Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Lessons On New Virus Strains, Leadership Failures, Health Going Global
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic topics and other public health issues.
Vaccine Crisis Worsens in Europe
The European Union and the United Kingdom have problems getting enough vaccine. In other global news, confusion reigns in Tokyo on how to proceed with the Olympics because of covid concerns.
Lab Group Warns That Michigan’s Pot Is Moldy
In other news from across the U.S., California will get broader warnings for bisphenol A; the Justice Department probes Alaska’s institutionalizing of children; and a doctor murders another doctor and himself in Austin.
Pandemic’s Hidden Toll: More Traffic Fatalities
Covid-19 brought lower traffic levels, but fatalities per miles driven rose 18% to a level not seen in 12 years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Safety experts say reduced congestion gave motorists more room to roam and drive faster.
More Demand For Food Stamps, But They Can’t Be Used For Online Ordering
Demand for federal food assistance rises as the covid pandemic drags on. The poor face yet another problem: They can’t use food stamps to pay for food purchased online for delivery. They must shop in the store, risking covid exposure.
Popular Medications Cost 2.5 Times More In the US Than Elsewhere
Yet more evidence of how much more Americans pay for prescription drugs is revealed in a survey, while pharmaceutical companies make little progress helping poor Americans afford them.
Aetna To Cover Breast Augmentation Surgery For Transgender Patients
The announcement is a key change in how health insurers view transgender patients’ medical needs. Many have excluded breast augmentation as cosmetic. In other industry news, hospitals register their opposition to a Trump administration effort to tie Medicare drug prices to what patients pay in other countries and Walgreens gets a new leader.
3M CEO Says Company Sold 2 Billion N95 Masks
For the full year, 3M reported 12.3% sales growth in its health care segment, which includes its respirator masks and products such as hand sanitizers.
Covid Long-Haulers Get More Medical Attention
People with lingering symptoms of covid-19 months after initially recovering are finding more help. Doctors seek answers to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, a rare inflammatory condition potentially linked to covid.
New Covid Cases On The Decline From Post-Holiday Highs
In other good news, hospitalizations are also down. News outlets report on the possible reasons behind the decreases while experts try to forecast which way the trends will continue.
Vaccine Rash Is Harmless, Doctors Say
The Moderna covid vaccine sometimes causes an itchy rash, but it is merely annoying and not a reason for concern, the company says. The WHO makes recommendations for pregnant women.
So Sorry: Hospitals, Counties Apologize Over Vaccine Snafus And Line-Skips
Overlake Medical Center in Washington state was rebuked for offering the vaccine to major donors; the Medical Center of Elberton in Georgia was suspended from giving out vaccines after offering them to school staff; and seniors in Johnson County, Kansas, waited outside for hours in bad weather.
California Investigates Death Of Patient Who Received Vaccine
A health care worker from Orange County died after receiving the second dose of vaccine. A separate case from Placer County is also under investigation by multiple agencies.
Labs Work On Modified Vaccines To Fight Covid Mutations
Pfizer says its vaccine works against mutations, but nonetheless Pfizer and Moderna are both working on a booster to fight the new variants.
Capitol Riot’s Toll Grows On Health Of National Guard
Lawmakers demand more information on the covid outbreaks among the thousands of troops stationed at the U.S. Capitol since the Jan. 6 insurrection. And a second police officer who responded to those violent events has died by suicide.
Millions Earmarked For Virus, Vaccine Research Treated As ‘Slush Fund,’ Special Counsel Finds
An HHS inspector general investigation finds that federal funds allocated for scientific advancement by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority were misappropriated for 10 years by federal officials in the Obama and Trump administrations. They called it tapping the “Bank of BARDA,” ABC News reports.
White House Will Set Safety Standards To Encourage More Schools To Reopen
Setting federal guidelines is part of President Joe Biden’s strategy to get most schools back open during his first 100 days. That goal is getting pushback from teachers’ unions, Politico reports.
Vaccinations Will Take Months, Biden Covid Task Force Warns At First Briefing
In the first of regular pandemic briefings, White House officials tried to manage expectations about the timeline for vaccine distribution.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
