Latest KFF Health News Stories
Research Roundup: Covid; Clarithromycin; Outpatient Antibiotics
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and other public health topics.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Trump’s ‘Most-Favored Nation’ Plan Might Not See Light Of Day
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
China Blocks Admission Of Investigators, WHO Claims
Media outlets report on news from China, The Netherlands, England, The Philippines, and Egypt.
Saliva Test Approval Taking Too Long, Illinois Lawmakers Say
News reports also look at the slow pace of testing in Pennsylvania, positive test rates rising in parts of North Carolina and an update on South Dakota’s deaths and cases.
Northwell Health Backs Off Lawsuits For Unpaid Bills During Pandemic
The largest health system in New York sued more than 2,500 patients last year. It now says it will rescind any claims that were filed in 2020.
Airlines Push To Lift Many International Restrictions
The airline advocacy groups are also supporting a CDC proposal for universal testing. Public health news is on a new law that ends flying with emotional support animals, pandemic-related changes on campuses and in sports arenas, and more.
Scientists In Nearly 40 Nations Join Study On Covid Brain Abnormalities
The study, which will follow survivors over age 50 or in some places over age 60, will be funded initially by the Alzheimer’s Association.
Basking In The Moment, Pfizer Debuts New Logo
A company that many Americans likely never thought much about until 2020 upgrades its design for the first significant time in 70 years.
Congress Using Covid Test That May Give False Results
The FDA warned Monday that the Curative test poses a “risk of false results, particularly false negative results.” In related news, two more Republican lawmakers have tested positive.
Congress Delivers On Medicare Pay Boost For Primary Care Doctors
The shift to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule comes at the expense of specialty physicians though. Other recent moves by CMS and Texas that impact Medicaid programs are also in the news.
‘This Is Our Early Alarm Bell’: Covid Mutations Could Spread Quickly
As more cases are identified in the U.S. of the virus variant first reported in Britain, health experts warn of another coming wave of infections — especially since young people may be most at risk for contracting it. And worries are raised over whether vaccines will be effective against the South Africa variant.
Worries Over Ultra-Low Temperature Requirement Of Vaccines Play Out
In California, a broken freezer left hospital officials scrambling to disperse over 800 thawed doses. Meanwhile, Florida’s vaccine rollout was also marred by website crashes.
Covid US Death Count IS Likely Wrong. It’s Far Too Low, Study Finds.
Antibody research indicates that the total number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. so far have been vastly underreported. And the crisis deepens as the nation sets daily records for those who have died and who are hospitalized in overburdened facilities.
Distribution Failings Mean Help Won’t Arrive In Time For Many
Concerns are particularly high for long-term care facilities, NPR reports, but the delays will also likely prolong the pandemic nationwide.
Straight From The Kindergarten Playbook: Hundreds Try To Jump Line
In Rhode Island, a special link given to health workers to register for vaccinations was shared with others. And a high-end nursing home in West Palm Beach, Fla., has offered vaccines to board members and those who made generous donations to the facility.
Who’s Next In Line? Strategies Differ As Confusion Mounts
With so many vulnerable populations to protect, states struggle to decide whom to inoculate next while hurdles remain for vaccinating first-wave health care workers.
To Speed Up Vaccines, Don’t Be Rigid On Priority Guidelines, Surgeon General Urges States
Surgeon General Jerome Adams provided the news media a cheat sheet: “Your headline today really should be, ‘Surgeon general tells states and governors to move quickly to other priority groups.’ If the demand isn’t there in 1a, go to 1b, and continue on down,” he told NBC.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
