Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Behind The Byline: ‘Everybody Hit Record’
Check out KHN’s video series — Behind The Byline: How The Story Got Made. Come along as journalists and producers offer an insider’s view of health care coverage that does not quit.
Could Trump’s Push To Undo The ACA Cause Problems For COVID Survivors? Biden Thinks So.
The speech by the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee was delivered the same day the Trump administration reaffirmed its support of a lawsuit that would invalidate all of the Affordable Care Act, including the law’s preexisting condition protections.
Shingles Vaccination Rate Soars But Leaves Many Behind
A federal study finds 35% of people 60 and older were vaccinated for shingles by 2018, up from 7% in 2008, but low-income people and those who are Black or Hispanic are far less likely to get vaccinated.
¿Funcionarán las aplicaciones de rastreo para COVID?
Para que los celulares puedan ayudar a frenar la propagación del coronavirus, muchas personas deben usar las aplicaciones. Y eso todavía está en duda.
High Court Allows Employers To Opt Out Of ACA’s Mandate On Birth Control Coverage
In a 7-2 ruling in a case involving the Little Sisters of the Poor, the court said employers with a “religious or moral objection” to contraceptives should not be forced to insure women for those services.
Trump May Force Pharmaceutical Companies To Make Drugs In USA
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
Opinion writers focus on these health care issues and others.
Perspectives: Regeneron Suit Highlights Medicare’s Heartless, Senseless Anti-Kickback Rules
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Global news is from Brazil, Israel, South Africa, Australia, Serbia, Spain, China, Japan, and South Korea.
Operation Warp Speed Invests $1.6B Into Novamax’s Potential COVID-19 Vaccine In Its Biggest Deal Yet
In return for the massive development funding, Novamax will supply the U.S. government by early 2021 with 100 million doses of its vaccine that is in clinical trials. The Maryland-based company is the seventh drugmaker to strike such a deal with the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed initiative. Other vaccine news from GSK is also reported.
‘We’re Scientists, Not Politicians’: Health Officer Balks At Politicizing Hydroxychloroquine Study
Also: news from Cambridge Biotech and an update on a Department of Veterans Affairs’ whistleblower case.
International AIDS Conference Marked By Two Notable Announcements
Headlines highlight a possible case of long-term remission from the virus as well as study findings that injection of a certain drug may be more effective than daily pills at preventing HIV. Also in the news, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending that more people should be screened for lung cancer every year.
Media outlets report on news from Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Georgia, Massachusetts, Montana, Arkansas, and Texas.
More State, Local Officials Call For Mask-Wearing, But Enforcement Gets Tricky
Meanwhile, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said a mayor had no authority to order mask wearing in Muscatine County, where there is a high rate of infection. News is also on protective gear for medical works, airline travel and best practices.
‘It Hurts My Head’: Parents Struggle With Idea Of Sending Children Back Into Schools
While many parents consider keeping children away from schools during the upcoming year because of worries about infections, the American Academy Of Pediatrics urges having all students physically return to schools, and President Donald Trump supported the AAP idea, as well. News on children is on an outbreak at an overnight camp, strategies for summer learning, and more, as well.
Study: Later Diagnoses Triggering Higher Death Rate Among Blacks
Researchers believe societal factors may be causing Black patients to access care in hospitals only after they have advanced cases. Public health news is on food scarcity, meatpacking plants, the hurried pace for solutions, erroneous messaging, mental health, churchgoers, digital health companies, and an outbreak in MLS, as well.
As The COVID Surge Continues, Testing Efforts Feel The Strain
In recent months, the U.S. has vastly improved its testing abilities, but the rapidly growing case rates in states across the country could undo these gains. Fits and starts are taking place in California, Georgia and North Carolina, among other places. Contact tracing, which is also a key step in controlling the virus’s spread, is also drawing headlines.
The guidance was quietly issued on June 22, The Washington Post reports. One such alternative — expanding the use of mail-in ballots — has become a politically divisive issue with President Donald Trump adamantly against such efforts, despite the health risks of in-person voting. In other elections news: experts worry about November; candidates must shake up campaigning; and Massachusetts allows all residents to vote by mail.