Latest KFF Health News Stories
Study: Patients Often Rank Hospitality At Hospitals Ahead Of Health Care
The study of 50,000 patients involving more than 3,000 hospitals found a patient’s hospital recommendation had almost no correlation to the quality of medical care received or patient survival rate. Industry news is on limits on drug coupons in 2021 and lower health plan profits in Michigan, as well.
“When you’re engaging in all the correct practices, you stay safe,” said Dr. Seth Toomay, chief medical officer for UT Southwestern Health System. “Most of us [at UTSW] feel safer when we’re at work than when we’re out in the community.” News on health workers is on other essential hospital workers at hospitals and nurses face lawsuits, as well.
More Testing Challenges Come With Surges In COVID Cases
As the U.S. works to get a handle on coronavirus testing, some health officials see pooled testing as an approach that could prove helpful. But what does that mean?
About Face On Mask-Wearing: Texans, Kansans Get New Orders As Tensions Rise
Some citizens continue to view the orders as signs of governmental overreach despite the rapid rise in cases in their states. Other news on masks is on confusion surrounding them, their role in saving lives, problems with makeup, potential health risks for some and mask hostility, as well.
New Guidelines Released On How To Reuse N95 Respirators
Also the latest on: ventilator supplies from Britain and the Czech Republic; medical supplies from China; and the U.S. task force on hoarding and price-gouging.
Study Finds Positive Results For Hydroxychloroquine
Whether or not the anti-malarial drug is effective has been a controversial question since President Donald Trump began hyping it in March. Now, Henry Ford Hospital researchers report a “significant reduction” in mortality rates with patients who were hospitalized between March 10 and May 2 and treated with it. But, adding to the debate around the drug’s power against the virus, the World Health Organization halts a trial using hydroxychloroquine and HIV treatment lopinavir-ritonavir in hospitalized COVID patients after interim results showed the drugs did not reduce mortality rates.
Cutting-Edge RNA Research Jumps To Front Of Line In Vaccine Effort
Also: Britain closes in on a supply deal with Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline; researchers are having difficulty finding healthy volunteers; and more. In other news, scientific research papers from China-based authors may have been created in a “paper mill.”
On Capitol Hill, Funding ‘Cliffs’ Loom For COVID-19 Aid
Now in the midst of the July recess, when lawmakers return to Washington they will face an aggressive to-do list that makes time tight to reach a compromise to address the public health and economic crises facing the nation.
High Court Takes A Pass On Hearing Pending Abortion Cases
Just days after striking down a restrictive Louisiana law, the Supreme Court declined to take up several others. Meanwhile, House Democrats also take a pass on scrapping the decades-old Hyde amendment.
Trump’s Top Health Official Very Visible In Swing States
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has been very visible in nine key battleground states since April. Among them is New Hampshire, where President Donald Trump is planning an outdoor campaign rally in the days ahead. In other campaign news, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., a top official on Team Trump, tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the president’s Mount Rushmore address.
FDA Head Does Not Back Trump’s Unfounded Statement That 99% Of COVID Cases Are ‘Harmless’
President Donald Trump’s latest comments dismissing the severity of COVID-19 were met with criticism from mayors currently trying to manage outbreak hot spots. On the Sunday shows, FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn declined to confirm the validity of the president’s statement, while fact-checkers lay out the data that show it to be “dangerously” untrue.
Broadway Actor Nick Cordero Dies After 95-Day Battle Against COVID-19
The wife of the 41-year-old actor chronicled on social media the measures doctors took to combat the disease, which included a leg amputation after Nick Cordero developed blood clots while on a ventilator.
Is COVID Airborne? 239 Scientists Say Evidence Shows It Is, Urge WHO, CDC To Alter Recommendations
If aerosols can linger and be transmitted in confined spaces like offices or buses, then infection-control guidance would likely change to include things like better ventilation systems and more widespread use of masks.
Record Number Of Coronavirus Cases Is A Result Of States Reopening Too Soon, Health Experts Say
States like Texas, Arizona, Florida and Georgia, which were the first to lift restrictions put in place to curb the disease’s spread, continue to report daily increases of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The U.S. death toll is nearing 130,000.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these public health issues and others.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
In California’s Hardest Hit County, ‘Somehow Everybody Is Still Getting Sick’
Imperial County, a rural area along the Arizona and Mexico borders, has the state’s highest coronavirus infection rate. Meanwhile, California reports that more than 6,000 residents have died from the virus and the governor announces more stringent measures to battle the disease.
Media outlets report on news from Florida, New York, Arizona, Texas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, and more.
The Washington Post reports that the only major outbreak tied to mass racial justice protests happened in South Carolina, where at least 13 people who took part in previous protests tested positive. Also in the news: mental health experts offer tips for coping with the rage many Americans are experiencing.
