Health Stimulus Plan | AstraZeneca Suspension Fallout | Synthetic Bio Pivot

Plus: Three Australian Beetles Named For Bird Pokémon

Many Americans are anxiously awaiting the latest round of stimulus checks included in the relief package signed by President Joe Biden. But what does the American Rescue Plan mean for healthcare? There are several provisions meant to boost access to health insurance, including expanding Affordable Care Act subsidies, introducing COBRA subsidies and improving Medicaid coverage, Forbes contributor Deb Gordon reports. Taken together, these actions could help lower the rate of uninsured people at a crucial time during the Covid-19 pandemic. But the hospital industry isn’t all that happy, according to Forbes contributor Rita Numerof, with the American Hospital Association lobby saying it was disappointed there wasn’t more funding for hospital relief.

Any questions? Send me an email at kjennings@forbes.com.

Hoboken, New Jersey-based Health Recovery Solutions has seen massive growth during the pandemic as customers use its remote patient monitoring technology. The company saw revenue increase 188% to $23.5 million in the past year.  It has deals with over 220 U.S. healthcare systems—74 of which signed on during the pandemic—with over 20,000 nurses checking its logs every day.

Noteworthy

Medicaid expansion under Obamacare reduced preventable hospitalizations for people with chronic illnesses, like asthma. 

A clinical trial of a gene therapy for patients with Alzheimer’s disease is underway at University of California San Diego. 

Using clear masks can help enhance patient communication and build trust, according to a new study.

Coronavirus Updates

The controversy between AstraZeneca and the European Union continues, as the president of the European Commission blamed the company for slowing down the region’s sluggish vaccine rollout. More than a dozen countries are now refusing to use the vaccine, after reports that about 30 people developed blood clots out of 17 million who have been given the vaccine. Experts aren’t convinced yet that the clots are related to the vaccine, and have criticized the countries for their overzealous approach, saying that it could be harming efforts to end the pandemic. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization still back the vaccine, and some have suggested the bans are related more to politics than science. Read more below.

In other coronavirus news:

90 million pandemic stimulus checks have been delivered -- here’s what to do if you haven’t gotten yours yet. 

Many countries are looking into implementing systems of “vaccine passports,” but critics worry this could be discriminatory against people who don’t have access to a Covid-19 vaccine. 

Soaring alcohol sales during the pandemic spark concern in doctors. 

A new Covid-19 variant recently discovered in France is hard to detect on standard tests, which might hinder containment efforts. 

Across Forbes

• Synthetic Biology Company Amyris Swapped Biofuels For Personal Care

• The Red Color Of Mars Is Only Millimeters Thick

• Not Even $62 Million Will Buy You The First House On The Moon

What Else We Are Reading

• How Facebook got addicted to spreading misinformation (MIT Technology Review)

• Role Reversal: Covid Increases Ranks of Child Caregivers (California Healthline)

• Maggots, Rape and Yet Five Stars: How U.S. Ratings of Nursing Homes Mislead the Public (The New York Times)