Latest KFF Health News Stories
Overwhelmed Hospitals Fret As Reinforcements Get Tougher To Find
At Wisconsin’s Mayo Clinic Health System, “a bed is a gift right now,” said one administrator.
Refusing To Wear Masks: Sanford CEO Quits; Nurse Shows Off On TikTok
Kelby Krabbenhoft had been president and CEO since 1996. The health system named Bill Gassen as its new president and chief executive. And in Oregon, an oncology nurse was put on leave after a video showed her mocking her coworkers’ response to her lack of COVID-19 precautions.
Hairline Fracture In Foot Lands Biden In Walking Boot For Several Weeks
A CT scan taken Sunday revealed a midfoot break that President-elect Joe Biden sustained while playing with his German Shepherd.
Biden Beefs Up His Coronavirus Task Force
A nurse, epidemiologist and Navajo Nation Department of Health director are the three latest members to join the Biden transition team. Other aspects of the president-elect’s plans to tackle the pandemic are also in the news.
Can Lame-Duck Congress Push Through Stimulus Package?
With weeks left in their current term, lawmakers return to Capitol Hill as the accumulating financial stress of the pandemic on Americans adds to the urgency of relief negotiations.
Republican State Senator Learns He Has COVID At Meeting With Trump
The president, who announced Oct. 2 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, may still be reaping the benefits of COVID antibodies. But scientists still aren’t sure how long they protect people from getting infected a second time.
Lower Medicare Drug Costs Could Pose Serious Challenge To Providers
But Modern Healthcare points out the new Trump administration rule seeking to benefit patients will likely be challenged in the courts.
High Court Shifts To Right As Barrett Plays Decisive Role in COVID Ruling
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 on Wednesday to bar New York from reimposing limits on religious gatherings. Gov. Andrew Cuomo claimed Thursday that the ruling was “moot” because the groups are now out of the most-restrictive tiers. Still, the ruling was the first significant indication of a rightward shift since Justice Amy Coney Barrett took the bench last month.
Worries High Over COVID Spikes As Thanksgiving Travelers Head Home
Determining the severity of new infections acquired during Thanksgiving gatherings will take at least four weeks as the virus runs through its cycle. To try to contain the spread even further, some experts recommend that travelers quarantine and get tested.
Canada Restricts Export Of Prescription Drugs In Limited Supply
In response to a new U.S. rule allowing the bulk import of certain prescriptions drugs, Canada moves to safeguard its access to medications in shorter supply.
‘A Really Dangerous Time’: Task Force Warns Of Huge Surges Coming
Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, Surgeon General Jerome Powell and testing czar Brett Giroir all pleaded with the public to battle COVID fatigue and double down on precautions over the next few weeks.
First Doses Of Pfizer’s Vaccine Arrive In US By Chartered Flights
The trip from Belgium is the first step in a complex supply chain required to manufacture, transport and store the vaccine in anticipation of FDA emergency use authorization.
Who Gets The Shots First? CDC Panel Set To Vote
With available early batches of COVID-19 vaccine limited, a CDC panel of advisers will meet Tuesday to hammer out recommendations on who will get inoculated in the first wave.
Moderna Applying Today For FDA Approval Of 94%-Effective Vaccine
Moderna released final testing data that shows its vaccine to be 94.1% effective. Of the few trial participants who contracted COVID-19, a “remarkable” zero developed a severe form of the disease.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to Avoid a Big Bill for Your COVID Test
Tests for the coronavirus are supposed to be free. And, usually, they are. But sometimes … things happen. Here’s how to avoid getting a surprise bill for a test.
Thousands of Doctors’ Offices Buckle Under Financial Stress of COVID
Across the nation, primary care practices that were already struggling are closing, victims of the pandemic’s financial fallout. And this is reducing access to health care, especially in rural and other regions already short on doctors.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to sit back and enjoy. Our Thanksgiving edition includes stories on COVID, Down syndrome, the world’s most premature twins, chemicals in children’s toys and Obamacare.
Editorial writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Drug Abuse Treatment Plan Follows Decriminalization Effort
Oregon must develop a drug abuse recovery system; Detroit approves the sale of recreational marijuana.