Latest KFF Health News Stories
Feeling Left Out: Private Practice Doctors, Patients Wonder When It’s Their Turn for Vaccine
Doctors say some patients, and even medical staff members, don’t know where to go to be vaccinated against covid-19.
Children’s Hospitals Are Partly to Blame as Superbugs Increasingly Attack Kids
A growing body of research shows that overuse and misuse of antibiotics in children’s hospitals is helping fuel superbugs, which typically strike frail seniors but are increasingly infecting kids. And the pandemic is making things worse.
More Than 2,900 Health Care Workers Died This Year — And the Government Barely Kept Track
The National Academy of Sciences cites journalists’ “Lost on the Frontline” project in a push to expand federal tracking of worker fatalities.
As the Terror of COVID Struck, Health Care Workers Struggled to Survive. Thousands Lost the Fight.
At least 2,900 health workers have died since the pandemic began. Many were minorities with the highest levels of patient contact.
Thousands of Doctors’ Offices Buckle Under Financial Stress of COVID
Across the nation, primary care practices that were already struggling are closing, victims of the pandemic’s financial fallout. And this is reducing access to health care, especially in rural and other regions already short on doctors.
‘His Lies Are Killing My Neighbors’: Swing-State Doctors Target Trump
Furious over Republicans’ handling of the pandemic, Wisconsin health care workers are speaking out against the president — and running for office.
‘It’s Science, Stupid’: A School Subject Emerges as a Hot-Button Political Issue
Science is becoming increasingly politicized, so how will it fare on the campaign trail — in 2020 and beyond?
Telemedicine or In-Person Visit? Pros and Cons
The volume of virtual medical appointments has exploded during the pandemic as patients and doctors have sought to avoid infection through in-person visits.
COVID Spikes Exacerbate Health Worker Shortages in Rocky Mountains, Great Plains
COVID-19 infections and quarantines are pulling health professionals off the front lines, exacerbating staffing woes that existed in large, rural states well before the pandemic.
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Black Doctors Work to Make Coronavirus Testing More Equitable
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium has increased access to coronavirus testing in the Philadelphia region, testing more than 10,000 people. The group’s mobile unit and pop-up testing sites also offer patients an opportunity to connect with African American health care providers.
Stigma Against D.O.s Had Been Dissipating Until Trump’s Doctor Took the Spotlight
Two types of licensed physicians exist in this country — M.D.s and D.O.s. Here’s what you need to know about the differences.
Young Doctor Succumbs to COVID, One of the South’s Many Health Workers Lost
A 28-year-old Texas doctor tested positive in early July and died in September — one of a dozen young health workers nationwide whose deaths from the coronavirus have been profiled by KHN and The Guardian as part of the “Lost on the Frontline” project.
Does the Federal Health Information Privacy Law Protect President Trump?
The president’s doctors have used HIPAA — the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — as a shield to avoid questions about the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Long-Fought Nurse Practitioner Independence Bill Heads to Newsom
The measure caps one of the most contentious health policy debates in recent memory, potentially altering how Californians get their medical care. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to sign or veto it.
They Cared for Some of New York’s Most Vulnerable Communities. Then 12 Died.
Immigrant health workers help keep the U.S. health system afloat — and they’re dying of COVID-19 at high rates.
Teen Artist’s Portraits Help Frame Sacrifice of Health Care Workers Lost to COVID
A 15-year-old high school student in New Jersey is memorializing doctors, nurses and others who died after tending to coronavirus patients.
Primary Care Doctors Look at Payment Overhaul After Pandemic Disruption
Many physicians were forced to close their offices — or at least see only emergency cases — when the pandemic struck. Because they are generally paid piecemeal for every service, they suffered big losses, leading to layoffs and pay cuts. Some doctors say they now are looking to overhaul the way they get paid.
Más de 900 trabajadores de salud han muerto por COVID-19 en los Estados Unidos. Y la cifra aumenta
Con más casos de COVID, y la grave escasez de equipos de protección, trabajadores de salud se enfrentan de nuevo a peligros mortales, en especial en los estados del sur y el oeste.
Exclusive: Over 900 Health Workers Have Died of COVID-19. And the Toll Is Rising.
KHN and The Guardian unveil an interactive database documenting front-line health care worker deaths. The majority of them are people of color — and nurses face the highest toll.
