Latest KFF Health News Stories
More Than 100 Missouri Schools Have Bought ‘Often Unproven’ Air-Cleaning Technology
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.”
Pandemic Swells Medicaid Enrollment to 80 Million People, a ‘High-Water Mark’
More than 80 million Americans with low incomes were receiving health coverage through the federal-state program in January. The program now covers nearly 1 in 4 people nationwide.
Not All Experts Are Ready to Vaccinate Kids Against Covid
Rare reports of minor heart damage have convinced some scientists that further study is needed before racing to extend covid shots to more children.
For Toddlers, Pandemic Shapes Development During Formative Years
The pandemic created disruption and family stress that may have lasting effects on young children’s social and emotional development.
Newsom Wants to Spend Millions on the Health of Low-Income Mothers and Their Babies
Democratic legislators back measures that would end the “pink tax” on diapers and menstrual products, provide mental health support, and pilot a guaranteed-income program.
Confronting Our ‘Frailties’: California’s Assembly Leader Reflects on a Year of Covid
California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon says covid exposed long-standing health care inequities that must be addressed. He told KHN he wants to get more people insured, boost broadband access so more patients can use telehealth and increase funding to local health departments.
Homicides Surge in California Amid Covid Shutdowns of Schools, Youth Programs
California endured a brutal spike in homicides in 2020 across large swaths of the state, registering the largest year-over-year increase in victims in three decades. Experts cite as one significant factor a rise in gang violence fueled by pandemic shutdowns of schools, sports leagues and programs for at-risk youth.
What Does Approval of the Pfizer Vaccine for Teens and Preteens Mean for My Child?
The federal government has extended the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to preteens and young adolescents, adding nearly 17 million more Americans to the pool of those eligible to be immunized against covid-19.
Vacuna de Pfizer para adolescentes: lo que tienes que saber
El gobierno federal aprobó para uso de emergencia la vacuna de Pfizer para adolescentes de 12 a 15 años. ¿Qué significa esto para tu hijo? La ampliación del uso de emergencia de la vacuna de Pfizer-BioNTech para preadolescentes y adolescentes jóvenes añade casi 17 millones de estadounidenses más al grupo de personas elegibles para ser […]
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Drug Price Effort Hits a Snag
Democratic leaders in Congress have vowed to pass legislation to address high prescription drug prices this year, but some moderates in their own party appear to be balking. Meanwhile, younger teens are now eligible for a covid-19 vaccine and the Biden administration reinstated anti-discrimination policy for LGBTQ people in health care. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Another Pandemic ‘To Do’ on the List for Schools: Contact Tracing
Struggling to keep up with a covid-19 surge in Michigan, overwhelmed health departments relied on an unlikely new crew of contact tracers: school principals.
Covid Fears Keep Many Latino Kids out of Classrooms
Latinos got hit disproportionately hard by covid-19. When faced with the choice of sending their kids back to school or keeping them in online classes, many Latino parents say their kids are safer at home.
El miedo a covid mantiene a muchos niños latinos fuera de las aulas
En California, los latinos constituyen el 39% de la población del estado, pero representan el 47% de las muertes por covid, según el Departamento de Salud Pública estatal. A nivel nacional, su riesgo de morir por covid es 2,3 veces mayor que el de los blancos no hispanos.
Masks at the Campfire: Summer Camps for Kids With Medical Needs Adapt to Covid
Camp Ho Mita Koda, an Ohio camp for children with diabetes, plans to host in-person camp this year despite the pandemic. It’s unusual, especially given that children under 12 likely won’t be able to get covid vaccines for months and many who attend medically focused camps could be especially vulnerable to serious covid complications. But these camps are important not just for the kids, but also for parents.
How Schools Can Help Kids Heal After the Pandemic’s Uncertainty
The pandemic has been stressful for millions of children. Schools are trying to meet children’s emotional needs in big and small ways as in-person classes resume.
‘I Just Feel Like Myself’: A Nonbinary Child in Their Own Words
When they were 6, Hallel told their parents they are a boy-girl. At 9, they are helping their parents, grandparents and friends understand what it means to be nonbinary.
5 Things to Know About Health Care Changes in Montana
The covid pandemic drove major changes to Montana health policies, including the permanent expansion of telehealth regulations, a pullback on local public health officials’ authority and the easing of vaccination requirements for workers and students.
As Schools Spend Millions on Air Purifiers, Experts Warn of Overblown Claims and Harm to Children
A KHN investigation found that more than 2,000 schools have spent millions of dollars for systems, lured by air purifier companies’ claims that experts say mislead or obscure the potential for harm from toxic ozone.
Only One Vaccine Is OK’d for Older Teens. It’s Also the Hardest to Manage in Rural America.
Of the three covid vaccines the U.S. government has authorized, only one is available to 16- and 17-year-olds: the Pfizer shot. It’s also the most complicated to manage in rural settings, with their small, dispersed populations. That forces some teens and their families to travel long distances for a dose — or go without.
Censorship or Misinformation? DeSantis and YouTube Spar Over Covid Roundtable Takedown.
The Florida governor considers the pushback he received from the online video platform to be “Orwellian.” But the scientists featured at the event made specific statements YouTube deemed as “misinformation,” at odds with current public health recommendations for controlling the spread of the covid virus.
