Here are eight federal updates from the last two weeks:
1. HHS announced Jan. 25 it is providing more than $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund phase 4 payments, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, to more than 7,600 providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. The White House formed a task force that will prepare for the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and other pandemic threats.
3. Angela Ramirez was named HHS deputy chief of staff.
4. The state of Georgia is suing HHS after the agency implemented changes that removed a requirement for Medicaid beneficiaries to work in order to be eligible for coverage. The lawsuit is a response to an "unlawful and arbitrary attempt to cherry-pick pieces of an already agreed-to bargain," according to a statement from Gov. Brian Kemp.
5. HHS will provide a multimillion dollar fund for public health and disaster preparedness to the American Hospital Association through a partnership over the next five years.
6. Nineteen senators co-signed a letter to HHS and CMS urging the agencies to cover at-home COVID-19 tests for Medicare beneficiaries.
7. Here are eight high-profile healthcare policies from President Joe Biden's first year in office.
8. CMS has issued an array of COVID-19 vaccination deadlines in states to comply with the agency's mandate for healthcare facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Here are all the states' dates in one place.