Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health topics and others.
Viewpoints: Denial Is Only Going To Make Things Much Worse; Coping Doesn’t Mean Locking Down Again
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic topics and others.
Can Russians’ History Of Experimenting With Vaccines On Themselves Help Protect Them Against Virus?
Virologists and other health experts around the world are eyeing old vaccines that may help boost the immune system and bridge the gap until an effective COVID vaccine is developed. Meanwhile, many wonder who will have access to that new vaccine if it makes it to market. Other global news on the pandemic focuses on the new normal of the coronavirus, masks and travel restrictions, famous landmarks reopening, and more.
Media outlets report on news from California, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Idaho, Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Maine, West Virginia, New York, Colorado, Massachusetts, Georgia, Vermont, Nevada and Michigan.
Regeneron Used Charity In Kickback Scheme To Pay Medicare Patients, Prosecutors Allege
Pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from offering remuneration to encourage Medicare to purchase their drugs. The case is one of several investigations into drugmakers’ ties to patient assistance charities and the role they play in inflating prices. In another case related to Medicare misuse, Augusta University Medical agrees to refund over $26 million in false reimbursements.
Report Details Profound Failures, War Zone-Like Conditions, ‘Baffling Mistakes’ At Mass. VA Facility
The 174-page report on Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, ordered by Gov. Charlie Baker, paints the picture of a facility devoid of leadership during the most consequential days of the outbreak and plagued by long-festering management issues that came to a head during the pandemic.
As Colleges Mull Reopening, Study On Spring Break Outbreak Shows How Easily Students Spread Virus
A study looks at an outbreak within the group of University of Texas at Austin students who went on a spring break to Mexico. Sixty of the 183 students were infected.
Survey: 34% Of Women Say They Are Deciding To Delay Pregnancies Because Of COVID
The Guttmacher Institute survey also reported women were deciding to have fewer children. A slightly smaller proportion of the roughly 2,000 women who responded to the survey also said they were struggling to access birth control during the pandemic. Public health news is on closed gyms in Michigan, state fair cancellations, Disneyland’s delayed opening, contact tracing, college fiscal problems, child care, social distancing, and on a salmonella outbreak, Whole Foods’ warning about its bottled water, and food insecurity, as well.
In many other countries, face masks have been embraced as a way to help stem the spread of the virus, but U.S. citizens remain divided even as the number of new cases has reached an all-time high. “Making individual decisions is the American way,” Max Parsell, a 29-year-old power-line worker in Jacksonville, Fla., told The Washington Post as he justified his decision not to wear a mask. News on face masks is on racial profiling, acne, repackaging, flying, and denying service, as well.
The coronavirus continues to score points against efforts to return sporting events back to “normal.”
Insurers To Help Shore Up Some Physician Practices That Are Struggling Amid Pandemic
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina would offer to help struggling practices–but there are some strings attached.
Delayed Treatments For Heart Conditions, Cancer During The Pandemic Worry Medical Experts
Stay-at-home orders and safety concerns kept many people from seeking medical treatment during the past few months. Doctors voice particular concern for those with cardiac disease. And cancer patients and caretakers share the ways they had to adapt to continue their medical care. Developments related to potential cancer, alcoholism and Parkinson’s disease treatments is also in the news today.
Bayer To Pay $10.9B To Settle Lawsuits Over Roundup Cancer Claims
“In short, this is the right action at the right time for Bayer,” CEO Werner Baumann said.
No Longer Hidden: NASA Renames Headquarters After First Black Female Engineer
On Wednesday, NASA renamed its headquarters in the District of Columbia after Mary Jackson. A NASA spokesman said that agency “leadership is sensitive to the discussions of racism, discrimination and inequalities going on around the world. We are aware of conversations about renaming facilities and are having ongoing discussions with the NASA workforce on this topic. NASA is dedicated to advancing diversity and we will continue to take steps to do so.”
‘Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia And Distress’: Mental Toll Is Extreme For Black Health Care Workers
Images in the news of racial violence, combined with the extra stress of battling a pandemic, create a toxic climate for Black health care workers. News outlets report on other stories related to outcries over the racial disparities in America.
‘Another Step Forward In Seeking Justice’: 3 Men Indicted With Murder Of Black Jogger Ahmaud Arbery
The men could face life sentences without parole. The shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery has become an integral part of the broader wave of protests against racism, racial profiling and the police killings of black people that have broken out across the country in recent weeks.
House To Vote Thursday On Policing Act As Lawmakers Continue Push For Overhaul
In other news: Vice President Mike Pence offers encouragement to Republican senators; prominent leaders say democracy is under threat.
In other election news, Biden’s polling lead among women and nonwhite voters; his plans to talk Obamacare in battleground Pennsylvania; and more.
Trump’s Rhetoric On Mail-In Voting Resonating With Base Despite Lack Of Evidence For Fraud
President Donald Trump has made five dozen false claims about mail balloting since April, as officials in various states began contemplating the need for expanded use of the option amid the pandemic. A new poll suggests widespread support for mail-in voting but also hints that Trump’s messaging on fraud is getting through to his base. Meanwhile, Americans are going to have to come to terms with delayed election results.
