Latest KFF Health News Stories
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
HHS Considers Extending Telemedicine Flexibility For Medicare Beneficiaries After The Pandemic
There are regulatory barriers in place though that would will require HHS coordination with and support from other federal agencies, Congress and state governments in order to make some of the current practices permanent. In other technology news, investment interest in health IT companies dips.
Longer Looks: COVID In Detention Facilities; Health Care Workers And Protests; And Pandemic Escapism
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the web.
Protesters Should Highly Considering Getting Tested For COVID-19, CDC Director, Other Leaders Say
“I do think there is a potential, unfortunately, for this to be a seeding event,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield. Govs. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) and Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.)–leaders of states hit hard by the outbreak–also spoke out about the need for protesters to be evaluated for the virus.
Sens. Harris, Booker Blast Paul For Holding Up Bipartisan Anti-Lynching Bill ‘On A Day Of Mourning’
In a heated and emotional floor debate, Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said that Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) amendment to an anti-lynching legislation would weaken it and put a “greater burden on victims of lynching than is currently required under federal hate crime laws.”
Global pandemic developments are reported out of Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Pakistan, South Korea, France, Belgium, Japan and other nations.
As Innovative Contact Tracing Apps Emerge, Privacy And Accuracy Pitfalls Could Thwart Efforts
In addition to privacy concerns, experts say that smartphone-based contact tracing could miss low-income populations who are some of the most vulnerable in the pandemic. Meanwhile, at a congressional hearing, CDC Director Robert Redfield emphasized the need for building up an army of contact tracers.
Millions Of Families Struggling With Rare Illnesses Hit Hardest By Suspension Of Experiments, Trials
All research on diseases will be impacted by the current switch to COVID research, advocates say, but often there’s a small window when therapies can work for the 30 million people in the U.S. impacted by rare diseases for which there is no treatment or cure. Public health news is on caregivers, learning loss, the lifting of an e-book ban, additional flights, experts repeat warnings, challenging get-togethers, congenital syphilis, and climate change, as well.
Media outlets report on news from Nevada, Virginia, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, California, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.
‘My Anxiety Is Out Of Control’: Officers In Navajo Nation Have Added Worry About Exposure To COVID
The high rate of infection makes Navajo Nation officer Carolyn Tallsalt, who grew up on the reservation, panic for her family members and friends but also for herself, writes the Los Angeles Times. Other news on Native Americans is on the new hardships of potters and artists who can’t sell at markets, the end of weekend lockdowns in some areas and the decision of tribes in Montana to keep reservations closed.
Appeals Court Rules That Texans Can’t Request Absentee Ballots Because Of Coronavirus Fears
Texas is one of 16 states that restrict who may vote by mail, and most of the others said months ago that they would make mail-in ballots widely available in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Various independent studies have shown that voter fraud of any kind is extremely rare, but President Donald Trump and other Republicans have seized upon the issue in recent weeks, turning it political.
Unemployment Rate Falls To 13.3%, Shocking Experts Who Expected Grimmer Numbers
The report is the latest sign that the economic free fall may have bottomed out. But experts say that it still may take years for the economy to truly recover. The Labor Department said the improvements, “reflected a limited resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed in March and April.”
Nursing Homes With Bad Track Records Eye Financial Incentives To Take In COVID Patients
Advocates say that the generous government incentives designed to help patients who are recovering from COVID-19 will only serve to expose more elderly people to some of the factors that led to nearly 26,000 deaths in nursing homes during the pandemic. For example, eight of 20 nursing homes in Michigan selected by the state government to build wings for coronavirus-positive patients are currently rated as “below average” or “much below average.” Meanwhile, CMS says it will fine nursing homes weekly for not submitting outbreak data.
As the country’s death toll and cases total climb, Stat talks to experts about ways to avoid bungling a pandemic response. “I’m still getting over my shock at how badly this was handled,” said epidemiologist Stephen Morse of Columbia University. “After all the work and all the exercises everyone did, it’s heartbreaking to see how badly the ball was dropped.”
World Leaders Stress Need For Vaccine To Be Widely Available To All Countries
Attendees of a virtual summit for a public-private partnership, devoted to ensuring poor- and middle-income countries have access to a potential vaccine, brainstormed ways that wealthy countries can ensure fair distribution.
For Price Tag, Gilead Presuming Remdesivir Saves Hospitals Money. But Experts Say That’s Premature.
All eyes are on Gilead as the company decides on a price for the only treatment that has so far passed gold-standard trials in treating COVID-19. But experts say the company may be making false assumptions when it comes to setting the cost. Meanwhile, the federal government’s distribution of the drug has been better, but there’s still room for improvement.
Retractions Of 2 Major Drug Studies Heighten Fears Research Is Being Rushed During Crisis
The Lancet, one of the world’s top medical journals, retracted an influential study on the potential harms of hydroxychloroquine on Thursday. Just over an hour later, the New England Journal of Medicine did the same with a separate study from the same company. There has been growing concern in the scientific community that the usual process–which can be rigorous and time-consuming–is being compromised in favor of quick answers during the global pandemic.
CDC Chief Apologizes For Agency’s Lack Of Demographics Data, Will Add Requirement For States
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield apologized during a hearing about the agency’s pandemic response. The deadline for states to start reporting demographics data–including information on race–is Aug. 1. The issue has been top of mind in recent days as Black Lives Matter protests increase infection risk across the country for a population that has already been hit hard by the outbreak.
‘A Pandemic Within A Pandemic’: Coronavirus Lays Bare Long-Standing Racial Disparities
Black Americans have disproportionately suffered from the coronavirus due to long-standing racial disparities in everything from health care to wealth accumulation. Experts examine the ways racism plays a role in America’s institutions, including, but not limited to, police departments.
Not only are people in jeopardy of being exposed to the coronavirus during the protests drawing thousands physically together, tactics used by police to disperse the groups–such as tear gas–exacerbate the problem, health experts say. Spraying people with tear gas causes them to cough, shout and scream and possibly take off their masks, all of which could increase infection risk.
