Lauren Weber

Lauren Weber was a Midwest correspondent for KFF Health News until December 2022.

@LaurenWeberHP

As Patients Fell Ill With Covid Inside Hospitals, Government Oversight Fell Short

KFF Health News Original

A KHN investigation finds that hospitals with high rates of covid patients who didn’t have the diagnosis when they were admitted have rarely been held accountable due to multiple gaps in government oversight.

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.

Más de la mitad de los estados han revertido poderes de salud pública durante la pandemia

KFF Health News Original

Motivados por votantes enojados por los cierres y los mandatos sobre el uso de máscaras durante la pandemia, legisladores republicanos en más de la mitad de los estados de EE.UU. están quitando los poderes que los funcionarios estatales y locales usan para proteger al público contra las enfermedades infecciosas

Over Half of States Have Rolled Back Public Health Powers in Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

At least 26 states have passed laws to permanently limit public health powers, a KHN investigation has found, weakening the country’s ability to fight not only the current resurgence of the pandemic but other health crises to come.

Lack of a Vaccine Mandate Becomes Competitive Advantage in Hospital Staffing Wars

KFF Health News Original

After months of burnout from the pandemic, hospitals are scrambling to fill nursing and other jobs. Some administrators, particularly in rural areas, are afraid to implement vaccine mandates that alienate their short-handed staffs.

More Than 100 Missouri Schools Have Bought ‘Often Unproven’ Air-Cleaning Technology

KFF Health News Original

Across Missouri, more than 100 schools have spent over $3.5 million — often at the taxpayers’ expense — snapping up ionization and other air-purifying devices in an attempt to keep kids safe from covid-19. But experts warn the largely unregulated technology hasn’t been thoroughly tested in classroom settings and is “often unproven.”

Boeing Tested Air Purifiers Like Those Widely Used in Schools. It Decided Not to Use Them in Planes.

KFF Health News Original

The technology that schools have been snapping up in the fight against covid “has not shown significant disinfection effectiveness” to install on its planes, Boeing found. Now the company’s study is being debated in a proposed class-action suit.

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.

Redfield Joins Big Ass Fans, Which Promotes Controversial Covid-Killing Technology

KFF Health News Original

Dr. Robert Redfield, Trump’s CDC director, lends his scientific credibility to its Clean Air Systems subsidiary, which touts a “virus-killing ion technology” added to its fans. But indoor air quality experts question whether some of its technology works in the real world.

Her Doctor’s Office Moved One Floor Up. Her Bill Was 10 Times Higher.

KFF Health News Original

Same building. Same procedure. Same doctor. But now you’re charged a hospital facility fee. For one Ohio Medicare patient, the copay for a shot that used to cost her about $30 went up to more than $300.

Birx Joins Air-Cleaning Industry Amid Land Grab for Billions in Federal Covid Relief

KFF Health News Original

Air-cleaning companies with limited oversight are targeting a growing market of schools desperate for covid-19 protection. Donald Trump’s former covid adviser lands with one that built its business, in part, on ozone-emitting technology.

University of Missouri Settles Lawsuits Over Knee Surgeries Involving Veterinarian

KFF Health News Original

The University of Missouri settled a collection of 22 medical malpractice and false advertising lawsuits over knee surgeries for $16.2 million. One doctor involved in the cases is among Missouri’s highest-paid state employees; the other is a veterinarian.

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.