Viewpoints: Is Quarantining Kids In Kansas Illegal?; Mandates May Backfire In Rural Communities
Opinion writers discuss covid, vaccines and vaccine mandates.
The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
14,281-14,300 of 113,152 results
Opinion writers discuss covid, vaccines and vaccine mandates.
The foundation's fifth annual Goalkeeper report notes the covid pandemic reversed efforts to eliminate poverty globally. Separately, The New York Times reports that a million Afghan children are at risk of starvation. In other news, the U.K. will offer vaccines to kids ages 12 and up.
The Philadelphia Inquirer covers efforts to combat opioid deaths in Philadelphia, noting new advice that racism, childhood trauma and the pandemic must factor into city Health Department plans. Separately, reports say Seattle police have intervened in fewer mental health calls under a new approach.
Case reports in animals and humans have seen residents in at least eight states warned over West Nile Virus over the last week. CBS news reports recent high temperatures and storms have created a "breeding ground" for mosquitos. Mental health, anxiety and marijuana use are also in the news.
A lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York claims Aetna's infertility treatment coverage rules lead to LGBTQ patients paying tens of thousands of dollars, while heterosexual couples face no cost. Other health care industry news is from Maryland, Vermont, Montana, Louisiana and elsewhere.
Nicholas, which made landfall about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday along the Texas coast as a Category 1 hurricane, was downgraded to a tropical storm just hours later. The Houston Chronicle reports on how local hospitals braced for Nicholas despite being close to capacity with covid patients.
In the U.S. the seven-day average number of infections, as well as hospitalizations, are starting to fall. Yet groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics are very concerned by the 240% jump in cases of children getting covid since July, especially as more return to school.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposes to repeal a regulation enacted during the Trump administration that requires Medicare to pay for any medical device classified as "breakthrough" technology by the Food and Drug Administration.
Reports say "millions" of dollars in fines could be levied against local governments in Florida under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' plan to oppose efforts to mandate protection for staff. Separately, two Florida hospitals are worried over staffing for President Joe Biden's vaccine push.
At a rally Monday in support of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Joe Biden said, “The decision you’re going to make isn’t just going to have a huge impact on California, it’s going to reverberate around the nation, and quite frankly, not a joke, around the world."
Some public health experts worry that the fiery rhetoric over the new federal covid vaccine requirements will threaten other common school and military mandates for inoculation against other viruses.
A federal judge issued a temporary order blocking a law banning Iowa schools from requiring masks. In Kentucky, the governor noted school-age children are catching covid faster than any other group and urged schools to mask-up. And a battle in a Florida county over mask rules also covers stimulus money.
Politico reports that those prisoners fall into a specific category: drug offenders released to home under the pandemic relief bill known as the CARES Act with four years or less on their sentences.
Experts suggest government vaccine efforts would be better spent on reaching the unvaxxed until more data are available. Other reports across the country point to how some people are already seeking boosters, even if they're healthy.
In a court brief, a Mississippi abortion clinic and doctor urged the Supreme Court justices to strike down a Mississippi state law that effectively bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy and warned of national "chaos" if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
CNN reports France is the latest European country — and "the most significant tourism destination" there yet — to remove the U.S. from its "green" safe travel list. Separately, Axios reports France has granted citizenship to 12,000 covid frontline workers who helped the country weather the pandemic.
At issue is a threat by New York officials to revoke funding for long-term care unless parents move their children from out-of-state centers to a secure facility in New York. Meanwhile, California's State Senate approved a bill allowing the state to keep data on workplace covid outbreaks secret.
Tomorrow's recall election hinges on the topic of covid lockdowns, some of the strictest in the nation. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, says they have been necessary to protect Californians. Recent polling suggests he is likely to become the first California governor to survive a recall attempt.
Last week the Food and Drug Administration banned nearly a million e-smoking products but postponed a decision on giant vape brand Juul — drawing criticism from the AAP on the risk to young people. Cruise ships in Baltimore, Latino heart health and more are also in the news.
© 2026 KFF