Latest KFF Health News Stories
Website Shows If Medicare’s Price-Transparency Rules Work
Turquoise Health, a price-comparison site for medical services, now has 4,000 health care providers — including hospitals and other providers such as imaging centers — in its database.
4-Minute Covid Test, With PCR-Like Accuracy, Developed In China
CBS News reports on the results presented in a new peer-reviewed article, saying the tests use microelectronics to analyze DNA from swabs. In other news, the Oklahoma attorney general said there was no legal basis to discipline doctors prescribing unproven drugs like ivermectin to treat covid.
HHS Gives $66.5M To Community Groups To Promote Vaccinations
The Health Resources and Services Administration is awarding the money to “trusted voices” in 38 states and Washington, D.C., to help spur hard-to-reach groups to accept the covid vaccines. The Biden administration is also losing a key player: Beth Cameron, who helped reestablish the Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense in the National Security Council.
Though The Pandemic Persists, J&J Paused Vax Production
The New York Times report says that though the U.S. firm is behind on delivering promised vaccine doses to poorer countries, it paused production at the only plant making usable shots and was relying on stockpiles, as well as making different vaccines for another disease.
9 Air Force Members Got Religious Exemptions For Covid Shots So Far
The Air Force is still processing 2,556 pending requests and 732 appeals. Over 3,200 exemption requests and over 440 appeals have already been rejected. Meanwhile, Hawaii is debating when to drop its strict covid travel restrictions.
More School Masking Decisions Are Being Made At Local Level
More states are rolling back mask mandates in schools, including ones led by Democratic governors. Some teachers and parents raise concerns that decisions are not being based on science.
CDC Chief Warns It’s Too Early To Drop Mask Requirements
While a growing number of states are dropping mask mandates, CDC covid data on transmission rates indicate that more than 99% of U.S. counties should keep covering up. Director Rochelle Walensky said in several interviews that “now is not the moment” to drop the precautions.
US Nearly Past ‘Full Blown’ Phase Of Pandemic, Fauci Forecasts
Dr. Anthony Fauci tells the Financial Times that he can see an end over the coming months to covid-related precautions like masks and physical distancing, under the current trends in cases. But he cautioned that local restrictions might be needed to control future outbreaks. Hospitals are starting to see a decrease in infections.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Boston Doctors Face Appalling New Threat; Ideas For Repairing The Nursing Shortage
Editorial writers tackle these public health issues.
Different Takes: What’s The Data On Covid Shots For Kids Under 5?; Steps To End Omicron
Opinion writers weigh in on these covid topics.
Crucial Drugs Added To Formulary Exclusion List By CVS
Modern Healthcare covers the controversial moves, with pharmacy benefit managers said to be increasingly dropping key medications from coverage lists. Separately, a small company lost regulatory approval for drugs to treat the rare Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome.
Anti-Abortion Law Advances In Tennessee
Tennessee House Republicans decided to brand Jan. 22, the 50th anniversary of legalized abortion, as the “Day of Tears.” And in Florida, a key Republican lawmaker had tried to copy Texas’ anti-abortion law, but the plans have now been dropped.
Police Could Have Saved George Floyd, Lung Expert Testifies
Simply moving Floyd into a different position could have saved him, according to the expert’s testimony. Also, a U.S. fertilizer plant leaks chemicals into waterways; treatment plant “errors” in Austin; $403 million to help clean up leaked military fuel in Hawaii; and more.
Patient Billed For Asking Mayo Clinic For Clinical Trial Info
Meanwhile, Physician Partners of America agreed to pay $3.3 million to settle allegations that they violated non-compete contract provisions; Acadia’s CEO gets a $900,000 payment to delay retirement by two months; and a federal investigation into spine surgeries.
California Poised To Supplement Covid Paid Sick Leave
The bill would provide most California workers with up to two weeks of sick pay for covid. From mask prices to grocery prices to hospital worker salaries, news outlets examine other ways the pandemic continues to take an economic toll on the U.S.
Studies Show Covid Vaccines Benefit Pregnant Mothers And Babies
USA Today and the Salt Lake Tribune report on studies that show pregnant women with at least moderate covid-19 symptoms are at greater risk for pregnancy complications and death than those not infected or with mild symptoms. The wrongness of the term “breakthrough” is also in the news.
More States Start To Lift Universal Indoor Masking Rules
Next week you won’t be required to wear masks in indoor public places in California, at least in counties without local mask orders. In Oregon, a similar law will be lifted by the end of March. Other news outlets cover mask rules as well as news in schools and elsewhere across the country.
1 In 3 Americans Expects To Get Covid Inside A Month
News outlets cover the predicted near- and distant future of the pandemic, including only 1 in 10 surveyed Americans expecting covid to be eradicated in a year, and plans to stop the next pandemic. Meanwhile, the future of epidemic tracking may be in analyzing municipal wastewater.
NY Deer Infected With Omicron; Wildlife May Be Future Threat
It’s the first time the variant has been found in wild animals, The New York Times reported. Previous versions of covid were discovered in animals in at least 15 states. “The circulation of the virus in deer provides opportunities for it to adapt and evolve,” said one veterinary microbiologist. “And it’s likely to come back and haunt us in the future.”
