Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Systems Trying To Survive Economic Hit, But Future Remains Uncertain
“We plan on surviving this,” said Wilmington Health CEO Jeff James. “We just don’t know what it’s going to look like on the other side. We’re going to keep our doors open as long as we possibly can.”
Editorial pages examine these pandemic topics and others.
Media outlets report on news from New Mexico, California, New York, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Massachusetts and Illinois.
Medicaid Becomes Tempting Target For Governors Who Are Desperately Trying To Bolster Budgets
Medicaid consumes about 20% of state budgets, and even state leaders who have supported expansion of the program are viewing it as a way to avoid sinking into economic devastation.
Belgium May Have The Most Accurate COVID-19 Death Count — But It Also Makes It One Of The Highest
Global pandemic developments are reported out of Belgium, Nigeria, Tanzania, Somalia, France, Japan, El Salvador, South Africa, Italy, Lebanon and other nations.
Facing Anguish, Hostility: Crushing Forces Threaten Mental Health Of Front-Line Workers
A recent WHO report and other studies find that medical workers treating COVID-19 patients report soaring rates of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and in other cases, when they return home to rest, they discover they’re unwelcome. Other news stories related to health care workers is on identifying the best protective equipment, Ukraine’s underfunded hospitals, higher risks for black clinicians and bigger pressures on Medline workers, as well.
Advocates say the data is long overdue. “The lid is about to blow off,” said Brian Lee, executive director of Families for Better Care, a national watchdog. Other news on nursing homes is reported from Texas, Virginia, Washington, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Louisiana.
Swing-State Republicans Warn That 2020 Election Will Be Referendum On Trump’s Pandemic Response
Political experts say the results will be less dependent on how voters feel about presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and more about what they think of President Donald Trump. In other election news: racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths could hurt Trump, Democrats debate an in-person convention and more stories.
“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” former President Barack Obama said. “A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.” Obama also called on the graduates to be bold in their vision of the world to fix the inequalities in the world.
Even With House’s Relief Plan Expected To Be DOA In Senate, GOP Has No Plans To Release Their Own
The House passed a $3 trillion relief package on Friday, but there’s been basically zero bipartisan talk between the two parties that would signal Republicans are ready to move forward with actual negotiations.
Economic Devastation Likened To Great Depression, But Experts Say That’s A Flawed Comparison
Economic experts say that the Great Depression was triggered by a financial meltdown, and made worse by bad policy choices. That crisis dragged on for years, but economists foresee project a much shorter recovery time for the current downswing.
Underlying Conditions That Make Patients More Vulnerable Appear In High Rates In Unaffected Areas
Obesity, heart disease and diabetes are all widespread throughout America, but particularly in the South, which hasn’t seen an outbreak on the level with the coasts yet. In all, more than half of Americans have at least one condition that increases their risk of becoming seriously ill, if infected. In other scientific news on COVID-19: young patients recount their battles, air pollution threatens vulnerable communities and doctors continue to document strange rashes on patients.
Utah’s Rush To Embrace Malaria Drug Offers Case Study Of Pitfalls When Hope Outpaces Science
Utah’s enthusiastic response to the promise of malaria drugs as a possible coronavirus treatment represents a larger problem underlying the pandemic — the desire to find a magic cure is overriding the scientific process. Meanwhile, substitute pharmacists warn their colleagues that they could act as super spreaders for the virus. And a judge dismisses Martin Shkreli’s request to leave prison so he can research a treatment as “delusional.”
Media outlets report on the status of state reopenings across the country.
While There Haven’t Yet Been Spikes In States That Have Reopened, Azar Warns It’s Too Early To Tell
HHS Secretary Alex Azar said that tracking will be imperative as states begin to lift social distancing measures. Governors across the country are facing hard choices about how quickly to reopen as cases continue to climb.
Trump Sets Hyper-Ambitious Goal Of Having Vaccine By End Of Year Despite Experts’ Caution
President Donald Trump acknowledged that “Operation Warp Speed” is risky and expensive, but he still made grand promises to have the capacity to distribute 300 million doses in January. That year-end goal is a “very bold plan … a stretch goal if there ever was one,” warned NIH Director Francis Collins. While some experts say the unprecedented global race for a vaccine might shorten the expected timeline, there’s been a broad consensus that there aren’t too many corners left to cut without it being unsafe.
The Latest Testing Shortage: People
States have finally been able to ramp up their capacity, but in a strange twist, few people are showing up to get tested. Experts say several factors may be at play, including a lingering sense of scarcity, a lack of access in rural and underserved communities, concerns about cost and skepticism about testing operations. Meanwhile, as the FDA clears another at-home-testing kit for use and President Donald Trump reiterates support for an Abbott quick test that could miss up to 50% of cases. In other news: a Bill and Melinda Gates testing program is shut down by the FDA, while experts say don’t count on “immunity passports” as a silver bullet for reopening.
An Island In Washington State Hopes To Offer Contact Tracing Model To Understaffed Rural Areas
Vashon Island is geographically part of King County — which includes Seattle, the early epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Experts there want to provide a way for understaffed, but oftentimes nimble, rural areas to be able to test, track and isolate cases. Meanwhile, other states try to build up the armies needed for successful contact tracing.
EU-Led Coalition Proposes Review Into WHO’s Response But U.S. May Want More Targeted Inquiry
The global inquiry shows the large number of countries trying to find a middle course between the two geopolitical rivals. Both WHO and China have been targets of President Donald Trump’s ire in recent weeks. Opposition from either the U.S. or China would be enough to kill the resolution.
Pandemic Reveals Chronic Structural Weaknesses Throughout Federal Government
During this outbreak, the nation is reaping the effects of decades of denigration of government and also from a steady squeeze on the resources needed to shore up the domestic parts of the executive branch. Meanwhile, top health officials revealed tensions brewing within the Trump administration over different agencies’ responses, as HHS Secretary Alex Azar defends the president’s handling of the pandemic.
