Latest KFF Health News Stories
The legislation would have all but ban abortions after 20 weeks and mandate care for babies of failed abortions–a measure that’s widely criticized as unnecessary by abortion rights advocates. The debate turned heated, with Republicans repeatedly accusing Democrats of favoring killing babies.
The Colorado Health Insurance Option formula’s base rate is 155% of Medicare rates, but hospitals’ individual rates would vary based on hospital type. Hospitals are still wary about the option, though. It seems likely hospitals will have to raise costs for people with insurance plans that aren’t part of the state option, said Katherine Mulready, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for the Colorado Hospital Association.
News on the epidemic is from Tennessee and Rhode Island, as well.
“The math does not add up,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said of rival and front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) “Medicare for All” plan. Sanders earlier in the week released a proposal on how he’d cover the costs of his ambitious progressive agenda, but other candidates and experts are questioning how accurate his numbers are. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden went after the front-runner as well for his past stance on guns.
The official messaging from China’s government is struggling to overcome the anger that’s been boiling up on social media about how the party’s leaders failed to handle the coronavirus outbreak. In other news out of China: new cases continue to drop, telemedicine comes in handy, medical workers are burning out, and more.
Italy Reports 45% One-Day Jump In Coronavirus Cases And Country’s Leaders Rush To Allay Panic
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte admits that a hospital in the northern town of Codogno mishandled the region’s first coronavirus case which contributed to the deadly virus’ spread. Meanwhile, a Spanish hotel is still in lock down as officials attempt to trace the infection path of an Italian doctor and his partner.
“Days make a difference with a disease like this,” said Dr. Bruce Aylward, the World Health Organization’s envoy to China. “Time is everything in this disease.” Meanwhile, talk of a potential pandemic is throwing the fate of the summer Olympics into question. Media outlets take a look at the emerging cases from around the globe.
Both Democrats And Republicans Upset With How Trump Administration Is Handling Coronavirus Threat
Administration officials fielded questions from more than a dozen senators for about an hour while HHS Secretary Alex Azar and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf faced sharp interrogations at a pair of Senate budget hearings. And criticism didn’t just come from the Democrats. “It seems to me at the outset that this request for the money, the supplemental, is low-balling it, possibly, and you can’t afford to do that,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said of the Trump administration’s initial emergency funding request. Meanwhile, the White House is scrambling to control the negative messaging around the virus as stocks plunge on fears of an outbreak.
Not A Question Of If But When: CDC Warns Americans To Prepare For Disruptive Coronavirus Outbreak
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said cities and towns should plan to take measures to brace for and then contain the spread of the virus, while everyday Americans should begin thinking about working from home. “We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare, in the expectation that this could be bad,” Messonnier said. The messaging seems at odds with WHO, which has continued to emphasize that countries can curb an outbreak. In other news from the United States: San Francisco declares a state of emergency, a U.S. soldier tests positive for the virus, racism continues to persist, and more.
Many Coronavirus Cases Are Mild, But Mortality Rate Is Still Soberingly High, Experts Say
It’s hard to determine the exact mortality rate because even experts disagree over whether there are mild or asymptomatic cases going unreported. But even at the lowest estimate — 0.7% in China outside the epicenter — it would still kill seven times more people than the flu. Meanwhile, the first clinical trial for a treatment is underway in Nebraska.
First Edition: February 26, 2020
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
As The Coronavirus Spreads, Americans Lose Ground Against Other Health Threats
Health care experts thought the battle was won against heart disease, measles, smoking, STDs and other life-threatening conditions and behaviors. Better think again.
Trusting Injection Drug Users With IV Antibiotics At Home: It Can Work
When patients need long-term treatment with intravenous antibiotics, hospitals usually let them manage their treatment at home — but not if they have a history of injection drug use. A Boston program wants to change that.
Democrats Sharpen Health Care Attacks As Primaries Heat Up
The stakes appeared higher in this debate as candidates focused on the upcoming South Carolina primary this weekend and Super Tuesday.
Sanders Embraces New Study That Lowers ‘Medicare For All’s’ Cost, But Skepticism Abounds
The research exaggerates potential savings, cherry-picks evidence and downplays some of the potential trade-offs.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical development and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Past As Prologue: Questioning Buttigieg’s Claim About Keeping Your Health Care
It’s “déjà vu all over again.”
U.S. Medical Panel Thinks Twice About Pushing Cognitive Screening For Dementia
Because seniors are at higher risk of cognitive impairment, proponents say screening asymptomatic older adults is an important strategy to identify people who may be developing dementia and to improve their care. But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force cited insufficient evidence the tests are helpful.
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.