Latest KFF Health News Stories
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, Top Contender For Heisman, Has COVID
The star athlete won’t play in this weekend’s game against Boston College. In other sports and recreation news: A wife of a Tampa Bay Rays player has tested positive, as well as several on a pit crew for NASCAR driver William Byron; JetBlue will let people sit in the middle seats; and more.
Vermont Hospitals Hit In Cyberattack
The University of Vermont Health Network is working with the FBI to investigate the attack. The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services had issued a joint warning Wednesday about an “imminent” threat.
Lab Tests Show CRISPR Gene Editing Can Damage Embryos
The work done by Columbia University researchers shows that the tool, recently awarded a Nobel Prize, can cause potential harm. News is on immunotherapy and neurology, as well.
‘Hope’: Survival Rates Of COVID Patients Improve Dramatically
Since a March high of 25.6%, death rates dropped to 7.6% in August, according to researchers at NYU Langone Health. Other news is on antibodies, vaccine distribution and more.
Pelosi Clings To Stimulus Deal Hopes, But Tensions Flare With Mnuchin
The two argued back and forth Thursday about a letter the House Speaker wrote to the Treasury secretary faulting Republicans for the failed talks.
Trump’s Celebrity Campaign To ‘Defeat Despair’ Excluded Those Who Support Gay Rights, Documents Show
The $265 million public campaign collapsed in September. Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee released the records Thursday and accused HHS Secretary Alex Azar of “a cover-up to conceal the Trump administration’s misuse of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for partisan political purposes.”
Thousands Died At Nursing Homes Certified By Medicare For Infection Controls
Inspections conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services during the early part of the pandemic cleared 8 out of 10 nursing homes of infection-control violations, The Washington Post reports.
Insurers Must Reveal Prices Under Rule Finalized By HHS
The new regulation requires health insurance companies to disclose prices for common services and procedures.
Biden Rolls ‘Drive-In Rallies’ Into Swing States
The Biden campaign has employed strict safety protocols throughout the pandemic, forcing it to try new approaches in the final days of the campaign.
Big Trump Rallies Go On Despite Dangers Of Virus Surge, Heat
Thousands of supporters, often maskless, continue to crowd together to hear President Donald Trump on the campaign trail. A few cases of coronavirus infections are emerging. And in Florida, even the heat posed health concerns. Hurricane Zeta did postpone plans for a North Carolina event.
Minnesota Mail-In Absentee Ballot Extension Rejected In Court
Another legal ruling muddies the waters of which ballots will be counted in next week’s elections and which ones will not, as state efforts to ensure voter safety are challenged in court.
Hidden Data Reveals Where Hospitals Are Reaching Capacity With COVID Patients
NPR obtained Department of Health and Human Services documents detailing hospitalization trends that the Trump administration withholds from the public. In related news, medical facilities in Wisconsin, Maryland and Texas battle the fall surge while preparing for winter.
A Case A Second. 1 Death Every 107 Seconds. US COVID Rates Shatter Records.
The coronavirus is spreading rapidly across nearly every part of the U.S., in what the White House task force calls an “unrelentless surge.” One model predicts that deaths could triple by January if states don’t take steps to curb the outbreak.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Parsing Policy: De-Escalation Training; Gender-Affirming Care; ACA’s Impact
Opinion writers express views about the recent killing of a Black man struggling with mental illness; laws that could prevent mental health care for minors; contraception and the ACA; and more.
Black Man Shot, Killed In Philadelphia Needed Mental Health Help, Family Says
The mayor of Philadelphia imposed a citywide curfew Wednesday in response to waves of protests and unrest this week after Walter Wallace Jr., 27, was shot and killed Monday by police. Protesters say the shooting is making them rethink how they will vote in the presidential election.
Trump Administration Buys 300,000 Doses Of Eli Lilly’s COVID Treatment
The drug, a type of monoclonal antibody, is given by intravenous infusion and costs $1,250 per dose.
In Upcoming Memoir, Obama Retells Battle For ACA, His Plan To Fight H1N1
“Legislation of this scope was guaranteed to involve hundreds of pages of endlessly fussed-over amendments and regulations,” the former president says in an excerpt released this week. The book, “A Promised Land,” comes out next month.
Biden Touts His COVID Plan: ‘We’ll Let Science Drive Our Decisions’
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is closing his campaign with an emphasis on how he will handle the coronavirus crisis. NPR reports on details of that plan.
Trump Sticks With Pandemic-Is-Ending Message In Final Days Of Campaign
President Donald Trump continues in-person rallies in swing states and downplaying the state of the COVID crisis to voters. Meanwhile, the White House walks back a press release that falsely claimed Trump has ended the pandemic.
