Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Pandemic News From Overseas

Morning Briefing

The pandemic is reappearing in Vietnam and is surging again in several Asian countries. Also, a Japanese court recognizes “black rain” victims 75 years after the atomic bomb blast.

States Act To Reduce Partying

Morning Briefing

States facing major health problems, some not related to the coronavirus epidemic, seek federal help. Meanwhile, some state officials are realizing that maybe, just maybe, people are partying too hard and spreading COVID.

Study: Gum Disease Linked To Dementia

Morning Briefing

“We looked at people’s dental health over a 20-year period and found that people with the most severe gum disease at the start of our study had about twice the risk for mild cognitive impairment or dementia by the end,” said study author Ryan Demmer. And more on cognitive testing.

Worries Grow of Antibiotic Shortages

Morning Briefing

In other pharma news, 23andMe’s database is used in cancer drug development and Kodak shareholders get a windfall after federal government pumps $765 million into a largely moribund company.

Thousands Of Lives Spared By Closing Schools In Spring, Researchers Find

Morning Briefing

A new study shows evidence that closing all of a state’s schools was associated with a measurable decrease in U.S. coronavirus cases and deaths. Also news on how various school districts are handling a fall reopening of classes.

Medicare Part D Premium Will Rise Slightly Next Year, CMS Says

Morning Briefing

Also in Medicaid news: Missouri’s upcoming vote on expansion and an interview with Will Lightbourne, head of California’s Department of Health Care Services, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program.

Who Gets The COVID Vaccine And When?

Morning Briefing

“This is a huge experiment and no one knows how it’s going to turn out,” said James Le Duc, the director of the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Galveston National Laboratory, about the very fast development process of a COVID vaccine.

Judge Blocks ‘Public Charge’ Rule On Immigrants

Morning Briefing

Federal Judge George Daniels wrote that since the April ruling, the pandemic has gotten worse and “the irreparable harm and public interests that warrant an injunction have come into sharper focus. … We no longer need to imagine the worst-case scenario.”
.

Pence Met With Doctors Featured In Discredited Viral Video

Morning Briefing

A group called America’s Frontline Doctors captured national attention for their unproven claims in an online video seen by millions–despite being banned from some social media platforms for misinformation–about the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine and masks. Vice President Mike Pence met with several of the doctors on Tuesday.

HHS Contract Awarding COVID Data Collection Raises Questions

Morning Briefing

An NPR investigation finds irregularities in the TeleTracking Technologies contract for a database previously managed by the CDC. In other Trump administration news, Modern Healthcare obtains partial text of White House drug pricing executive orders.

Democrats Push Child-Care Bills

Morning Briefing

A Democrat in the House of Representatives wants to try to repeal the Helms Amendment that imposes anti-abortion restrictions on overseas aid. And two child-care bills pass in the House largely along party lines.