Health and Media

Rep Vern Buchanan (R-FL) introduced two bills to extend flexible health care options to Americans in need of timely care. Rep Buchanan introduced the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) to remove obstructive geographic limitations to telehealth services and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R.

The Kūpuna Collective is a health-centered coalition that brings together a network of partners across the state of Hawai’i.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX), Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced bipartisan legislation to keep kids off social media and help protect them from its harmful impacts. The Kids Off Social Media Act (S.278) would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding algorithmically-targeted content to users under the age of 17.

Mass General Brigham (MGB) is a large hospital system in the greater Boston area. MGB employs more than 1,200 clinicians, who serve more than 1.25 million patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MGB identified disparities in patients’ access to video visits and its patient gateway. Unsurprisingly, those who were not using the patient gateway were largely members of racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly those whose primary language was not English. In response, MGB began initiatives aimed at increasing health equity and digital access.

NaLA’s Annual Consumer Survey sheds light on life without the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Results from over 68,000 respondents, collected between November 1 and 20, 2024, highlight the critical need for the Lifeline and ACP programs to connect low-income households. This year, NaLA’s survey also included more than 30,000 personal testimonies from Lifeline and/or former ACP participants. These stories underscore the profound impact of both programs on consumers and the urgent need for continued support. Key findings include:

The mortality rate from COVID-19 was about 50% lower in U.S. counties with higher internet access in the summer and early fall of 2020. A new University of Michigan study found that broadband connection was a key factor in reducing mortality and incidence during the early months of the pandemic. The average county with high internet access had 48%-53% fewer new COVID-19 deaths and 19%-34% fewer new COVID deaths per 100,000 residents than the average county with low internet access.

As they entered office at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2021, Xavier Becerra and his allies had a plan to restore Americans’ faith in the nation’s beleaguered public health agencies. Four years later, the pandemic has receded. But trust in America’s health agencies has not recovered.

The Rural Utilities Service announces the acceptance of applications under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program for fiscal year (FY) 2025, subject to the availability of funding. This notice is being issued prior to passage of a FY 2025 Appropriations Act in order to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage financing, prepare and submit their applications, and give the Agency time to process applications within FY 2025. Based on FY 2024 appropriated funding, the Agency estimates that approximately $40 million will be available for FY 2025.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the launch of a major update to the Mapping Broadband Health in America platform, expanding its capacity to analyze the intersection of broadband connectivity and a range of critical health outcomes, including new variables to better examine maternal health.

In 2022, President Joe Biden (D-DE) signed the Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act, which directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to “incorporate publicly available data on maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity into the agency’s Mapping Broadband Health in America platform, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” The bipartisan bill was introduced in 2021 by Sens.