Latest KFF Health News Stories
Trump Minimizing Own Role In Sharp Divergence From Predecessors Who Led During Crises
Governors and other administration leaders have been tasked to make the tough decisions during the pandemic as President Donald Trump defers responsibility. Presidential historians say it’s a startlingly different approach from the country’s previous leaders who held office during tumultuous times. In other news: the White House is still in upheaval from its own outbreak scare, Trump will tour a ventilator plant and the White House staff is kept in flux.
Trump Envisions America Going Back To Normal With Packed Stadiums, Crowds
Public health experts continue to warn that even when the country reopens, there will be a new normal in how everyone interacts with each other. But President Donald Trump — calling into a charity golf exhibition — said he wants people “practically standing on top of each other and enjoying themselves, not where they’re worried.”
A Look At Why New York Has Nearly 10 Times More Deaths Than California
ProPublica takes a deep dive into the early responses of city and state leaders on both coasts to see what went wrong or where California got lucky. Meanwhile, CDC Director Robert Redfield says that the country is on pace to pass 100,000 deaths by June 1.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics ando thers.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Longer Looks: Dignity For The Dead; Human Migration; A Prescription For Reopening; And More
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.
For World’s Poorest Countries, Economic Devastation Could Be More Damaging Than Virus Itself
Some research suggests that poverty and hunger could end up killing even more people worldwide than the 40 million victims researchers projected would die from the virus if no control measures were taken. In other news on the economic toll of the virus: gender disparities in job losses, unemployment claims, relief funds for schools, small business loans and more.
Nursing school administrators worried that nursing students might change their minds about entering the field are keeping an eye out for “melt” — a term used to describe students who change their mind about coming to school. Other health industry news reports on complaints about lack of disclosures and more dedicated health care professionals who are dying.
Opinion writers express views about these public health topics and others.
‘Sitting Ducks’: Advocates Raise Red Flags About Unsafe Conditions Inside ICE Detention Centers
The ACLU recently estimated that almost all of those held in ICE facilities could be infected by the 90th day of a COVID-19 outbreak. An ICE spokesman said the agency is monitoring all detainees. Meanwhile, detainees voice health concerns after a COVID death in San Diego, as well.
Pandemic Wreaked Havoc On Hospitals’ Tried-And-True Playbook For Turning A Profit
Before the pandemic, hospitals relied on this strategy to make money: provide surgeries, scans and other well-reimbursed services to privately insured patients, whose plans pay higher prices than public programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Then the pandemic turned the world upside down. In other news on hospitals and costs: rural care deserts, liability protections and payment models.
Media outlets report on news from Michigan, Texas, District of Columbia, New York, California, Kansas, Maine, and Massachusetts.
Metrics-Focused Trump Laments Fact That Testing More People Means A Higher Case Count For U.S.
“We have more cases than anybody in the world,” President Donald Trump said. “But why? Because we do more testing. When you test, you have a case. When you test, you find something is wrong with people. If we didn’t do any testing, we would have very few cases.” Meanwhile, whereas scientists had been prominent players in the early days of the administration’s response efforts, they’re now being sidelined more and more.
Sweden Reports Extraordinary Jump In Deaths; Hospital Beds Hard To Find In Brazil
Global pandemic developments are reported out of Sweden, Brazil, Iraq, Somalia, Greece, Canada, Spain, Germany, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Domestic Abuse Problems Deepen: As Number Of Cases Rise, Fewer Options Exist To Find Safety
Operators of shelters say they’re getting more calls in some states as stay-at-home orders continue, but worries about offering refuge to infected women is prompting advocates to look for alternate solutions. More public health news stories report on antibiotic resistance, racial disparities and pregnancies, doulas, mannequins in restaurants, parents of special needs children, airport safety measures, big drop in cancer diagnoses, new etiquette to writing emails and a look at how mail carriers cope, as well.
Startling Number Of Young People Without Any COVID Symptoms Seek Care For Strokes
The trend of young people getting strokes from the virus is just one of the baffling aspects of the disease that doctors are trying to understand. In other scientific news on the virus: transmission via talking, rare symptoms in children, plasma from the recovered, lessons learned from previous pandemics and more.
GOP State Officials In Uncomfortable Position Of Implementing Mail-In Voting Amid Fraud Rhetoric
Republican state officials are taking a hard look at their own rhetoric around voter fraud in the midst of the pandemic. “It’s partly on me because I talked about it in my campaign,” said Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams. “But it’s my job now to calm people’s fears.” In other election news: the national conventions, an ad battle over relationships with China and in-person fundraisers in the coronavirus era.
New York now says hospitals can send patients to nursing homes only if they have tested negative for the virus, but the policy had been in place for weeks, possibly endangering the lives of some of the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor finally issues workplace guidance for nursing home staff.
The FBI seized Sen. Richard Burr’s (R-N.C.) phone in a sign that the senator may be in legal jeopardy. Burr came under scrutiny after ProPublica reported in March that he sold off a significant percentage of his stocks shortly after receiving a coronavirus briefing and just before the pandemic wrecked the global markets. Investigators have also looked into stock trades by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), who all deny doing anything wrong.
House To Vote On Pelosi’s $3T Relief Legislation Despite Warnings It Will Be DOA In Senate
Even some Democratic members have voiced opposition to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) sweeping plan, but it is expected to pass the lower chamber on Friday. Republicans, who have been taking a wait-and-see approach to offering another round of emergency relief, widely panned the legislation.
