Latest KFF Health News Stories
Sebelius, Looking Back At ACA, Says The Country’s Never ‘Seen This Kind Of Battle’
On KHN’s “What the Health? ” podcast, the former secretary of Health and Human Services says she continued to believe during the debate 10 years ago on the health law that it would eventually gain some Republican support. But that never happened.
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health issues and others.
Research Roundup: Heart Health, Vaccination Rates, Pregnancy Risks And More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
For First Time Since Crisis Began, China Reports No New Infections For The Day
The virus has killed 3,245 people in China so far, making up over a third of the global toll, but in recent weeks the country has been making strides in controlling the spread. Now, Beijing is mounting a humanitarian aid blitz in countries struggling with their own outbreaks.
While there are serious limitations to using telemedicine, it can be a powerful triage tool. Technology news is on smart thermometers and social media, as well.
In New York and California, officials tightened restrictions and opened up new shelters for homeless while cases continue to rise. More states, like Maine, took action to close restaurants and bars, and campuses made facilities available, like Middlebury in Vermont, which thawed its ice rink. But in Florida, the governor drew criticism for a slow response.
While some states are seeking Medicaid flexibility to handle the crisis, others are pushing ahead with plans to tighten their programs. Meanwhile, the outbreak is straining states’ already tight budgets to the breaking point. And Native American tribes across the country turn inward, expecting little help from a federal government that has let them down time and again.
WHO Launches Global Solidarity Project To Ramp Up Clinical Trials For Coronavirus Drugs
“Multiple small trials with different methodologies may not give us the clear strong evidence we need about which treatments help to save lives,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Scientists around the world have been racing around the clock to come up with treatments, even as a promising drug fails to show results. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump considered an executive order to expand the use of drugs in coronavirus patients, but FDA scientists objected over safety concerns. And health officials push back on rumors the ibuprofen could worsen the symptoms.
A shortage of workers threatens the $50 billion industry, but the federal government claims it will process returning H-2 workers who are eligible while ensuring public safety. Supply news is also on the strong storage system and Amazon’s temporary closure in New York.
Pausing Door-To-Door Counting: Census Suspends Field Operations For Two Weeks To Protect Employees
Concerns have been raised about how to protect the safety of people who have to go door to door and about the ability to count everyone as required by the U.S. Constitution. News is also on health concerns of U.S. postal workers.
South Korea and the United States identified their first coronavirus patient on the same days. Weeks later, South Korea has managed to easily and quickly test hundreds of thousands of its citizens, giving it the ability to isolate positive cases. The United States is still floundering. Meanwhile, when asked why rich celebrities seem to have quick access to tests that normal Americans are still being denied, President Donald Trump shrugged off the concern. “Perhaps that’s been the story of life,” he said.
Nursing Home Staffers Helped Spread Coronavirus In Seattle When Working At Multiple Facilities
The CDC determines that Seattle-area nursing facility staff members who worked at more than one home likely transferred the virus to other elder care homes. In other news on how the industry is coping with the COVID-19 outbreak: nursing homes run low on protective equipment and Florida and Illinois facilities report more cases.
Despite repeated warnings from scientists, public health experts and government officials about the importance of social distancing, many Americans are still going about their daily lives. Meanwhile, many who are keeping themselves inside wonder “how long this will all last?” The answer? No one really knows.
President Donald Trump’s new goal is to paint himself as a wartime president even though the enemy is a virus. In doing so, he might up the chances of getting a second term, as history shows that voters tend to want to keep leadership in place during a war. Meanwhile, lawmakers push for mail-in voting as turnout proves low from Tuesday’s primaries.
Editorial pages focus on the role government is playing during the pandemic.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Trump Has Invoked Wartime Powers, But What Does That Entail?
The Defense Production Act was inspired by World War II-era laws that gave the White House the ability to tell private companies what to make for the good of the country. President Donald Trump said he was invoking the power in response to predictions that the nation’s medical system will run out of masks, ventilators and hospital beds. Meanwhile, a look at how the government handled a lack of supplies in the past could offer hints about what should be done now.
President Donald Trump signed the legislation–which among other things mandates free coronavirus testing–after the Senate sent it to his desk. There were worries that the upper chamber wouldn’t move quickly on the bill, but lawmakers are already gearing up for the next round of stimulus negotiations. However, with so much money involved some wonder how a fractured Congress will pass a bipartisan package even during a crisis.
Funeral Homes, Families Ponder Deaths In The Age Of COVID-19
As the novel coronavirus marches across the country, it is upending how families and funeral homes honor the dead — and, ultimately, put them to rest.
‘A Real Gut Punch’: Many Workers Laid Off, Furloughed Or Shifted To Lower Hours Amid Economic Panic
Many of the businesses that are reducing staff say the hope is to re-hire those workers once the crisis is over. But that means little to people facing bills now. Meanwhile, states’ unemployment offices see a sharp spike in applications as a result. Media outlets look at labor forces getting hit hard from museums to manufacturers.