President Joe Biden nominated Arati Prabhakar to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Colorado, the District of Columbia, and New Jersey.

• Colorado: Colorado on Thursday became the first state to receive a federal waiver to create a public health insurance plan called the "Colorado Option" that could act as a roadmap for other states that want to expand affordable coverage. The plan, which will be available on Colorado's Affordable Care Act exchange starting in 2023, would compete with private plans with premiums that 22.3% lower, on average. Notably, the "Colorado Option" is expected to save the federal government $214 million in premium tax credit subsidies in 2023. By the time the waiver expires in 2027, an estimated 32,000 Colorado residents could receive coverage through the option. "We encourage all states to consider innovative ways to use section 1332 waivers in the future to expand and improve coverage and lower costs for their residents," said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. (Dreher, Axios, 6/24)

• District of Columbia: President Biden on Tuesday nominated Arati Prabhakar to lead the OSTP, pending Senate confirmation. Previously, Prabhakar served as the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Her nomination follows the departure of Eric Lander, who resigned after an investigation into bullying and misconduct in the workplace. If the Senate confirms Prabhakar to the position, she will serve as the chief advisor for science and technology, a co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and a member of the President's Cabinet. "Dr. Prabhakar is a brilliant and highly-respected engineer and applied physicist and will lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy to leverage science, technology, and innovation to expand our possibilities, solve our toughest challenges, and make the impossible possible," said President Biden. (Gonzalez, Becker's Hospital Review, 6/23)

• New Jersey: Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) issued a recall for 67 lots of its intraosseous needle set kits, manual driver kits, and powered drivers, over the potential of a needlestick injury and nonfunctioning access. According to BD, there are three potential results from the recalled products, including an inability or "difficulty separating the stylet from the intraosseous needle," the stylet not deploying the needle, or the powered driver "sticking unexpectedly to the magnet." The recalled products were manufactured between Sept. 10, 2019, and Dec. 7, 2021. Notably, since there are no available replacements for the products, the recall could result in delayed intraosseous procedures. (Twenter, Becker's Hospital Review, 6/23)