Latest KFF Health News Stories
A Navy investigation into the controversy is expected to be made public this week, but The New York Times spoke with two dozen current and former Navy and Defense Department civilian and uniformed personnel to get a sense of what’s going on behind the curtains.
Experts expect another surge of coronavirus cases in the fall, and Democrats worry that Wisconsin’s primary, where voters were forced to choose their safety or their civic duty, will play out at the national level during the general election voting. Meanwhile, there are some Republicans pushing for voting-by-mail despite President Donald Trump’s opposition to the practice.
Lightning-Fast Economic Collapse Makes Experts Scramble To Avoid Global Depression
“The depth of the recession, just in terms of jobs lost and fallen output, will not compare to anything we’ve seen in the last 150 years. The only question is duration,” said Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard professor and former IMF chief economist.
Democrats Have Leverage Going Into Phase 4 Stimulus Negotiations–But Will They Play Hardball?
President Donald Trump, who has tied his re-election rhetoric to the success of the economy, needs another stimulus more than the Democrats do. That gives the Democrats unusual power in an era dominated by a Republican Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has declared she intends to “double down” on the CARES Act, but some Democrats are anxious to push for even more. Other news focuses on the distribution of the $2.2 trillion “Phase 3” stimulus package.
Red Tape Ensnares Foreign Health Care Workers Trying To Help American Hospitals Amid Crisis
“The protective gear and ventilators are slowly but surely getting to the system. But if the number of cases goes up dramatically, we will have equipment and no one to operate it,” said Ron Hoppe, chief executive officer of WorldWide HealthStaff Solutions, which matches medical professionals with facilities across the United States. In other news on providers: the mental health toll the crisis is taking on front-line workers; exhausted EMS crews persevere; nurses worry about infecting patients; nursing students encountering obstacles; and more.
Some Hospitals In New York Are Pushed To Financial Brink By Surge Of Coronavirus Patients
New York City’s hospital systems are losing up to $450 million a month on coronavirus care. In other news on hospitals: federal grant distributions questioned; lessons from a disaster-zone ICU; the struggle to decide what should be converted into a backup hospital; a look at how some hospitals are staying ahead of the demand for ICU beds; and more.
CMS To Push Nursing Homes To Quickly Inform Residents, Families Of Confirmed Cases
Nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities, have been particularly hard hit by the outbreak.
Researchers Try To Solve Mystery Of ‘Super Spreaders’ To Help Control Pandemic’s Spread
Scientists largely agree that a subset of people seems to be more infectious than others, whether due to genetics, social habits or other events. “The tricky part is that we don’t necessarily know who those people are,” Dr. Jon Zelner, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, tells The New York Times.
Hospitals are worried that no one is paying enough attention to the fact that there are looming shortages of drugs needed to treat COVID-19 patients. Meanwhile, The Washington Post looks at how misinformation spread abut a malaria drug. And as scientists across the globe drop what they’re doing to focus on the outbreak, hundreds of studies on treatments for other diseases stall.
Governors Forced To Get Creative To Procure Ventilators In Face Of Haphazard Federal Distribution
Some are tweeting the president while others are going to the media, amid growing frustration that there’s not a cohesive distribution plan for the National Stockpile. Meanwhile, the West Coast’s success at holding the virus at bay so far may be getting overlooked as the nation directs its attention and praise to the East Coast. And some doctors suggest that it might be time to reconsider if ventilators are the ideal treatment even for severe COVID-19 cases.
U.S. Surpasses Italy As Death Count Climbs Past 20,000
Although the U.S. did surge past Italy for total deaths, America has more than five times the population of Italy’s 60 million people. New York, one of the nation’s hardest hit cities so far, is also showing some signs of hopes with its numbers.
Trump Made Sweeping Promises At The Beginning Of Crisis. So Far, Few Have Materialized.
NPR takes a deep dive into the promises President Donald Trump made during a Rose Garden address declaring a national emergency in March. In other news on Trump’s response: the president’s personal reflections on the crisis, his early missteps, his attacks on watchdogs and his frustration with WHO.
President Donald Trump re-tweeted a message that included the hashtag #FireFauci. Dr. Anthony Fauci has won praise for how he’s been helping to handle the crisis. But as he pushes back against Trump’s messaging, some wonder if the tensions will continue to escalate between the two men.
Fraud Abounds As Federal Government, States Scramble To Procure Masks For Front-Line Workers
Investigators are busting elaborate scams across the country of people trying to profit from a shortage of face masks for health care workers. Meanwhile, in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo orders employers to provide essential workers with protective gear.
‘It’s A Wild West Show Out There’: Lack Of FDA Oversight Creates Chaotic Marketplace For Blood Tests
Experts agree that widespread testing is needed for the country to re-open, but America continues to struggle to meet the mark. To speed the availability of quick blood tests to determine if someone has the virus, the FDA waived layers of usual reviews. But that lack of oversight might backfire as questionable tests flood the marketplace. Meanwhile, South Korea, which has won praise for its aggressive testing, is sending 600,000 kits to America this week.
Trump Itching To Reopen Country, But Public Health Officials And Governors Worry About Another Surge
President Donald Trump is signaling his interest in reopening the country by May 1, though the final decision for each state lays with governors. As of now there doesn’t seem to be a federal plan for how vital functions like air and surface transport can safely resume without triggering a new wave of mass infections, and state leaders and public health officials warn about returning to normalcy too quickly. Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested that there might be a possibility of a “rolling re-entry” in May.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Editorial pages focus on these health care topics and others.
Will Americans Warm Up To Robots In Place Of Workers Amid Threat Of Being Exposed To Virus?
Before the pandemic, automation had been gradually replacing human work in a range of jobs, but the pandemic could speed up that process as society sees the benefits of restructuring workplaces in ways that minimize close human contact. In other health and technology news: Alexa’s role in the pandemic, telemedicine use, and security concerns.
Time To Quit: Health Officials Sound New Alarms About Risky Habits Of Smoking, Vaping
A recent study has shown that people who smoke are twice as likely to have severe infections. Some health experts wonder if the numbers of young people impacted could be due to vaping habits. “I believe it is critically important for us to help people quit inhaling anything into their lungs that could be causing any type of inflammation, as the coronavirus will only find an inviting environment otherwise,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler,
