Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Polio Is Back, Thanks To Low Vaccination Rates; We Are Failing To Control Monkeypox
Editorial writers weigh in on polio, monkeypox, vaccines, and more.
Free School Meals Have Ended For Many, But Not In California
A report in the Los Angeles Times details the provisions put in place to ensure free school meals are accessible to all students. In other news, a potential 20%-plus rate increase in Connecticut’s insurance rates, leaded aviation gas, a boil water advisory in Michigan and more.
Zika Simmers On Back Burner As World Copes With String Of Viral Menaces
A frightening outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness in 2015 and 2016 left many children around the world with devastating brain damage. The New York Times reports on how families and researchers are struggling to find a cure as attention dried up in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.
Strangling Hazard Forces Baby Swing, Rocker Recall
Over 2 million infant swings have been recalled after the Consumer Product Safety Commission determined the straps were a tangling and strangling hazard. Meanwhile, nearly 6,000 cartons of Wild Cherry Capri Sun have been recalled over a cleaning solution contamination.
2,000 Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Workers Strike
The open-ended strike began yesterday over staffing shortages. Modern Healthcare notes no further bargaining sessions are scheduled. (Kaiser Permanente is not affiliated with KHN.) Staffing in New York hospitals, an activist investor stake in Cardinal Health, and more are also reported in health industry news.
Special Report: Pregnant But Unequal
This four-part USA Today project examines the lack of maternal health care in America’s rural communities of color.
Officials Able To Distribute Twice As Many Monkeypox Shots As Planned
The Department of Health and Human Services planned to distribute 221,000 more doses as of Monday, but the shift in strategy allowing more shots per vial means 442,000 shots are available. Media outlets report on other monkeypox matters, including misinformation.
Judge Rules He Had No Authority To Block Georgia’s Abortion Ban
A state judge had been asked to issue a preliminary injunction to block Georgia’s strict anti-abortion law. In West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is said to have “scoffed” at the idea voters should decide if abortion should be legal in the state. Other abortion-related news is also reported.
Mask Mandates Cover Some, Relax Elsewhere. Science Shows Masks Work.
In Massachusetts there’s no school mask mandate, except in health offices, nor covid testing requirements. But in Philadelphia, the school district is mandating masks for everyone for the first 10 days. Other news outlets report school covid cases are expected to rise.
Moderna’s Covid Bivalent Booster Approved In UK; Will The US Be Next?
Great Britain is the first nation to authorize use of a dual vaccine, reformulated for both the original virus and the omicron variant. The version approved in the U.K., which targets the subvariant BA.1, differs from the one expected to be used in the U.S. this fall, which targets BA.4 and BA.5.
Biden Signs Drug Pricing, ACA Premiums Measures Into Law
The White House held the signing ceremony Tuesday for the Inflation Reduction Act. News reports examine details of the health care provisions included in the massive $700 billion economic package.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers examine abortion rights and more public health topics.
Viewpoints: Changing Climate Is Accelerating Zoonotic Spillover
Opinion writers weigh in on covid issues and telehealth.
Connecticut Spent $20M On Health Data Network, Then Didn’t Use It
A report shows that a planned health information network system has collapsed in Connecticut without being used, although a lot of money was spent developing it. A case on dietary advice from a health coach in Florida, Medicaid expansion, and more are also in state health news.
Millions Of Kids Returning To School Without Free School Meals
Many schoolchildren won’t have the benefits of pandemic-era free food, though some areas are making efforts to help hungry kids. Also: a boil water advisory affecting over 100,000 people in Michigan, more cases of H3N2v flu, and other public health news.
Joint Commission’s New Accreditation Standards Tackle Health Disparities
As of Jan 1., primary care clinics, behavioral health centers, and other health systems will be subject to new accreditation standards that are aimed at reducing health disparities. Separately, Humana is buying a Wisconsin-based Medicaid company, Salem Health has radiation incidents, and more.
Data On Covid Hospitalizations To Again Be Under CDC Purview
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will again be in control of the data from December despite criticism over the CDC’s pandemic response. Meanwhile, research into long covid and MIS-C shows that patients can have symptoms lasting up to 18 months.
Over 2,000 Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Workers To Strike Today
The strike, which will hit Northern California, is said to be over “dangerously long” waits for appointments. (KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.) Separately, Signify Health is cutting nearly 500 staff, an Oregon hospital overpaid staff by $2 million, and other stories.
Study: AstraZeneca Drug Improves Survival In Breast Cancer Patients
Late-stage trials find that Enhertu benefits patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Separately, Fierce Pharma reported Friday that the drug also won accelerated approval in patients with HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have received a prior systemic therapy, making it the first drug specifically approved for that condition, according to the FDA.
