The Senate on Thursday voted to send President Trump two major spending packages to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2020 that include several health care provisions, such as eliminating three Affordable Care Act taxes and raising the federal minimum tobacco-purchasing age to 21.

Candidates seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for president during Thursday's primary debate again clashed over so-called "Medicare-for-All" proposals—closing out the final debate of this year with a topic that has dominated the Democratic presidential primary debates so far.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D) and entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who are among the candidates competing for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, this week released their respective health reform plans.

Sleep apnea affects millions of Americans, but for many, proper diagnosis and treatment are out of reach, Austin Frakt—who holds positions at Veterans Affairs, Boston University's School of Public Health, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health—and Aaron Carroll, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, write for the New York Times' "The Upshot."

HHS on Wednesday issued a notice of proposed rulemaking and draft guidance that together would allow states and drugmakers to import lower-cost versions of prescription drugs from other countries—though the proposals exclude certain high-cost and specialty drugs, such as biologics and insulin, that have been major concerns in discussions about U.S. drug pricing.

The House on Tuesday voted to approve two major spending packages that would allocate a total of nearly $1.4 trillion to fund the federal government, including health agencies, through the end of fiscal year 2020.

A federal judge on Monday rejected a request from the American Hospital Association and others to block site-neutral payment cuts to off-campus hospital facilities, which are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2020.

Congressional negotiators on Monday released a nearly $1.4 trillion spending agreement that would fund the federal government, including health agencies, through the end of fiscal year 2020 and includes several health care provisions—such as measures to permanently repeal three Affordable Care Act taxes, delay cuts to Medicaid disproportionate-share hospital payments, raise the minimum tobacco purchasing age, and more.

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to approve a proposal to create a three-digit dialing code for the United States' suicide-prevention hotline.

FDA on Friday approved the first fully disposable duodenoscope, which is designed to eliminate the potential risk of infection that is tied to reusable scopes.