AASM member Col. Vincent Mysliwiec, MD, recently discussed with the Army News Service how the quality of a soldier's sleep has a direct bearing on their readiness. To draw attention to the high prevalence of sleep problems among soldiers and veterans, the AASM drafted a House of Representatives resolution (H. Res. 46), which was recently introduced in the 115th Congress.

Last week, President Trump released a $1.1 trillion budget blueprint for fiscal year (FY) 2018 that would boost U.S. defense spending by $54 billion. This increase would be offset by targeted reductions to foreign aid and non-defense agencies and departments.

This week the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that The American Health Care Act, which has been proposed by House Republicans as a replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), would result in 24 million Americans losing their health insurance while raising premiums for those covered on the individual market.

As Republican lawmakers continue to work on passing The American Health Care Act (AHCA), state-run high-risk pools could make a comeback. Some experts have touted high-risk pools as a better, less-market-distorting way to provide care to patients with pre-existing conditions, while others say the pools are expensive and unsustainable.

The Colorado Dental Board has created a committee comprising members of Colorado’s Dental Board and a member of the Colorado Medical Board to examine the current Dentist and Dental Hygienist Practice Act to determine if these rules and regulations should be revised to allow for more dental involvement in the management of obstructive sleep apnea.

On March 6, House Republicans unveiled their broad plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act (i.e., Obamacare). Known as The American Health Care Act, the legislation would repeal and replace Obamacare with the stated intent of transitioning to a more patient-centered health care system.

As Congress focuses on major health care reform to replace the Affordable Care Act, Republican congressional leadership will recommend eliminating the restriction that allows insurance companies to sell only in the states where they have obtained license from the regulatory authority.

As Congress considers repealing the Affordable Care Act, the concept of a health savings account (HSA) is at the forefront of replacement program discussions.

On Jan. 11, 2017, then President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate President Obama’s current Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health, David J. Shulkin, MD, to become the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA). Dr. Shulkin will lead the government’s second-largest agency with nearly 370,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $166 billion.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently issued an advisory circular addressing fatigue risk management for the aviation maintenance industry, noting that these personnel tend to get 3 hours less sleep per night than is recommended.