Senate

The Senate confirmed Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, as the next CMS administrator in a vote Thursday.

The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm the heads of two major federal health agencies.

The United States Senate Committee on Finance voted to advance the nomination of Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, to be the next administrator of CMS.

The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted to advance the nominations of probable new NIH and FDA leaders to the full senate.

Lawmakers grilled Martin Makary, MD, MPH, on transparency, his plans for mifepristone and his stance on the recently cancelled Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting during Thursday’s senate hearing to be the next FDA commissioner.

As of Feb. 1, there have been at least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths across the United States related to influenza during the 2024-2025 season, according to the CDC.

The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next HHS secretary.

On Dec. 16, the House passed S141, a reform bill that would include optometry in the physician pay scale, according to an American Optometric Association press release.

A recently proposed U.S. Senate bill aims to crack down on social media influencers and others online who make misleading comments about pharmaceutical drugs.

A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would require private health plans to continue to pay for dialysis for beneficiaries with end-stage kidney disease while they coordinate a transition to Medicare coverage.