Latest KFF Health News Stories
Studies: Virus Is Spreading To Communities Near Jails That Are Hot Spots
“These provisional findings are consistent with the hypothesis that arrest and jailing practices are augmenting infection rates in highly policed neighborhoods,” the authors of one study wrote. News on prisons is from Massachusetts, also.
COVID cases now are being reported among a younger population. This new mother turned to anti-anxiety medicine, The Wall Street Journal reports, because she couldn’t always wear a mask. Her patients didn’t recognize her when she wore it. Other public health news is also on pregnancy, lung impairments, a survey of teens on social distancing, one elderly couple’s final hours, health services cuts, quarantine at Fort Bragg, health care system mistakes, athletes and more.
‘Positive’ Results In Small COVID-19 Vaccine Trial, But Key Data Missing
In other pharmaceutical news: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals charged with price-fixing; the syringe business is booming; and more.
Once Politically Polarizing, Agreement About Masks Now Crossing Party Lines
News outlets report that the emerging GOP embrace of mask-wearing still has an important holdout: President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, reports detail masks’ potential to boost the economy and curb the spread of COVID-19. In the background, there is also advice on what masks may be most effective.
U.S. Public Health System Confronts COVID-19 Crisis With Scant Resources
Even in the midst of the challenges of the coronavirus era, public health officers face a public backlash as they attempt to impose restrictions designed to curb the illness’s spread. State legislation has been introduced in California to provide protections. Meanwhile, as states prepare for the virus’s next wave, groups representing health workers are pushing government officials to plan ahead to make sure these professionals have access to adequate PPE.
New Tool Will Help Insurers, State Officials Predict Health Costs From Pandemic
The publicly available tool, funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant, may help companies trying to set their premiums for 2021. In other news, insurers offer new options for COVID-19 testing.
Hospitals Will Lose $320B This Year From COVID-19, AHA Report Says
In other news: Hospitals using artificial intelligence in end-of-life care; new doctors; and health centers merge in Boston neighborhood.
Senate Democrats Fault Trump Administration For Tepid Strategy In Battling Virus In Nursing Homes
The report, to be released Wednesday, charges that federal officials were slow and ineffective in their initial response to the outbreak in vulnerable nursing homes.
In Surprise Move, Senate Approves Extension Of Small Business Relief Program
The measure must still be approved by the House. With just hours left to go before the program was slated to end, senators agreed to give the Small Business Administration the ability to keep approving Paycheck Protection Program loans until Aug. 8. News outlets also detail the economic chaos caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Oklahoma Voters Narrowly OK Medicaid Expansion
On Tuesday, voters approved the ballot measure that amended the state’s constitution to make it possible for the Medicaid program to provide health insurance to tens of thousands of low-income residents. Support for the effort was concentrated in the state’s urban areas, while rural voters largely opposed it.
The FDA released guidance Tuesday on the criteria it will use to approve any coronavirus vaccine. Any candidates must prevent or decrease disease severity in at least 50% of the people inoculated. Temporary authorizations may be considered on a “case-by-case basis,” the agency said.
‘It Could Get Very Bad’: Fauci Warns U.S. Is Headed Toward 100,000 Cases A Day If Nothing Changes
Testifying at a Senate health committee hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top U.S. public health officials painted a bleak picture of the future path COVID-19 could take if efforts to test for and combat the virus are not taken by government leaders and citizens alike.
A New Daily Record: Over 48,000 More Americans Confirmed To Have Coronavirus
That’s the highest number of official U.S. cases reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic. The number of lives lost topped 126,000.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Canadian Judge Upholds Rules To Regulate Excessive Drug Prices
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Opinion pages focus on these public health topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, Maine, Texas, Georgia, and Wisconsin, as well.
Pandemic Accelerated Problems Of Economic Disparities, Stretching Racial Wealth Gap
The coronavirus pandemic “in some ways the extreme inequality was the preexisting condition,” said Chuck Collins, the co-author of an analysis of the disparities. News outlets also look at a variety of repercussions of the recent deaths of Black Americans in police custody and protests calling for a change in how police departments operate.
