Elisabeth Rosenthal

Visit kff.org to read Elisabeth's bio.

erosenthal@kff.org
@RosenthalHealth

Did the US Jump the Gun With the New Omicron-Targeted Vaccines?

KFF Health News Original

With fears of a winter surge looming, government agencies have authorized and encouraged vaccination with a newly formulated booster. But the science to support that decision remains inconclusive.

La crisis de deuda que los estadounidenses enfermos no pueden evitar

KFF Health News Original

Poca atención pública se ha centrado en lo que es, al menos estadísticamente, una crisis de deuda más grande: se estima que 100 millones de personas, o el 41% de todos los adultos del país, tienen deudas de atención médica, en comparación con 42 millones con deuda estudiantil.

The Debt Crisis That Sick Americans Can’t Avoid

KFF Health News Original

The federal government is stepping in to assist student loan borrowers. But little public attention has been focused on what is — statistically, at least — a bigger, broader debt crisis in our country: An estimated 100 million people in the U.S., or 41% of all adults, are saddled with pernicious health care debt.

Will the US Overcome Its Covid Complacency Even as the Threat Returns?

KFF Health News Original

One million Americans have died from covid-19 — far more per capita than in any other developed country. A new variant is doubling case rates in some states, and more than 300 people are dying a day. But our nation’s pandemic response has become mild-mannered and performative, backed by neither money, urgency, nor enforcement.

Is My Drug Copay Coupon a Form of Charity — Or a Bribe?

KFF Health News Original

Drug copayment assistance is a form of profitable charity — and, yes, that’s an oxymoron. Amid skyrocketing drug prices, it’s understandable that patients desperately need help affording medicine, especially when their health is on the line. But these programs create a mirage that perpetuates our health care system’s reckless spending.

The End of the Covid Emergency Could Mean a Huge Loss of Health Insurance

KFF Health News Original

It is a perilous time to throw low- and middle-income Americans off the insurance cliff: A new omicron subvariant is spreading, and a program that provided coronavirus testing and covid-19 treatment at no cost to the uninsured has expired.

Polio, Chickenpox, Measles, Now Covid. It’s Time to Consult History on School Vaccine Mandates

KFF Health News Original

As some states adopt covid vaccine requirements, not everyone agrees mandates for children are the way forward. Taking a page from history: We have two paths to putting the pandemic behind us: a quicker, more certain one of mandatory vaccination or a stuttering, drawn-out, likely more deadly affair.

Public Opinion Is Unified on Lowering Drug Prices. Why Are Leaders Settling for Less?

KFF Health News Original

Politicians and many health experts have done their best to see the glass half-full in the plan put forward by congressional Democrats and the president. But it’s “a far cry” from what other nations do to rein in drug prices, and polls show most voters demand more protection.

Analysis: Necessary or Not, Covid Booster Shots Are Probably on the Horizon

KFF Health News Original

In today’s pharmaceutical universe, a simple “safe and effective” determination by the Food and Drug Administration to approve a drug can be manipulated to sell products of questionable value. And drugmakers can profit handsomely.

Analysis: Why We’ll Likely Never Know Whether a Covid Lab Leak Happened in China

KFF Health News Original

If international scientific sleuths are hoping to see a lab log or find a whistleblower, that sort of information won’t be revealed. In China today, it is dangerous to say what you know if it challenges the official government narrative.

Telemedicine Is a Tool — Not a Replacement for Your Doctor’s Touch

KFF Health News Original

The pandemic has demonstrated that virtual medicine is great for simple visits. But many new types of telemedicine promoted by start-ups more clearly benefit providers’ and investors’ pockets, rather than yielding more convenient, high-quality and cost-effective medicine for patients.

Analysis: How the US Invested in the War on Terrorism at the Cost of Public Health

KFF Health News Original

After 9/11, as our defenses against international and bioterrorism hardened, our defenses against infectious diseases shrank. By the time a deadly virus arrived on our shores last year, nearly two-thirds of Americans were living in counties that spend more than twice as much on policing as they spend on public health.