Latest KFF Health News Stories
“We had a good reception on Capitol Hill. We’re going to be working with Republican and Democratic leadership to move a legislative package,” Vice President Mike Pence said. What an economic package will look like, though, is unclear as of yet.
Perspectives: Drug Prices Give Lawmakers An Opportunity To Show They Can Reach Across The Aisle
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Trump Sends Congress List Of Drug Pricing ‘Principles’
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical development and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Editorial pages focus on the pros and cons of the administration during the outbreak of coronavirus.
Opinion writers weigh in on issues surrounding the coronavirus.
Media outlets report on news from New York, North Carolina, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia and Ohio.
‘We’re Very Close’: WHO Teeters On Brink Of Deeming Outbreak A Pandemic, But Still Holds Back
For months, countries have been waiting for WHO to declare the coronavirus an outbreak, but the organization has refrained. “Unless we’re convinced it’s uncontrollable, why [would] we call it a pandemic?” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week. Many experts say that threshold has long been met. Meanwhile, Italy takes ever-more drastic steps to try to quell its outbreak.
While experts say that technology can be a useful addition to traditional containment strategies, it comes with its own pitfalls. A look at how some countries have utilized it highlights tech’s potential but also the mistakes that can be made.
Hospitals are finding themselves rationing the masks that are key to keeping health care providers on the front lines of the outbreak safe. Meanwhile, it’s not just the mask supply that they’re worried about: with a potential surge of patients, cash-strapped hospitals may not have enough beds, equipment and staff to handle an epidemic.
Anxiety on Capitol Hill mounted even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made it clear there was no plans as of yet to shut down the Capitol. Meanwhile, an increasing number of congressman–including those who were in contact with President Donald Trump–are self-quarantining themselves. Officials say Trump hasn’t been tested for the virus, but the situation is a stark reminder how quickly and easily anyone can become infected.
Confusion persists over which patients can get tested for coronavirus as U.S. struggles to keep up with the demand. Meanwhile, Germany has only had two deaths despite confirming more than 1,000 cases. Rapid testing at the onset of the outbreak might be the reason behind that success.
Trump Will Ask Congress To Pass Payroll Tax Relief In Effort To Stem Economy’s Downward Plunge
As stocks continued to tumble on Monday amid coronavirus fears, President Donald Trump, who has tied much of his reputation to the success of the economy, scrambled to alleviate the pain from the losses. Along with a proposed payroll tax cut, Trump said he was seeking help for hourly-wage workers to ensure they’re “not going to miss a paycheck” and “don’t get penalized for something that’s not their fault.” Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Democrats could release an economic aid package this week.
New York’s Decision To Make Its Own Hand Sanitizer Using Prison Labor Draws Mixed Reactions
It’s unclear how much prisoners are being paid to make NYS Clean, but working inmates in New York are typically paid between $0.10 to $0.33 an hour. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the initiative in attempts to soothe fears as the number of cases in New York climbed to 142. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump lobbed accusations at Cuomo, saying he was trying to politically “weaponize” the outbreak.
Federal Judge Orders Medical Panel For ’20th Hijacker’ At Guantanamo
Lawyers for the Saudi man, who has been held at the prison for 18 years, say he has suffered from mental health disorders since childhood and should be sent to his country for treatment.
Bad Flu Season Still Claiming Lives, CDC Reports, But It Is Tapering Off As Coronavirus Continues
There have been 30 to 40 million illnesses in the U.S. so far and about 20,000 deaths. The good news medical experts say is the vaccine this year was very effective. More public health news is on women’s brain health, obesity, mental health, and the marketing of aspirin.
Easing Access To Health Records: New Guidelines Finalize Digital Standards
HHS Secretary Alex Azar says that the new federal rule would give patients more control to pull data such as medications, lab test results and vital signs including blood pressure. But the changes are likely to sharpen a debate over privacy.
The coronavirus could shape the 2020 elections in more ways than one. For now, the candidates have been keeping up with their schedule–with extra doses of hand sanitizer–but that could change in the coming weeks and months.
Coronavirus Revives Push For Sick Leave Legislation That’s Been Stalled In Congress Since 2004
The outbreak may give congressmen the political capital to get a sick leave bill through. Under the bill, employers would be responsible for paying for the sick time; there would be no tax increase. Meanwhile, the SEC has become the first federal agency to direct employees to work from home.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
One of initiative’s first goals will be to test antiviral drugs that have already gone through preclinical development or have already been tested in humans.
