Latest KFF Health News Stories
Trump Could Still Put Stamp On Medicare, Medicaid In Final Days
Modern Healthcare identifies six critical ways in which the Trump administration could shape future government health care policy before Joe Biden takes office.
Injection Helps Women Avoid HIV Infection
A study shows cabotegravir was 89% more effective at preventing HIV infection than Truvada pills, although both reduce that risk.
‘A Mask Is Not A Political Statement’: Biden Pushes More Mandates
While the president-elect called news of Pfizer’s vaccine efficacy a “cause for hope,” Joe Biden says Americans can not relax efforts to combat viral spread and implores more to mask up and keep social distancing.
Future Of Health Law Hinges On Today’s Supreme Court Arguments
Republican state officials and the Trump administration will argue that the justices should overturn the entire Affordable Care Act, which could upend health insurance coverage for 23 million Americans.
CMS Loosens Medicaid Managed Care Requirements
A final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services relaxes Obama-era regulations on Medicaid managed care providers.
Dire Records: 100,000 US Cases For Seven Straight Days; 59,000 In Hospital
And even as the U.S. passes the 10 million case mark since the beginning of the pandemic, the national testing system is still spotty with tests sitting unused.
Biden Focuses First Transition Work On Pandemic’s Looming ‘Dark Winter’
President-elect Joe Biden named members of his coronavirus task force and pleaded with Americans to mask up: “We could save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. Not Democratic or Republican lives, American lives.”
First Antibody Treatment Gets FDA Emergency Approval
Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab is similar to the treatment President Trump received and may possibly keep people at high risk out of the hospital.
Pfizer’s Successful COVID Vaccine Might Be Available Next Month
But the vaccine’s complex and super-cold storage requirements — it needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius (-94 F) or below — are an obstacle for even the most sophisticated hospitals in the United States and may affect when and where it is available in rural or poor areas.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘No Mercy’ Chapter 7: After a Rural Town Loses Hospital, Is a Health Clinic Enough?
In Fort Scott, Kansas, the Community Health Center’s big green-and-white sign replaced Mercy Hospital’s name on the front of the town’s massive medical building. In the final chapter of Season One: “No Mercy,” we have an appointment to see what’s inside.
Trump’s Anti-Abortion Zeal Shook Fragile Health Systems Around the World
President-elect Joe Biden inherits a global health landscape changed by the Trump administration more than under any Republican president since Ronald Reagan.
Orange County Struggles With Health Equity — And Battles State Restrictions
Disneyland can’t reopen until Orange County’s coronavirus infection rates improve — especially among its poorest and most vulnerable residents. Local officials are protesting the requirements, saying the economy will suffer, and residents’ health along with it.
Justices Bound to See ACA as ‘Indispensable,’ Says Californian Leading Defense
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that could overturn the Affordable Care Act. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is defending the law with the backing of more than 20 other states, told California Healthline that he predicts the justices will uphold it.
Búsqueda de un suero antiofídico también podría conducir a un tratamiento para COVID
El varespladib, un medicamento contra la mordedura de serpientes, tiene un efecto positivo en el síndrome de dificultad respiratoria aguda asociado con COVID-19.
Air Force Teams Deploy To El Paso; NYC Relies On Testing, Tracing
News is from Texas, New York, Maryland, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Utah, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Different Takes: Party Outside Even When It’s Cold; Worry Less About Reinfection
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health and mental health issues.
As COVID Surges, McDonald’s, Starbucks Say They Won’t Shut Dining Rooms Across The Board
Instead, restaurant chains say they’re honing safety plans to still serve customers inside where possible. In other public health news: lowering your COVID risk during holiday travel, teleworking lowers infection rates and more.
Alabama Teachers’ Group Says Doctors Are Ignoring Quarantine Guidelines
The Alabama Education Association said doctors are writing notes allowing students to return to class too early. News is on bringing back retired workers to help in Indiana hospitals, telehealth, health care jobs reports, and more.