantly protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

National Updates:
The National Institutes of Health is enrolling volunteers in the fourth Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating a COVID-19 investigational vaccine. This vaccine candidate is being developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS) announced the availability of $165 million in supplemental funding to states currently operating Money Follows the Person demonstration programs in order to help state Medicaid programs jump-start efforts to transition individuals with disabilities and older adults from institutions and nursing facilities to home and community-based settings of their choosing.

• CMS released a preliminary data snapshot and factsheet focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on service utilization for children age 18 and under enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionannounced$200 million for COVID-19 vaccine preparation to 64 jurisdictions through the existing Immunizations and Vaccines for Children cooperative agreement.

The Indian Health Service announced plans to expand strategic, evidence-based testing across tribal communities by distributing 300,000 tests to students who attend Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools, students at tribal colleges and universities, and elders in senior living arrangements and other special needs populations.

Until next time, this is your doctor’s note.

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D.