Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Insurance Brokers Misled Customers About Preexisting Conditions, Undercover Audit Reveals
Employees of the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office posed as customers looking for health insurance. Some of the sales representatives refused to let GAO employees see the policy documents before they agreed to buy it.
A Literal Call To Order: Supreme Court To Start Term Over The Phone
Justices will participate remotely when arguments begin Oct. 5. Six of the nine justices are 65 or older, putting them at higher risk for COVID-19.
Live Virus Found In Air Of Hospital Room Almost 16 Feet From Patients, Study Finds
Researchers at the University of Florida collected three 3-hour air samples from a room on a dedicated COVID-19 ward that was well ventilated, with six air exchanges per hour and triple-filter treatment of air returned to the room, CIDRAP reports.
Biden Raises Fears Trump Will Rush Unsafe Vaccine For Political Gain
“So let me be clear, I trust vaccines. I trust the scientists. But I don’t trust Donald Trump — and the American people can’t either,” Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said, charging President Donald Trump with politicizing the rapid COVID-19 vaccine development ahead of the November election.
Fire And Water: People on West Coast, Gulf Coast Scramble For Safety
Slow-moving Hurricane Sally flooded cities in Alabama and Florida on Wednesday while residents of California, Oregon and Washington continued to choke on hazardous air.
US Opens Probe Into Claims Of Forced Hysterectomies On Detained Immigrants
A whistleblower said she heard from several women that they’d had hysterectomies and didn’t know why. A detained immigrant said, “It was like they’re experimenting with our bodies.”
Military Sought, Considered Using Heat Ray On White House Protesters
An Army National Guard major who was on the ground in D.C. the day protesters were violently dispersed discusses considerations weighed to use more dangerous controls.
Trump Surprises GOP Lawmakers With Call For Larger Stimulus Bill
Republican and White House negotiators have been holding firm on spending only $1 trillion on COVID relief. In a tweet Wednesday, President Donald Trump said “much higher numbers” should be on the table.
HHS Shake-Up: Caputo On Leave After CDC Rant, Interference; Adviser Out
HHS announced that its top communications official, Trump appointee Michael Caputo, will take a 60-day medical leave after falsely accusing CDC scientists of “sedition” and news reporting that he and a scientific adviser Caputo brought in, Paul Alexander, worked to modify the agency’s COVID science reports. Alexander is permanently leaving HHS.
Trump Attributes COVID Death Toll To ‘Blue States’ In Defense Of His Response
While defending his administration’s handling of the pandemic in comparison to other nations, President Donald Trump said: “If you take the blue states out we’re at a level that I don’t think anybody in the world would be at.”
Trump Counters Testimony Of His CDC Director On Vaccines, Masks
CDC Director Robert Redfield told senators Wednesday that a coronavirus vaccine would not be widely available until the next summer or fall and that masks are an effective tool to combat spread. At a press conference hours later, President Donald Trump contradicted both of those statements, calling Redfield “confused.”
CDC Releases Plan To Distribute Free COVID Vaccines To All Americans
The draft plan for starting to deliver a coronavirus vaccine within 24 hours of any federal approval was unveiled by the CDC. The agency says it will need $6 billion from Congress to execute the ambitious proposal.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Students’ Mass Migration Back to College Gets a Failing Grade
Epidemiologists and disease modelers tried to predict what would happen when students moved back to campus. Although some universities listened to their advice, that didn’t stop outbreaks from happening.
Urban Hospitals of Last Resort Cling to Life in Time of COVID
Rural hospitals have been closing at a quickening pace in recent years, but a number of inner-city hospitals now face a similar fate. Experts fear that the economic damage inflicted by the COVID pandemic is helping push some of these urban hospitals over the edge at the very time their services are most needed.
Black Women Turn to Midwives to Avoid COVID and ‘Feel Cared For’
Midwifery was a tradition among slaves from Africa, but in more recent decades, pregnant Black women have generally shunned the approach. Now, home births and midwives are making a comeback in the Black community.
Es difícil decir si es COVID, síntomas por inhalar humo… o la gripe que ya llega
Por los incendios en California, pacientes llegan a los centros de salud con síntomas similares a los de COVID. Y hay que seguir los protocolos.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Viewpoints: Normal? Life Might Not Return There For A While; Pros, Cons Of A Rushed Vaccine
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
AstraZeneca Hiked Prices On Its Biggest Drugs By As Much As 6% This Year
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.