Healthcare
President Donald J. Trump talks about his healthcare vision and signs executive order in Charlotte NCÂ United States on September 24, 2020.
Peter Zay | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
In a speech unveiling his health-care “vision” for America, President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement: that cash cards will soon be sent to millions of seniors using the government health insurance program Medicare.
“Under my plan, 33 million Medicare beneficiaries will soon receive a card in the mail containing $200 that they can use to help pay for prescription drugs,” Trump said in North Carolina on Thursday evening.
But it’s unclear how exactly the administration will pay for the cards. A White House official told CNBC in an email that the money for the cash cards would be paid for by “a Medicare 402 demo” and that the costs would be “offset from Most Favored Nation savings.”
The official did not immediately respond to a request for further details about the 402 demo or how it would supply the funds. Medicare waivers under Section 402 apply to experimental ways to cover costs and provide services.
“These will be actual discount cards for prescription drug copays” and will be
A street seller wearing a face mask (L) proposes straw hats to tourists outside the Colosseum monument on August 22, 2020 in Rome during the Covid-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus.
VINCENZO PINTO | AFP | Getty Images
As coronavirus cases began to surge in France, Spain and the U.K. this month, there were question marks over why Italy — the epicenter of Europe’s first outbreak in spring — and Germany, Europe’s largest economy, weren’t seeing similar increases.
But looking at the most recent data, it appears Italy and Germany won’t be able to avoid a second wave of the pandemic after all.
Italy’s health ministry reported 1,640 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, up 250 cases from the previous day. On Monday, 1,350 new cases had been reported from the previous day, showing how rapidly the number of infections are rising.
Populous regions like Campania (where Naples is located), Lazio (where Rome is located) and Tuscany (the region where Europe’s first outbreak emerged), have all seen sharp rises in recent days, health ministry data shows.
An increase in the number of tests being carried out could account for the rise, with ANSA news agency citing the health ministry as
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — California will allow public health officials to participate in a program to keep their home addresses confidential, a protection previously reserved for victims of violence, abuse and stalking and reproductive health care workers.
The executive order signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom late Wednesday is a response to threats made to health officers across California during the coronavirus pandemic. More than a dozen public health leaders have left their jobs amid such harassment over their role in mask rules and stay-at-home orders.
“Our public health officers have all too often faced targeted harassment and stalking,” wrote Secretary of State Alex Padilla in a statement. This “program can help provide more peace of mind to the public health officials who have been on the frontlines of California’s COVID-19 response.”
A community college instructor accused of stalking and threatening Santa Clara health officer Sara Cody was