Latest News On CDC

Latest KFF Health News Stories

WHO Overturns Dogma on Airborne Disease Spread. The CDC Might Not Act on It.

KFF Health News Original

After grave missteps in the covid pandemic, the World Health Organization revisited the science and now confirms that many respiratory viruses are inhaled as airborne particles. The new framework implies that stopping transmission relies on costly measures like ventilation and masking.

La OMS confirma cómo se propagan los virus por el aire. Los CDC tal vez miren para otro lado

KFF Health News Original

La OMS concluyó que la transmisión aérea ocurre cuando las personas enfermas exhalan patógenos que quedan suspendidos en el aire, contenidos en pequeñas partículas de saliva y moco que, a su vez, son inhaladas por otros.

Biden’s Election-Year Play to Further Expand Obamacare

KFF Health News Original

The Biden administration wants to make it easier for Americans to get dental care. But don’t try booking an appointment just yet. A new regulation out this month allows states to include adult dental care as a benefit that health insurers must cover under the Affordable Care Act. Following record ACA enrollment this year, the proposal represents an […]

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Too Big To Fail? Now It’s ‘Too Big To Hack’

Podcast

Congress this week had the chance to formally air grievances over the cascading consequences of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, and lawmakers from both major parties agreed on one culprit: consolidation in health care. Plus, about a year after states began stripping people from their Medicaid rolls, a new survey shows nearly a quarter of adults who were disenrolled are now uninsured. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Caroline Pearson of the Peterson Health Technology Institute.

Health Workers Fear It’s Profits Before Protection as CDC Revisits Airborne Transmission

KFF Health News Original

Four years since the covid pandemic emerged, health care workers want rules that protect them during outbreaks. They worry the CDC is repeating past mistakes as it develops a crucial set of guidelines for hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and other facilities that provide health care.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The State of the Union Is … Busy

Podcast

At last, Congress is getting half of its annual spending bills across the finish line, albeit five months after the start of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address, an over-the-counter birth control pill is (finally) available, and controversy erupts over new public health guidelines for covid-19 isolation. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Neera Tanden, the White House domestic policy adviser, about Biden’s health agenda. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

Why Even Public Health Experts Have Limited Insight Into Stopping Gun Violence in America

KFF Health News Original

After the 1996 Dickey Amendment halted federal spending on research into firearms risks, a small group of academics pressed on, with little money or political support, to document the nation’s growing gun violence problem and start to understand what can be done to curb the public health crisis.

Surge in Syphilis Cases Leads Some Providers to Ration Penicillin

KFF Health News Original

Injectable penicillin is the go-to treatment for syphilis and the only treatment considered safe for pregnant people with the disease. But as rates of syphilis increase across the U.S., a shortage of the injectable has prompted some public health agencies to ration it.

Rift Over When to Use N95s Puts Health Workers at Risk Again

KFF Health News Original

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering fuzzy guidelines on infection control in hospitals, critics say, leaving employers free to cut corners on N95 masks and other protective measures.

Nikki Haley (And Her Opponents) Struggle With a Vaccine Message

KFF Health News Original

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley portrays herself as a voice of reason in the Republican Party. “Let’s find consensus,” she said about abortion during the first GOP primary debate. “Let’s treat this like a respectful issue.” It’s talk like that — and strong polling in a hypothetical matchup against President Biden — that has […]

A New RSV Shot Could Help Protect Babies This Winter — If They Can Get It in Time

KFF Health News Original

Supply problems, a high price tag, and bureaucratic obstacles are slowing the distribution of a therapy that can protect infants from the respiratory syncytial virus. That will leave them unnecessarily at risk of hospitalization this winter, pediatricians fear.