The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 requires most health plans or health insurers that offer coverage for mental health conditions or substance use disorders to make these benefits comparable to those offered for medical and surgical benefits. This means that deductibles, copays, out-of-pocket maximums, and treatment limitations for mental health or substance use disorders must not be more restrictive than corresponding requirements or parameters offered for medical and surgical benefits.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate awarded $259M to the U.S. Department of Defense to assist in the acquisition of technical services, in support of S&T’s Counter-Unmanned System Threats efforts. Under this contract, complex research and development activities will be performed to fight off new threats from unmanned systems. The work involves researching, developing, and testing capabilities related to cyber vulnerabilities of Countering-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) technologies.
For over 30 years, the International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference has offered informative sessions and unique hands-on training designed to tackle the most pressing hazmat issues at all levels of experience. At this event, participants can expect to get hands-on training across a range of essential topics.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate is developing new technology to help the Coast Guard improve maritime safety and navigation in the North Atlantic Ocean. When complete, Project Titanic will fuse satellite-based Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery with ship reporting systems to detect, identify, and report iceberg locations to the maritime community. This update explains the technology in further detail.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus announced specific actions being taken to address the termination of Title 42 public health order. Click here to read this statement in full.
Tuesday, April 4, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Resilient Assistance for Mitigation for Environmentally Resilient Infrastructure and Construction by Americans Act. The act more than doubles the allowable funding calculation under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program for additional projects, like resilient building codes.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $1.5 billion to the Department of the Interior’s Wildland Fire Management Program to address wildfire risk and prepare communities and ecosystems against the threat of wildfire. The department released a roadmap for achieving the objectives in coordination with federal, non-federal and Tribal partners.
The Department of Homeland Security works to secure and manage our borders while building a fair and orderly immigration system. DHS is implementing a comprehensive strategy to address a potential increase in the number of border encounters. The strategy includes: 1) Acquiring and deploying resources to address increased volumes; 2) Delivering a more efficient and fair immigration process; 3) Processing and removing those who do not have valid claims; and 4) Working with other countries in the Western Hemisphere to manage migration and address root causes.
Achieving classical herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may not be attainable, according to a new perspective published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. However, widespread use of currently available public health interventions to prevent and control COVID-19 will enable resumption of most activities of daily life with minimal disruption, the authors note.
Data continues to show the importance of vaccination and booster doses to protect individuals both from infection and severe outcomes of COVID-19. The CDC is updating its recommendations to allow certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 who received an initial booster dose at least 4 months ago to be eligible for another mRNA booster to increase their protection against severe disease from COVID-19.
