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Latest KFF Health News Stories

From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda

KFF Health News Original

In a candid interview, California’s newly appointed attorney general, Rob Bonta, reflects on his progressive roots and says he will pursue a health care agenda centered on the principle that quality medical care is a right, not a privilege.

Mississippi’s Black Communities Turned Around Their Covid Rates. Next Up: Make Strides on Vaccines.

KFF Health News Original

Covid-19 tore through Mississippi’s Black population in the pandemic’s early days, but community efforts slowed the rate. Now health officials and community leaders aim to replicate the success as they dole out vaccines.

Biden Administration Signals It’s in No Rush to Allow Canadian Drug Imports

KFF Health News Original

Federal officials asked a court to dismiss a suit by drugmakers over the policy enacted by the Trump administration that would allow states to bring in cheaper prescription medications from Canada. The filing said the lawsuit was moot because it’s unclear when or if the FDA would approve any state’s importation plan.

Caring for an Aging Nation

KFF Health News Original

The number of Americans 65 and older is expected to nearly double in the next 40 years. Finding a way to provide and pay for the long-term health services they need won’t be easy.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Return of the Public Option

KFF Health News Original

Lawmakers are working on fleshing out the concept of a “public option,” a government-run or heavily regulated insurance plan that would compete with private insurance. But the details are complicated, both substantively and politically. Meanwhile, bioethicists are debating whether the U.S. should be vaccinating low-risk adolescents against covid-19 while high-risk adults in other countries are still waiting. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Confronting Our ‘Frailties’: California’s Assembly Leader Reflects on a Year of Covid

KFF Health News Original

California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon says covid exposed long-standing health care inequities that must be addressed. He told KHN he wants to get more people insured, boost broadband access so more patients can use telehealth and increase funding to local health departments.

Minneapolis Police Injured Protesters With Rubber Bullets. The City Has Taken Little Action.

KFF Health News Original

A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody, there is scant evidence the city has changed how its police officers use less-lethal weapons or strengthened its oversight. Instead, it may be a study in stymied reform, unenforced policies and a lack of transparency.