Latest KFF Health News Stories
Pharma Flexes Its Political Power
Big Pharma executives ignore the president’s invitation to meet at the White House. Cerevel plans to go public. Meanwhile, medical charities are forced to cut back on galas and other charity events they use to raise money.
Most Americans Do Not Approve Of Trump’s Response To Pandemic: Survey
The coronavirus crisis–and health care more broadly–are swing issues in the upcoming presidential contest between President Donald Trump and Vice President Donald Trump.
Missouri Medicaid Expansion Fight Heats Up Ahead Of Vote
Whether Missouri should expand its Medicaid program will be put to voters next Tuesday. In other Medicaid news: Texas extends pandemic flexibility; telehealth users want permanent change; and many doctors support benefits for unemployed.
GOP Lawmakers Don Masks After Cain’s Death, Gohmert’s Diagnosis
On the House floor Thursday, there was effectively universal compliance after Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s mandate to wear a mask. In other news, former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain’s death from COVID reverberates across Washington, D.C.
Recovered From COVID? Donate Blood For Plasma Treatment, Trump Urges
During a roundtable at the Red Cross headquarters, President Donald Trump and other public health officials called on coronavirus survivors to donate. “You’ve gotten through it, and I guess that means you have something very special there,” Trump said.
Wearing A Mask? Good. Now Add A Face Shield, Too
Face shields can protect against droplets, according to Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator. Along those same lines, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is testifying before Congress this morning, suggested the U.S. may eventually recommend eye goggles.
Democrats Rebuff Trump’s Pitch For Interim Extension Of $600 Jobless Aid
With progress on a larger stimulus package at an impasse, the White House floated a short-term bill to extend the $600 unemployment benefit that expires today. House Democrats knocked down the idea.
Surge Of New COVID Cases Appears To Be Stabilizing, But Deaths Still Rising
Public health experts warn that the positive trend could slip back if Americans aren’t vigilant. And states like Arizona, Florida and Mississippi continue to break records for confirmed new cases.
Study: Little Kids Carry A Large Load Of Coronavirus
A new study says children younger than age 5 may host up to 100 times as much of the coronavirus in the upper respiratory tract as adults. While it does not prove that infected children are contagious, the findings will undoubtedly figure in the contentious the debate on how to reopen schools.
Testing Backlog Better, Giroir Says; Data System Worse, Health Officials Say
The Trump administration’s testing czar, Adm. Brett Giroir, says most lab results come back in three days or fewer, but some people are still frustrated by long delays. In other news, analysts say the public data hub that replaced the one run by the CDC is rife with errors.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Avoiding Care During the Pandemic Could Mean Life or Death
Americans are avoiding hospitals and clinics by the millions, even when they shouldn’t, and many experts expect a jump in preventable disease diagnoses after the COVID crisis eases. Paradoxically, the pandemic may have been good for some heart patients, however.
Don’t Count on Lower Premiums Despite Pandemic-Driven Boon for Insurers
Early in the pandemic, insurers expected the costs of treating COVID-19 would vastly increase medical spending. Instead, non-COVID care has plummeted and insurers have pocketed the result. Still, few industry observers are predicting broad-based premium cuts in 2021, though some health plans have proposed lowering their rates.
Don’t Fall for This Video: Hydroxychloroquine Is Not a COVID-19 Cure
This statement is taken from a video in which a group of doctors air unproven conspiracy theories about the coronavirus. Dr. Immanuel’s claims were among the most inaccurate. And, before it was removed from social media platforms, thee video was viewed millions of times. President Donald Trump retweeted it.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Republicans in COVID Disarray
President Donald Trump’s sobering view of COVID-19 didn’t last long – this week, he was back to pushing hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has been shown not to work in treating the virus. Meanwhile, Republicans on Capitol Hill are still scrambling to agree among themselves and with the White House on the next coronavirus relief bill, as both a moratorium on evictions and extra unemployment payments expire. And the debate over drug prices, which was going to be one of the biggest health issues of this election year, makes a brief appearance. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Markian Hawryluk, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” story about a surprise bill from a surprise surgical assistant.
Perspectives: The Relief Bill’s Boondoggle, Part II; Pros, Cons Of Keeping Kids At Home This Fall
Editorial writers focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Research Roundup: COPD; Appendicitis; Orthodontics; And Artificial Intelligence
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
States facing major health problems, some not related to the coronavirus epidemic, seek federal help. Meanwhile, some state officials are realizing that maybe, just maybe, people are partying too hard and spreading COVID.
How States Are Faring: Ohio Hospitalizations Hit Record High
Reports on the coronavirus epidemic from Ohio, Texas, Arizona, Montana, Oregon and Oklahoma.