Phil Galewitz

Visit kff.org to read Phil's bio.

pgalewitz@kff.org
@philgalewitz

‘Painless’ Glucose Monitors Pushed Despite Little Evidence They Help Most Diabetes Patients

KFF Health News Original

The numbers of people wearing these monitors are soaring as prices have fallen and device-makers promote them to doctors and patients. But few studies show the devices lead to better outcomes for the nearly 25 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes who don’t inject insulin to regulate their blood sugar.

In Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana, CVS Vaccine Appointments Go Unfilled

KFF Health News Original

Dozens of open appointment slots in the three Southern states last week stood in sharp contrast to states such as Delaware, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, where spots generally were claimed by midmorning or earlier.

Tampa’s Mayor vs. a Covid-Era Super Bowl

KFF Health News Original

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor — an outspoken former cop — has clashed repeatedly with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has limited what local officials can do to confront the pandemic. But she reached an uneasy peace with the state and is convinced that safeguards instituted by the NFL will help keep crowds safe at the NFL championship game.

Geography Is Destiny: Dentists’ Access to Covid Shots Depends on Where They Live

KFF Health News Original

A handful of states are making dentists a lower priority than other health professionals for inoculations, even though they have their hands in people’s mouths and are exposed to aerosols that spray germs in their faces.

Hospitals’ Rocky Rollout of Covid Vaccine Sparks Questions of Fairness

KFF Health News Original

The lack of a federal strategy on how distribution should work at the local level means that states, hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies are making decisions on their own about who gets vaccinated and when.

Farmworkers, Firefighters and Flight Attendants Jockey for Vaccine Priority

KFF Health News Original

Everyone — from toilet paper manufacturers to patient advocates — is lobbying state advisory boards, arguing their members are essential, vulnerable or both — and, thus, most deserving of an early vaccine.

Trump Plan May Set Clock Ticking on Many Health Rules — Setting Off Alarms

KFF Health News Original

The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed that the new administration review about 2,400 regulations that affect tens of millions of Americans, on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drug approvals. Those not analyzed within two years would become void.

Florida’s New Hospital Industry Head Ran Medicaid in State and Fought Expansion

KFF Health News Original

The state’s hospital association in September picked Mary Mayhew to be its new CEO. While leading the state Medicaid office, she was a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion program.

Red States’ Case Against ACA Hinges on Whether They Were Actually Harmed by the Law

KFF Health News Original

The Republican-led states are trying to prove they were harmed by the 2010 health law — and thus have “legal standing” — because their Medicaid costs increased, even though Congress eliminated the penalty for not having health coverage in 2019. At least one justice was skeptical.