Hannah Recht

Hannah Recht was a data reporter for KFF Health News until December 2023.

@hannah_recht

Biden Admin Implores States to Slow Medicaid Cuts After More Than 1M Enrollees Dropped

KFF Health News Original

Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is asking states to make more of an effort to keep eligible Medicaid recipients enrolled. He particularly fears children losing health insurance coverage.

As Medicaid Purge Begins, ‘Staggering Numbers’ of Americans Lose Coverage

KFF Health News Original

In what’s known as the Medicaid “unwinding,” states are combing through rolls to decide who stays and who goes. But the overwhelming majority of people who have lost coverage so far were dropped because of technicalities, not because officials determined they are no longer eligible.

The Disability Tax: Medical Bills Remain Inaccessible for Many Blind Americans

KFF Health News Original

Health insurers and health care systems across the country are violating disability rights laws by sending medical bills that blind and visually impaired people cannot read, a KHN investigation has found. By hindering the ability of blind Americans to know what they owe, some bills get sent to debt collections.

Is Paxlovid, the Covid Pill, Reaching Those Who Most Need It? The Government Won’t Say

KFF Health News Original

Many public health workers are unable to see how many doses of Pfizer’s antiviral treatment are shipped to their communities and cannot tell whether vulnerable residents are filling prescriptions as often as their wealthier neighbors.

How the Test-to-Treat Pillar of the US Covid Strategy Is Failing Patients

KFF Health News Original

The federal “test-to-treat” program was designed to be a one-stop shop for people to get tested for covid and to receive treatment. But as covid cases rise again, many communities have no participating locations, and website bugs make it difficult to book an appointment at the biggest participant.

It Was Already Hard to Find Evusheld, a Covid Prevention Therapy. Now It’s Even Harder.

KFF Health News Original

At least 7 million immunocompromised people could benefit from the monoclonal antibody injections designed to prevent covid-19. The government says it has enough doses for a fraction of those in need ― and it doesn’t have the money to buy more.

Biden Administration’s Rapid-Test Rollout Doesn’t Easily Reach Those Who Need It Most

KFF Health News Original

Two rapid-testing initiatives the Biden administration released in the past week are inaccessible to some residents of multifamily housing, people who don’t speak English well, or those without internet access.

El plan de Biden para entregar pruebas gratis para covid no llega fácilmente a los más vulnerables

KFF Health News Original

Desde el límite establecido en los pedidos de prueba hasta los idiomas disponibles en los sitios web, los programas pueden dejar fuera a muchas personas que no hablan inglés o no tienen acceso a Internet, así como a las que viven en hogares multigeneracionales.

As Omicron Surges, Effort to Vaccinate Young Children Stalls

KFF Health News Original

Just 18% of 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated, with rates varying significantly across the country, a KHN analysis of federal data shows. Pediatricians say the slow pace and geographic disparities are alarming, especially against the backdrop of record numbers of cases and pediatric hospitalizations.

NY Reaches Agreement With DOJ Over Vaccine Access for Blind People

KFF Health News Original

Following a February KHN investigation into covid vaccine accessibility, the Department of Justice reached an agreement with five New York government agencies to make their websites accessible to people who are visually impaired.

En los Apalaches y el delta del Mississippi, millones deben viajar lejos para recibir atención por accidentes cerebrovasculares

KFF Health News Original

A lo largo de los Apalaches y del delta del Mississippi, donde las tasas de muertes por ataques cerebrales está por encima del promedio nacional, dirigir a los pacientes de áreas rurales al nivel adecuado de atención puede ser un rompecabezas intrincado. El hospital más cercano puede no ofrecer un espectro completo de tratamientos, y los centros de atención de avanzada pueden estar a horas de distancia.

In Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, Millions Face Long Drives to Stroke Care

KFF Health News Original

Across Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, where death rates from stroke are above the national average, routing patients from rural areas to the right level of care can be an intricate jigsaw puzzle. The closest hospital might not offer the full scope of stroke treatments, but hospitals with more advanced care could be hours away.

Public Health Experts Worry About Boom-Bust Cycle of Support

KFF Health News Original

Congress has poured tens of billions of dollars into public health since last year. While health officials who have juggled bare-bones budgets for years are grateful for the money, they worry it will soon dry up, just as it has after previous crises such as 9/11, SARS and Ebola. Meanwhile, they continue to cope with an exodus from the field amid political pressure and exhaustion that meant 1 in 6 Americans lost their local health department leader.

Covid Vaccine Websites Violate Disability Laws, Create Inequity for the Blind

KFF Health News Original

A KHN investigation found covid vaccine registration and information websites at the federal, state and local levels are flouting disability rights laws and limiting the ability of people who are blind or visually impaired to sign up for shots.

As Vaccine Rollout Expands, Black Americans Still Left Behind

KFF Health News Original

Covid vaccines are reaching more Americans, but Black residents are being vaccinated at dramatically lower rates in the 23 states where data is publicly available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to release national data next week.