Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers delve into these covid and vaccine issues.
Editorial writers weigh in on adolescent stress management, cybersecurity in healthcare and Texas women’s health care issues.
FDA Tries To Fill The Gap For Smoking-Cessation Drug Chantix
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Perspectives: Mail-Order Prescriptions Unfairly Ensnared In War On Opioids
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Global Progress Against HIV, TB, Malaria Faltered During Pandemic
The impact of covid extended even into the battle against other diseases, according to a new report. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added Sri Lanka, Jamaica and Brunei to its covid travel alert list, France’s doctors ask for protection against death threats, and more.
Covid The Worst Public Health Threat? No: Climate Change, Med Journals Say
More than 200 medical journals from around the world have collaborated to issue a joint statement warning of “catastrophic harm” to health from climate change caused by emissions. Meanwhile, researchers say hiding indoors from wildfire smoke is ineffective for protecting health.
Louisiana Nursing Homes Lose Licenses After Hurricane Evacuations, Deaths
Four people died after more than 800 residents were moved to a warehouse, where conditions became hellish. Other news is from California, Wisconsin, New York, Mississippi and Colorado.
CMS To Bolster Some State Reinsurance Programs With $452M Infusion
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is set to announce, Axios reports, that it will support more than a dozen state programs that pay insurers to help cover the cost of extremely expensive health care needed by some customers, in an effort to keep premiums low for more people.
Elizabeth Holmes Gets Her Day In Court As Theranos Trial Begins Today
At the heart of the matter are thousands of patients whom Holmes and Theranos are accused of defrauding: a mother misled about her pregnancy, a patient told to stop taking heart medication and patients who received false HIV-positive results, NBC reports.
FDA: Paperwork Not Filed Before Covid Microbiome Drug Tested On Humans
Kaleido Biosciences has been warned by the Food and Drug Administration that it broke paperwork procedure in clinical tests of a microbiome therapeutic aimed at treating covid. In other news, miniature brain-like structures have been grown in the lab to boost Parkinson’s disease research.
Vaccine Mandates Face New Lawsuits, Local Pushback
Health workers in Detroit and Maine filed legal challenges to employee vaccine requirements. State leaders in Arizona and Oregon are also at odds with measures enacted by city governments.
C Is For Covid, As Outbreaks, Mask Rules, Quarantines Impact Schooling
Pennsylvania schools now have a mask mandate, but Utah’s conflicting mask rules frustrate parents. In Indiana’s schools, 7,200 new cases were reported. Unmasked kids are stressing teachers, and some schools opt to buy high-tech air purifiers to battle covid infections, as covid is upsetting education.
DeSantis Wrong About Vaccines, Fauci Says; Covid Swamps Georgia Schools
Dr. Anthony Fauci called Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “completely incorrect” for saying vaccines are merely a “personal choice.” News outlets cover deaths amid surges across Florida. Meanwhile, more than 24,000 positive cases have hit schools in Georgia since the academic year started.
From Alaska To Idaho And Beyond, Covid Surges Stress Hospital Systems
The situation in Idaho is so bad that the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare acted to allow hospitals to ration health care. In Texas pediatric covid hospitalizations hit a record high, and medical staff in Baltimore are tired out after treating “tens of thousands” of covid patients.
3 In 4 US Adults At Least Partly Vaccinated Against Covid
The White House revealed that 75% of US adults have had at least one covid jab. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca’s CEO is pushing back against the urgent need for booster shots, even as other experts debate exactly what booster shot regimes that research currently supports.
Afghan Refugees At Wisconsin Army Base Embracing Covid Shots
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes “nearly all” of the refugees at Fort McCoy are accepting covid shots. But Fox News notes a case of measles was found among the Afghans, prompting isolations and vaccinations. Separate reports show the mass arrival of refugees in Virginia upset hospital systems.
Abortion Decriminalized In Mexico By Its Supreme Court
In a unanimous ruling, Mexico’s Supreme Court justices paved the way for historic changes in the predominantly Roman-Catholic nation. The potential implications of the decision for people in Texas — where abortion access have been severely curtailed — is also in the news.
Tragic Covid Benchmarks: 650,000 Dead In US; More 2021 Cases Than All Of 2020
As the American death toll ticked past 650,000 people, the nation also broke another record: 20,146,000 confirmed covid cases in just over 8 months exceeded last year’s total. Altogether, 40 million cases have been reported in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas Governor Defends Abortion Law’s Treatment Of Rape, Incest Victims
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says his state’s restrictive law doesn’t force victims of rape to give birth because “it provides at least six weeks for a person to get an abortion.” He also vowed to “eliminate all rapists.” Fallout from the law continues as three San Antonio clinics shutter and “tip” sites hit setbacks.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.