Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opinion writers focus on these health care issues and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
Trump May Force Pharmaceutical Companies To Make Drugs In USA
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Perspectives: Regeneron Suit Highlights Medicare’s Heartless, Senseless Anti-Kickback Rules
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
‘We’re Scientists, Not Politicians’: Health Officer Balks At Politicizing Hydroxychloroquine Study
Also: news from Cambridge Biotech and an update on a Department of Veterans Affairs’ whistleblower case.
Operation Warp Speed Invests $1.6B Into Novamax’s Potential COVID-19 Vaccine In Its Biggest Deal Yet
In return for the massive development funding, Novamax will supply the U.S. government by early 2021 with 100 million doses of its vaccine that is in clinical trials. The Maryland-based company is the seventh drugmaker to strike such a deal with the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed initiative. Other vaccine news from GSK is also reported.
Global news is from Brazil, Israel, South Africa, Australia, Serbia, Spain, China, Japan, and South Korea.
Media outlets report on news from Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Georgia, Massachusetts, Montana, Arkansas, and Texas.
International AIDS Conference Marked By Two Notable Announcements
Headlines highlight a possible case of long-term remission from the virus as well as study findings that injection of a certain drug may be more effective than daily pills at preventing HIV. Also in the news, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending that more people should be screened for lung cancer every year.
Study: Later Diagnoses Triggering Higher Death Rate Among Blacks
Researchers believe societal factors may be causing Black patients to access care in hospitals only after they have advanced cases. Public health news is on food scarcity, meatpacking plants, the hurried pace for solutions, erroneous messaging, mental health, churchgoers, digital health companies, and an outbreak in MLS, as well.
‘It Hurts My Head’: Parents Struggle With Idea Of Sending Children Back Into Schools
While many parents consider keeping children away from schools during the upcoming year because of worries about infections, the American Academy Of Pediatrics urges having all students physically return to schools, and President Donald Trump supported the AAP idea, as well. News on children is on an outbreak at an overnight camp, strategies for summer learning, and more, as well.
More State, Local Officials Call For Mask-Wearing, But Enforcement Gets Tricky
Meanwhile, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said a mayor had no authority to order mask wearing in Muscatine County, where there is a high rate of infection. News is also on protective gear for medical works, airline travel and best practices.
As Pandemic Squeezes Insurers, More Companies May Start To Spring Up
In other health industry news: a look at hospital ranking systems; Cook County Health’s financial struggles; Quorum Health rebounds from bankruptcy; and more.
The guidance was quietly issued on June 22, The Washington Post reports. One such alternative — expanding the use of mail-in ballots — has become a politically divisive issue with President Donald Trump adamantly against such efforts, despite the health risks of in-person voting. In other elections news: experts worry about November; candidates must shake up campaigning; and Massachusetts allows all residents to vote by mail.
As The COVID Surge Continues, Testing Efforts Feel The Strain
In recent months, the U.S. has vastly improved its testing abilities, but the rapidly growing case rates in states across the country could undo these gains. Fits and starts are taking place in California, Georgia and North Carolina, among other places. Contact tracing, which is also a key step in controlling the virus’s spread, is also drawing headlines.
Lawmakers Should Allow States To Expand Medicaid, Experts Say
In a report Monday, the Bipartisan Policy Center called on Congress to make primary care a top priority. Also: what to do about your Medicare coverage if you move during the pandemic.
Chief Justice Hospitalized For Night In June After Injuring Forehead In A Fall
Chief Justice John Roberts fell while exercising at a Maryland country club on June 21. “His doctors ruled out a seizure,” Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg said in a statement. “They believe the fall was likely due to light-headedness caused by dehydration.”
Coronavirus Concerns At Odds With GOP Convention Plans
The Republican National Convention initially was supposed to take place in North Carolina but the state’s governor refused to lift public health restrictions designed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Now, after moving the event to Jacksonville, Florida, GOP planners are facing sky-rocketing case rates in the area while a number of high-ranking officials are balking at attending.
Court Action Continues Around Trump Policies To Separate Detained Immigrant Families
The spread of the coronavirus among this population played into a recent order by a federal judge.
The President Says It’s Time To Go Back To School
The White House launched a full-court press on governors and local officials to reopen brick-and-mortar schools this fall. President Donald Trump argued that keeping schools physically closed was for political reasons.
