Latest KFF Health News Stories
Developing A Workable, Safe Vaccine Is Just The First Step In Long, Daunting Distribution Process
“We’re thinking about the vaccine, but what if the vials it is stored in, or rubber stoppers in the vial or the plungers in the syringes become the constraint?” said Prashant Yadav, who studies health care supply chains at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C. Experts say it could play out like the ventilator and PPE shortages. Meanwhile, scientists debate the ethics of injecting patients with COVID-19 to further vaccine research.
As U.S. Death Toll Climbs Past 63,000, Experts Scramble To Figure Out How High It Will Go
Projecting the course of the pandemic and its toll is difficult because there are complicated factors at play. Meanwhile, even as the Trump administration downplays the threat of the virus, the government has placed an order for 100,000 body bags. Meanwhile, overwhelmed New York City funeral homes and other facilities designed to hold bodies are desperately seeking help with the surge.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Trump’s Claim That U.S. Tested More Than All Countries Combined Is ‘Pants On Fire’ Wrong
When you factor in population size, the U.S. is still behind.
Do-It-Yourself Cheek Swab Tested As Next Best Thing To Detect Coronavirus
Los Angeles County is providing thousands of coronavirus self-testing kits to its citizens, but public health officials are leery of the shortage of data on whether this easier method ― in which an individual swabs his or her own cheek ― is as reliable as a less comfortable but well-established technique.
California To Widen Pipeline Of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
The nursing schools at UCLA, UCSF and UC-Davis have joined hands in a new one-year online training program for mental health care as a surge of patients is expected due to the social isolation and economic impact of COVID-19.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: SCOTUS Decides An ACA Case. No, Not THAT Case.
The Supreme Court this week, in an 8-1 decision, ruled that insurers are due the roughly $12 billion that Congress several years ago tried to cut off in payments under the Affordable Care Act’s “risk corridors” provision. And while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage in many places around the country, states are starting to reopen their economies at the urging of President Donald Trump and over objections of public health officials. Caitlin Owens of Axios and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment about COVID testing that should have been free but was not.
As Costs Concerns Mount, Gov. Newsom Pressed To Expand Medi-Cal To Seniors In Country Illegally
An estimated 1.5 million undocumented Californians remain uninsured, and advocates worry that the group will be hit hard by financial setbacks during the pandemic. In other health care costs news: free clinics try to fill gaps and what to do if insurers bill you for testing.
Should Masks Be Required On Airplanes? Democrats Pushing For Administration To Issue An Order
It’s well known that airplanes’ ventilation systems within an enclosed space is a perfect storm for spreading germs. But the FAA remains insistent that it doesn’t exist to monitor public health.
Swine Flu Offered Health System A Pandemic Dry Run, But No One Made Changes To Better Prepare
The swine flu scare didn’t materialize into a pandemic for the United States, but it exposed vulnerabilities in the health system. However, an analysis from The Wall Street Journal found that everyone in the chain put their self-interest ahead of learning from those lessons. Other preparedness news focuses on ventilators, a push for a supply chain “czar,” masks and more.
Partisan War Over Shutdowns Reflected In Congress As Senate Is Called Back And House Stays Home
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is moving ahead with his plan to call the Senate back despite the fact that many of the members are in high-risk demographics. The House scuttled its plans to return. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has named the rest of the members of the coronavirus oversight committee.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
The plans of governments and tech companies to use mobile devices to aid coronavirus tracking efforts depend on users always keeping Bluetooth on. But security and privacy researchers warn that Bluetooth can be vulnerable to hacking and is less accurate than other location services like GPS. Also in health IT news is the latest bumpiness on the road of electronic health records and the continued growth of telemedicine during the pandemic.
World Outbreak: Economies Stagger Around The Globe; Brazil’s Numbers Start To Worry Neighbors
News is reported on how coronavirus is impacting nations in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.
Media outlets report on news from New York, California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada and New Mexico.
The cards would prove people have antibodies to the disease, and while the measure might increase socio-economic and racial disparities, health experts argue they could be a short-term solution for reopening the economy and giving people a respite from social distancing. Public health news is on the health risks of living near heavily polluted air, hard-hit rural bus lines, the importance of ethnic and racial data and keeping wellness checks for children, as well.
Trying to balance the financial and health risks of coronavirus with the need to provide essential services is becoming the latest battleground for labor unions and business groups. While it might be easy in some states for health care workers to file claims, it’s not always the same case for other workers finding it hard to prove they got sick on the job. Other reports on health care workers include a behind-the-scene look at a New York City infection unit and RVs becoming temporary homes for physicians on the front lines.
New Testing Suggests There’s A Wide-Spread Outbreak Throughout Federal Prison System
New figures provided by the Bureau of Prisons show that out of 2,700 tests conducted systemwide, nearly 2,000 came back positive.
Reports of food insecurity are increasing across the nation as more people are laid off, but now it’s also showing up in areas that were once economically secure. About 1,500 cars were turned away one day last week in Egg Harbor, N.J. when the food bank ran out of supplies. Other food scarcity news is reported on SNAP recipients and the volunteer groups delivering services, as well.