JoNel Aleccia

JoNel Aleccia was a senior correspondent for KFF Health News until October 2022.

@JoNel_Aleccia

Why Long-Term Care Insurance Falls Short for So Many 

KFF Health News Original

The private insurance market has proved wildly inadequate in providing financial security for millions of older Americans, in part by underestimating how many policyholders would use their coverage.

Patient, Beware: Some States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments

KFF Health News Original

The top 12 states using antibody therapies produced by Regeneron and Lilly — which research shows don’t work against the omicron variant — include several Southern states with some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, but also California, which ranks among the top 20 for fully vaccinated residents.

Success of Covid Antiviral Pills Hinges on Access to Speedy and Accurate Tests

KFF Health News Original

The promising antiviral drugs to treat covid can halt hospitalizations and deaths, but only if they’re given to patients within three to five days of their first symptoms, a narrow window many people won’t meet. Here’s why.

Nursing Home Residents Overlooked in Scramble for Covid Antibody Treatments

KFF Health News Original

A federal allocation plan meant to ensure equitable distribution of powerful monoclonal antibody treatments for high-risk patients fails to prioritize nursing home residents, a population that remains particularly vulnerable even after vaccination.

Centros de órganos a pacientes de trasplantes: vacúnense contra covid o bajarán en la lista de espera

KFF Health News Original

En todo el país, un número creciente de programas de trasplantes ha optado por excluir a los pacientes que se niegan a recibir las ampliamente disponibles vacunas contra covid, o darles una prioridad menor en las abarrotadas listas de espera de órganos.

Organ Centers to Transplant Patients: Get a Covid Shot or Move Down on Waitlist

KFF Health News Original

At issue is whether transplant patients who refuse the shots are not only putting themselves at greater risk for serious illness and death from covid-19, but also squandering scarce organs that could benefit others.

Congress Cites KHN Investigation in Probe of National Academies

KFF Health News Original

The House oversight committee is requesting conflict-of-interest disclosure forms from a National Academies committee studying organ transplants. KHN previously reported on apparent conflicts among members of a committee studying drug waste. 

These Governors Push Experimental Antibody Therapy — But Shun Vaccine and Mask Mandates

KFF Health News Original

Governors in Southern states, amid a surge of delta-variant infections, are rushing to provide an experimental antibody cocktail therapy, even as they oppose measures like mask mandates and vaccine passports that health officials say can prevent infection in the first place.

‘Tainted’ Blood: Covid Skeptics Request Blood Transfusions From Unvaccinated Donors

KFF Health News Original

In another twist on covid vaccine hesitancy, blood centers say they are starting to hear from transfusion patients demanding blood from unvaccinated donors. Experts say the option is neither practical nor medically justifiable.

Thousands of Young Children Lost Parents to Covid. Where’s Help for Them?

KFF Health News Original

More than 46,000 children in the U.S. have lost a parent to covid-19. Families say finding even basic grief counseling has been difficult and there’s been no coordinated effort to help these children access services or benefits.

Detecting Rare Blood Clots Was a Win, But US Vaccine Safety System Still Has Gaps

KFF Health News Original

With some 100 million Americans fully vaccinated, the U.S. is relying on a patchwork network of vaccine monitoring systems that lack the breadth and depth of large, population-based programs, experts said.

The Hype Has Faded, but Don’t Count Out Convalescent Plasma in Covid Battle

KFF Health News Original

The once-promising therapy that infuses blood plasma from recovered covid-19 patients into newly infected people, theoretically to boost immunity, has suffered setbacks. But some proponents say it’s too early to abandon the treatment.