Latest KFF Health News Stories
Report: Life Expectancy Is Better In Blue States With Stringent Regulations
“States that have invested in their populations’ social and economic well-being by enacting more liberal policies over time tend to be the same states that have made considerable gains in life expectancy,” the study’s authors wrote. Other public health news on vaccinations, HIV and homelessness.
Nursing Homes, Hospitals in New York Lose Immunity Over Non-COVID Care
President Donald Trump’s plan to provide nursing homes with a speedy COVID testing machine puts a limit on the number of test kits. Other nursing home news is out of Massachusetts and West Virginia.
Obituary Blaming Mask-Deniers Goes Viral
The wife of a man who died from COVID-19 blames President Trump, the governor of Texas and people who won’t wear masks for her husband’s death, while a man allegedly shoots a store employee who requests he don one.
FDA Urged To Ban Music From Prescription Drug Ads
Advocacy groups argue that the music distracts from the side effects mentioned in advertisements. In other industry news: NIH tells drug and medical device makers to release all trial data; a remdesivir alternative?; the costs of medicine; and more hand sanitizer warnings.
Trump Threatens Mail-In Voting Executive Order
“I have the right to do it,” President Donald Trump said, though he did not say what such a measure would entail. As more states consider action to protect voters’ health, the administration takes Nevada to court over its move toward universal mail-in ballots.
Study: Despite PPE, Health Care Workers 3 Times More Likely Than Public To Get COVID
Other health industry news includes: Some rural communities have no ICU beds; Oklahoma gets its third lead epidemiologist of the pandemic. Also, news from Kindred, Dignity and Tenet.
Trump Signs Medicare Order Expanding Use Of Telehealth In Rural Areas
In other news, Missouri voters will decide Tuesday whether to expand Medicaid health care coverage to thousands more low-income adults.
Slow Progress Claimed On Stimulus Bill While Trump Floats Executive Orders
President Donald Trump singled out evictions and payroll taxes as areas where he may attempt to take action, as a legislative deal on the next round of coronavirus relief is unlikely to be struck this week.
Trump Again Promises An ACA Replacement
Though he has promised a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act many times before, and never delivered, President Trump re-upped the promise. This time, by the end of August, he says.
Cases Swell In Midwest; Northeast Uptick Watched Carefully
And Mississippi is closing in on Florida to be the state with the most infections per capita. In one positive sign: the U.S. just reported the smallest daily case increase in over four weeks.
Trump Disputes Birx’s Assessment Of Outbreak’s Dangerous Phase
While characterizing the coronavirus pandemic as “receding” and “under control,” President Donald Trump reinforced a pattern of criticizing his own public health officials after Dr. Deborah Birx delivered a more dire warning.
National Guard’s Pandemic Aid To States Extended But At Higher Cost
President Donald Trump reauthorized the mission of National Guard members deployed across the U.S. to help with coronavirus response efforts. He also reduced funding though, requiring state governments to contribute millions a month to the costs.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Readers and Tweeters Defend Human — And Animal — Rights
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
When Green Means Stop: How Safety Messages Got So Muddled
Philadelphia is in the “restricted green” reopening phase. What does that mean? And why does the U.S. have so many different pandemic safety rules?
Covered California anuncia una baja récord en las primas para 2021
Covered California brinda cobertura a aproximadamente 1.5 millones de californianos que compran su propio seguro. Alrededor del 90% de ellos reciben asistencia financiera.
Listen: ACA Heading to Supreme Court — Again
KHN’s Julie Rovner joins “SCOTUStalk” podcast host Amy Howe to examine the justices’ upcoming review of the Affordable Care Act. The latest challenge to the health law by Republican state officials is expected to be heard by the court in the fall, perhaps even on Election Day.
California GOP Consultant Rues ‘Big Mistake’ That Led to Family’s COVID Infections
Richard Costigan, a well-respected fixture in state Capitol circles, has detailed his family’s ongoing experiences with COVID-19 on social media after catching the virus — he surmises — at a backyard gathering. The former Schwarzenegger aide wants people to know this virus doesn’t care who you are.
Listen: NPR Interview About Less Lethal Weapons That Can Maim Or Kill
NPR’s Ailsa Chang speaks with Jay Hancock of KHN about an investigation into the use of so-called less-lethal munitions — such as rubber bullets and bean bags — at protests, and why they’ve never been regulated.
Opinion writers weigh in on opening schools, testing, sports and other pandemic issues.