The big picture: After almost three years, the amount of aid provided to low-income families to combat food insecurity through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will return to pre-pandemic levels.
Among people who have ever had COVID, the share who say they currently or have ever had long COVID declined from 35% in June 2022 to 28% in January 2023, according to an analysis from KFF.
The decline was driven by a reduction in the share who currently reported active symptoms, which fell from about 1 in 5 people to about 1 in 10 people, per the analysis of data from the CDC's Household Pulse Survey.
Pharmacy hours at Walmart and CVS will be reduced starting in March as the major retailers continue to deal with a nationwide shortage of pharmacy staff.
Driving the news: Walmart confirmed to Axios that its pharmacies will close at 7pm weekdays, which is two hours earlier than the current closing time of 9pm. Weekend hours will stay the same, the company said.
The Food and Drug Administration says its current rules for regulating drugs and supplements don't work for determining the safety of CBD products and is calling on Congress to help with a new approach.
Why it matters: The FDA's plan would ease restrictions that were set during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s, which several medical and LGBTQ organizations say are discriminatory.
Efforts to overhaul the prior authorization process are hitting a crescendo in state legislatures, with at least 40 states expected to consider measures that would streamline the way doctors must obtain health plan sign-offs before they can order procedures, tests or treatments.
Why it matters: As the nation emerges from the pandemic, officials like Surgeon General Vivek Murthy are blaming administrative burdens like prior authorizations for physician and health worker burnout.
