Trending News Today: 21st Century Cures Act Signed into Law

Yesterday, President Barack Obama signed the 21^st Century Cures Act, which will provide $6.3 billion in funding for multiple initiatives. President Obama said that the bill will lead to new breakthroughs in health challenges, such as cancer, substance misuse disorders, mental health disorders, and more, according to USA Today. Vice President Joseph Biden also believes that this bill will change the field of cancer research for the better.

The federal government is moving quickly to give the $500 million in funding from the passage of the 21^st Century Cures Act to states that have been affected the most by the opioid epidemic, USA Today reported. The government is also urging local officials to use the new funding on treating patients with opioid misuse disorder, rather than other substance misuse-related initiatives. This is especially important in rural areas where healthcare providers that can treat these patients remain scarce.

A recently created report card for the Affordable Care Act highlights the successes of the health law, such as driving down the uninsured rate to the lowest in history, and improving financial security among individuals who require medical care. The report card also states that the high premium increases for 2017 was not a reflection of future market instability, but was a one-time occurrence, according to CNBC. If the Affordable Care Act was not implemented, the report suggests that the average employer-based health insurance premium would have likely been $3600 higher.