Articles written by Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar
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Biden expands 'Obamacare' by cutting health insurance costs
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged Tuesday that his $1.9 trillion rescue package would build on the promise of the Affordable Care Act, the hallmark legislation of Barack Obama's presidency that became law 11 years ago. Biden's...
HHS pick says pandemic is top job, but agenda is broader
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health secretary nominee Xavier Becerra told senators Tuesday that confronting the coronavirus pandemic will be his first priority if confirmed, but he also pledged to expand health insurance, rein in prescription drug costs and...
Pentagon deploys troops to fuel COVID-19 vaccine drive
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will deploy more than 1,100 troops to five vaccination centers in what will be the first wave of increased military support for the White House campaign to get more Americans inoculated against COVID-19. President...
Fauci sees vaccination for kids by late spring or the summer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government's top infectious disease expert said Friday he hopes to see some kids starting to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in the next few months. It's a needed step to securing widespread immunity to the virus. Vaccines are...
Biden: We'll 'manage the hell' out of feds' COVID response
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden pledged Friday to boost supplies of coronavirus vaccine and set up new vaccination sites to meet his goal of 100 million shots in 100 days. It's part of a broader COVID strategy that also seeks to...
With virus surging, Biden to speed release of COVID vaccines
WASHINGTON (AP) — With COVID-19 surging and vaccinations off to a slow start, President-elect Joe Biden will rapidly release most available vaccine doses to protect more people, his office said Friday, a reversal of Trump administration policies....
US close on deal with Pfizer for millions more vaccine doses
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is close to a deal to acquire tens of millions of additional doses of Pfizer's vaccine in exchange for helping the pharmaceutical giant gain better access to manufacturing supplies. A person with knowledge of...
On virus, Trump and health advisers go their separate ways
WASHINGTON (AP) — A multi-state coronavirus surge in the countdown to Election Day has exposed a clear split between President Donald Trump's bullish embrace of a return to normalcy and urgent public warnings from the government's top health...
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's dubious claims on health care, court
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump isn't providing all the facts when he promises that people with preexisting medical problems will always be covered by health insurance if "Obamacare" is ruled unconstitutional. Eager to get conservative...
Cyberattack hobbles major US/UK hospital chain
WASHINGTON (AP) — Computer systems across a major hospital chain operating in the U.S. and Britain were down Monday due to what the company termed an unspecified technology "security issue." Universal Health Services Inc., which operates more than...
Trump's $200 prescription cards won't hit mailboxes just yet
WASHINGTON (AP) — If you're on Medicare, don't run to the mailbox looking for a $200 prescription drug card courtesy of President Donald Trump. Government officials said Friday that key details of Trump's election-year giveaway still have to be...
Single-dose vaccine tested as US experts say no corners cut
WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge international study of a COVID-19 vaccine that aims to work with just one dose is getting underway as top U.S. health officials sought Wednesday to assure a skeptical Congress and public that they can trust any shots the...
US experts vow 'no cutting corners' as vaccine tests expand
WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge international study of a COVID-19 vaccine that aims to work with just one dose is getting underway as top U.S. health officials sought Wednesday to assure a skeptical Congress and public that they can trust any shots the...
Business lobby raises concerns over Trump payroll tax break
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's leading business group on Wednesday raised serious concerns about President Donald Trump's move to defer Social Security payroll taxes for American workers, warning that the plan for a shot of economic relief during...
With no new law to curb drug costs, Trump tries own changes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unable to land the big deal with Congress to curb drug costs, President Donald Trump on Friday moved on his own to allow imports of cheaper medicines, along with other limited steps that could have some election-year appeal. At a...
With a jab at Trump, Pelosi unveils new 'Obamacare' bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Flicking a dismissive jab at President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a plan Wednesday to expand "Obamacare," even as Trump's administration is about to file arguments in a Supreme Court case to strike it down....
What Supreme Court? Trump's HHS pushes LGBT health rollback
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration Friday moved forward with a rule that rolls back health care protections for transgender people, even as the Supreme Court barred sex discrimination against LGBT individuals on the job. The rule from the...
Trump administration revokes transgender health protection
Washington (AP) — The Trump administration Friday finalized a regulation that overturns Obama-era protections for transgender people against sex discrimination in health care. The policy shift, long-sought by the president's religious and socially...
Lawyers: Investigators recommend whistleblower is reinstated
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal investigators have found "reasonable grounds" that a government whistleblower was punished for speaking out against widespread use of an unproven drug that President Donald Trump touted as a remedy for COVID-19, his...
Social Security and Medicare funds at risk even before virus
WASHINGTON (AP) — The financial condition of the government's two biggest benefit programs remains shaky, with Medicare expected to become insolvent in just six years, while Social Security will be unable to pay full benefits starting in 2035, the...
Administration offers plan to cover COVID care for uninsured
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced a plan Wednesday to start paying hospitals and doctors who care for uninsured patients with COVID-19, but Democratic lawmakers and health industry groups are likely to press for more. Under the...
Virus coordinator Birx is Trump's data-whisperer
WASHINGTON (AP) — For many in the public health and political worlds, Dr. Deborah Birx is the sober scientist advising an unpredictable president. She's the data whisperer who will help steer President Donald Trump as he ponders how quickly to...
Trump vs Fauci: President's gut sense collides with science
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a clash of gut instinct versus science, President Donald Trump and the government's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, are politely but publicly sparing over whether a malaria drug would work to treat people...
Feds: Virus frauds spread, preying on Medicare recipients
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scam artists are preying on older people's fears by peddling fake tests for the coronavirus to Medicare recipients, a federal law enforcement agency warned on Monday. And moving separately on another law enforcement priority, Pres...
Straight-talking Fauci explains outbreak to a worried nation
WASHINGTON (AP) — If Dr. Anthony Fauci says it, you'd be smart to listen. As the coronavirus has upended daily life across the globe, Fauci has become the trusted voice in separating fact and fiction. The fear and confusion of outbreaks aren't new...