Latest KFF Health News Stories
States Experiment With Methods To Halt Virus
States use cash as an inducement or a punishment to deal with the COVID epidemic, though finding funds is an increasingly dire problem. News also from Virginia, Texas, Massachusetts, Georgia and the Dakotas.
Hospital Industry Encouraged To Forgive Debts
A rural hospital chain goes bust while a big urban one reports higher profits. In other hospital industry news, the government won’t penalize hospitals that donate or sell unpaid bills to charities that pay off the debts.
Lab Researchers Force Coronavirus To Mutate — And Get Unsettling Results
The study, which has not yet been published in a scientific journal, found that the virus became invisible to disease-fighting antibodies. Other research and scientific news includes advances on antibodies, the latest tech, celebrity cancer therapy and antibiotics use.
Nonprofit Focused On Girls Finds Higher Rate Of Loneliness
The Rox Institute for Research & Training found adolescent girls also are uncertain about the future and spend too much time on social media. Mental health news looks at ways to help others, as well.
Pro Sports’ Reopenings Hit ‘Unfortunate’ Snags
With baseball players contracting COVID, games are postponed. But as of yet, no widespread calls are being made to end the experiment in reopening.
Stop Using Hand Sanitizers With Methanol, FDA Says
But the FDA says methanol doesn’t always appear on the label. Other public health news includes over-the-top hygiene practices, social bubbles, unpredictable recoveries, tons of call-in-sick days, and more.
Fighting Racism In Medicine, Mental Health, Environment
Media outlets report on news about discrimination faced by two Black pediatricians, mothers who become activists and a Black community concerned about growing health risks.
Mask Arguments Continue Despite Evidence
Labor unions representing transportation workers ask for a federal rule mandating passengers of buses, planes and trains wear masks. Meanwhile, some Americans continue to resist the idea.
School Reopening Plans Still A Jumble
It’s a crazy quilt of plans and rules as school districts try to get teaching back on track. The Trump administration is still pushing full in-person instruction. “The COVID-19 pandemic has stumped the brightest minds at universities,” says the Wall Street Journal.
Kavanaugh Urged Fellow Justices To Avoid Rulings On Abortion, CNN Says
CNN takes a deep dive into Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s desire to avoid certain thorny issues and his pattern of trying to publicly appeal to both sides.
National Teachers Union Calls For ‘Safety Strikes’
The American Federation of Teachers said strikes would be an option if schools reopen without satisfactory plans for keeping teachers safe from the coronavirus.
Report: VA Hospital Physician ‘Contributed’ To Patient’s Decline, Death
The physician who expressed indifference to the veteran’s condition was a contract worker at Washington, D.C.’s VA Medical Center’s emergency room.
Medicaid Enrollment Lower Than Expected; COVID Impacts Black Medicare Beneficiaries
Centene anticipated higher growth in its Medicaid enrollment due to rising umemployment.
Federal Government Gives $765M Loan To Kodak To Make Chemicals For Drugs
The deal is aimed at reducing U.S. reliance on China. Other companies in the news include Roche, Reata and Cepheid.
Blood Test To Detect Alzheimer’s–Years Before Symptoms–Within Reach: Study
The new research of a potential blood test offers hope for Alzheimer’s research and treatment as the degenerative disease can now only be diagnosed through scans or spinal taps after memory has already faltered.
Moderna’s COVID Vaccine Clears Lung Infection Of Monkeys In Test
The results are encouraging, though the animal test does not guarantee that the developmental vaccine will work as well on humans.
Twitter Suspends Trump Jr. For Spreading Claims About COVID
In his response, the president’s son said, “This never happens to someone saying something that benefits the left. It only hurts conservatives.”
Senate Relief Bill Measures Face Revolt By Some Republicans
Despite the imminent expiration of current aid, a quick path to another round of coronavirus stimulus gets tougher as a number of Republican senators object to several of the provisions in their party’s proposal.
Biden Urges Reliance On Science To Get Nation Through Pandemic
The presumptive Democratic nominee also says he hasn’t been tested for COVID-19.
Trump Still Pumps For Hydroxychloroquine
President Trump continued to promote the use of hydroxychloroquine despite his own administration’s scientists warning against its use. His latest evidence is from a doctor with strange medical beliefs.