Latest KFF Health News Stories
LabCorp Gets Home COVID Test Approved
The FDA issues an emergency use authorization for a COVID test that can be purchased without a prescription. Erectile dysfunction drug is recalled; Amazon’s new band gets a mixed review.
Fewer Denials? CMS Aims To Reform Prior Authorization For Medicaid
The goals are to ensure that care is not delayed, integrity is maintained and administrative costs aren’t increasing, CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a statement.
Supreme Court Rules Against PBMs
Justices ruled that an Arkansas law can be used to regulate pharmacy benefit managers. In other news, a federal district court ruled against a law requiring women seeking abortion medication to visit a doctor’s office.
Stimulus Bill Negotiations Go Nowhere
Suspending liability for employers of health care workers stricken by COVID was an issue, but negotiations hung up on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s refusal to support $160 billion in aid to states and municipalities.
Veterans’ Health Care Snags Omnibus Spending Bill
Efforts to pass an omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government until Oct. 1, 2021, are hung up in a fight over how to pay for veterans’ health care.
Whistleblower: CDC Told To Destroy Documents
The chief of the scientific publications branch and editor-in-chief of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report at at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said she was told to delete an email from a Trump operative working inside Health and Human Services.
Hospital personnel, yes. But where do teachers, airline pilots, farmworkers and food servers fall in the queue to get the vaccine?
Side Effects: Seizures and Awful Rashes
News outlets focus on five things to know about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and how long immunity lasts, as well.
Avoiding Holiday Parties This Year Is Not Being A Grinch. It’s Being Safe
Dr. Michael Osterholm, who is one of President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus advisers, warned people to stay away from large celebrations this year. Also, several outlets look at how groups are scaling back their celebrations or deciding how to travel safely.
Now, When Does The Vaccine Roll Out?
And how much will roll out? Two questions that the Trump administration is still unclear about.
Australian COVID Vaccine Trial Stopped
Engineering a fix could take a year. The episode shows why governments seek multiple sources of vaccines.
After Major Setback, GSK/Sanofi Vaccine Will Be Delayed To End Of ’21
The vaccine failed to trigger the desired immune response in people ages 50 and older, forcing the company to rethink its antigen formulation. The news is a blow for many governments who had ordered millions of doses of the shot, including the United States.
Daily Death Toll Likely To Exceed 9/11 Fatalities For Many Weeks, CDC Says
The messaging has been wrong, CDC director Robert Redfield said: “It’s very disappointing when I have governors who basically feel that masks don’t work.” His agency predicts a death toll of 362,000 in the U.S. by Jan. 2.
FDA Panel Endorses Pfizer Vaccine For Those 16 And Older
The benefits outweigh the risks, a committee of experts advised Thursday in a 17-4 vote, with one person abstaining. The FDA is likely to sign off soon; shots could begin going into arms in just days.
Moderna Begins Testing Vaccine On Kids, Has 2021 School Year In Its Sights
The company announced Thursday that it has begun dosing children as young as 12 with its mRNA vaccine. The 3,000 healthy participants will receive two doses, 28 days apart.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
I Found My Secret to Feeling Younger and Stronger. The Pandemic Stole It Away.
What’s a 67-year-old to do when COVID-19 shuts down the volunteering gigs that were his personal fountain of youth?
Going Home for the Holidays? For Many Americans, That’s a Risky Decision
Public health officials have urged Americans to hunker down, but people are still planning trips and contemplating ways to mitigate the risk of catching or spreading the coronavirus.
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Farmworkers, Firefighters and Flight Attendants Jockey for Vaccine Priority
Everyone — from toilet paper manufacturers to patient advocates — is lobbying state advisory boards, arguing their members are essential, vulnerable or both — and, thus, most deserving of an early vaccine.