Latest KFF Health News Stories
Ousted Florida Health Data Scientist Who Criticized State’s COVID Data Builds Her Own Dashboard
Rebekah Jones said she was ousted from the Florida Department of Health because she wouldn’t make changes to the portal publicizing state COVID-19 rates.
Editorial pages focus on these health care issues and others.
Global news is from China, Germany, France, Switzerland, Pakistan, Russia, Colombia, Sierra Leone, Poland and Brazil, as well.
Once-Controlled Diseases Reemerging After Pandemic Derails Immunization Efforts Across The Globe
Public health experts are growing ever-more concerned with the rise in diseases beyond COVID-19, which have been left to flourish as vaccination rates drop. In other public health news: pregnancy risks, the looming mental health crisis, kids’ health during the shutdowns and more.
N.M. Hospital Implemented Secretive Policy To Target Native American Mothers For COVID Testing
New Mexico is launching an investigation into Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque and its policy to use race and ZIP code to target expectant Native American women for testing.
Lawmakers Say Protests Ramp Up Urgency To Send Federal Aid To Struggling States, Cities
States have been asking for federal aid as they struggle under the financial burden of the pandemic. The protests in recent weeks have only exacerbated the problem, they say. In other news on the economic toll of the outbreak: unemployment benefits, jobless numbers and a forecast for recovery.
New Voter Registrations Plummet As COVID Hamstrings Volunteers’ Recruitment Efforts
In a normal year, volunteers would target festivals and other gatherings where they could register new voters. But the outbreak has thrown a wrench in those plans. In other election news: blind voters worry about privacy.
Pandemic Lays Bare Flaws In Peer Review Process For Medical Journals
After several high profile retractions during the pandemic, some scientists wonder just how flawed the peer-review system has become. “The problem with trust is that it’s too easy to lose and too hard to get back,” said Dr. Jerome Kassirer, a former editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, which published one of the retracted papers in early May. “These are big blunders.” In other scientific news on the virus: the immune system’s response; what doctors have learned so far; the airborne threat; and more.
Lack Of Funding, Deep-Seated Mistrust Threaten Contact Tracing Efforts Essential For Reopening
There’s a profound lack of infrastructure in the American public health system that makes contact tracing–widely viewed as a crucial tool to curb the pandemic–especially difficult to implement effectively.
CMS Goes On Defense As Finger Pointing Over Nursing Home Deaths Begins
CMS Administrator Seema Verma says that federal guidelines helped curb the outbreak in nursing homes. But advocates have been critical from the start that the government hasn’t done enough to protect vulnerable residents. Nursing homes news comes out of Texas and Oklahoma, as well.
White House Has Promised To Deliver A Vaccine ASAP, But What Happens If One Isn’t Proven Safe?
Some experts worry that the intense political pressure for a vaccine by the end of the year might lead the Trump administration to rewrite safety rules. In other vaccine news: trials, supply agreements, costs and more.
Investigation Finds 1,300 Chinese Medical Supply Firms Used Fake Address In America
Foreign device-makers are required to have a representative with a U.S. address, but a Wall Street Journal analysis of Chinese companies trying to sell products like masks in America finds many firms provided false information.
CDC Issues Guidelines On Mask-Wearing At Large Gatherings As Studies Tout Benefits Of Face Coverings
For some Americans, the decision to wear a mask is influenced by politics. But researchers continue to find evidence that face coverings do help cut infection rates.
COVID Patients Should Be Shielded From Bulk Of Medical Expenses But Some Are Still Getting Bills
After getting lifesaving treatment for COVID-19, some patients are being sent eye-popping medical bills. While the hospitals and insurers say that is a mistake, the confusion over costs in the midst of the pandemic persists. In other health industry news: hospitals’ survival and payments.
Upswing In Cases, Hospitalizations Spark Talk Of A Second Wave, But U.S. Is Still In The First One
Many states are reporting a record number of coronavirus cases and forecasters predict a slow and steady increase through the summer as part of the first wave. But they also warn that there will likely be a real, second wave that will hit the nation in the fall.
In Wake Of Latest Police Shooting, Momentum Continues To Grow For Use-Of-Force Reform
Experts say they are seeing more support for legislation that would more tightly regulate the ways that police can use force on suspects. Cities and states across the country are grappling with how best to address police violence as the protests sparked by George Floyd’s death continue.
Gaps In Federal COVID Data Could Mean The True Toll For Black Americans Will Never Be Known
“Unless we use data and focus concretely on race, we are going to let COVID-19 bake in a whole new generation of disparities,” John Kim, executive director of the racial justice research and policy organization Advancement Project California, told Politico. Media outlets examine the links between racism and the pandemic and how they are impacting Black Americans.
Trump Administration Rolls Back Obama-Era Health Care Protections For Transgender Patients
The decision was swiftly criticized by health advocates, insurance regulators, medical groups and others. It’s the latest Trump White House move to chip away at protections for LGBTQ Americans.
Public Health Experts See Trump’s Tulsa Rally As A ‘Perfect Storm’ For Infection Risk
“It’s a perfect storm setup: the idea of tons of people, where one sick person can have an impact of generating secondary cases on this immense level, where it’s indoors, where there’s no ventilation,” said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, medical director of the special pathogens. President Donald Trump’s team also hasn’t confirmed if it will enforce CDC guidelines on mask wearing at the campaign event.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
