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The Biden administration on Friday proposed the creation of a $6.5 billion medical research agency with an audacious goal: quickly developing cures for diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. If the agency is established, it could mark a fundamental shift in how the U.S. government funds research, steering the emphasis from basic science to higher-risk projects more directly aimed at major medical breakthroughs. (Facher, 4/9)

President Joe Biden's budget request to Congress proposes the creation of a new agency dedicated to cancer research, billions of dollars in funding to help end the opioid epidemic and an investment in the rural health workforce. As Biden's first budget request to Congress as president, it offers a look at his priorities on healthcare and education, with increases in discretionary—or optional spending—across the board. A proposal detailing mandatory spending requests—which includes Medicaid and Medicare—will come later, White House officials said Friday. (Hellmann, 4/9)

The Biden administration is asking Congress to bolster public health funding yet again — a call the White House says is necessary to prepare the country for the next pandemic and address public health crises that have been pushed amid Covid-19. Biden called for a $1.6 billion funding increase for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a boost that represents almost a quarter of the agency’s current budget — to help increase core public health capacity at the federal and state level. The money could also be used to help build out public health data infrastructure and train new public health experts. (Cohrs, 4/9)

KHN: Biden Seeks $400 Billion To Buttress Long-Term Care. A Look At What’s At Stake. 
There’s widespread agreement that it’s important to help older adults and people with disabilities remain independent as long as possible. But are we prepared to do what’s necessary, as a nation, to make this possible? That’s the challenge President Joe Biden has put forward with his bold proposal to spend $400 billion over eight years on home and community-based services, a major part of his $2 trillion infrastructure plan. (Graham, 4/12)

President Joe Biden is proposing a historic infusion of federal money into housing as part of his $2 trillion infrastructure package, but the plan is already running into doubts about whether it’s enough and resistance from the very people he needs to make it a reality. A key element of Biden’s $213 billion proposal is offering cities federal dollars to encourage them to ease zoning rules that drive up housing costs, impede the construction of affordable homes and often prevent people of color from moving in. But housing advocates and economists say Biden’s decision to rely solely on financial incentives without including more punitive actions to force changes could dampen the plan’s effect on one of the major drivers of the affordable housing crisis in the U.S., particularly in the largest metro areas. (O'Donnell, 4/10)

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KHN: ‘Explained By KHN’: Health Insurance Help In Covid Relief Law
The twists and turns of the American health system can sometimes leave people lost, confused and looking for answers. We’ve created a new video series — “Explained by KHN” — in which our correspondents and editors answer common health care and health policy questions. The $1.9 trillion covid relief package that President Joe Biden signed into law in March includes more money to help Americans pay their health insurance premiums for the next two years. KHN correspondent Emmarie Huetteman explains some of the changes that could help consumers.  (4/12)

“The average rapist rapes about six times," President Biden said in remarks April 9. During an economic briefing, the president touted his budget proposal, highlighting additional funding for programs funded by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 — a bill that Biden had shepherded to passage as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In particular, he highlighted a push to provide additional funds to end a backlog in rape kits. Then he mentioned this statistic — and stepped into a hornet’s nest of fierce debate among specialists on sexual assault. (Kessler, 4/12)