KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Senate Acts
The U.S. Senate worked well into its scheduled August recess to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget blueprint that outlines a much larger bill — covering key health priorities — to be written this fall. Meanwhile, the latest surge of covid is making both employers and schools rethink their opening plans. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Yasmeen Abutaleb of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Más embarazadas con covid en cuidados intensivos, expertos enfatizan que deben vacunarse
La baja tasa de vacunación en este grupo es sorprendente, señalan médicos. Al 31 de julio, solo el 23% de las embarazadas habían recibido al menos una dosis de la vacuna contra el coronavirus, según estadísticas de los CDC.
Getting a Covid Vaccine During Pregnancy Even More Urgent as ICU Beds Fill Up
The CDC recommends that pregnant people be vaccinated against covid-19, based on new safety and effectiveness evidence on the covid vaccines.
Familias apoyan máscaras en las aulas, pero se oponen a la vacunación obligatoria
Las fuertes opiniones públicas tienen lugar cuando la politización del debate sobre las máscaras en las aulas se vuelve más acalorada, coincidiendo con el inicio del año escolar, especialmente en Florida y Texas.
Public Favors Masks in Classrooms but Balks at Mandating Vaccinations for Students
With schools reopening, poll finds two-thirds of parents support mandating masks for unvaccinated students, but resistance to vaccinating students remains high. “My child is not a test dummy,” one Black parent told pollsters. Some parents deferred the decision to their teens.
A Quarter of US Hospitals, and Counting, Demand Workers Get Vaccinated. But Not Here.
Amid a surge in covid-19 cases driven by the highly contagious delta variant, nearly 1,500 health systems across the nation are requiring their employees to get vaccinated. In Montana and Oregon, that’s not an option.
‘The Vaccination Queen’: Nurse Practitioner Takes Covid Shots House to House in Puerto Rico
Abigail Matos-Pagán, a critical care expert who has galvanized relief efforts after hurricanes and earthquakes, is on a mission to inoculate as many Puerto Rican residents as possible.
A California Bill Would Limit Protests at Vaccination Sites. Does It Violate the First Amendment?
A proposal breezing through the state legislature would make it illegal to obstruct someone from getting a covid-19 shot, or any other vaccine, but some free speech experts say it goes too far.
“La reina de la vacunación”: enfermera lleva las dosis contra covid de casa en casa en Puerto Rico
Abigail Matos-Pagán, experta en cuidados críticos que ha impulsado tareas de ayuda tras huracanes y terremotos, se ha propuesto vacunar al mayor número posible de residentes de Puerto Rico.
Journalists Assess the Latest Covid Surge and the Nation’s Vaccination Effort
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.
Déjà Vu? Consumers Scramble for Covid Tests in Hard-Hit Areas
As the nation confronts the delta variant, many consumers are again facing delays getting tested. The problem appears most acute in the South and Midwest, where new infections are growing the fastest.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Delta Blues
Covid is back with a vengeance, with some people clamoring for booster shots while others harden their resistance to getting vaccinated at all. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration is pushing hard on drugmaker Pfizer’s request to upgrade the emergency authorization for its vaccine and give it final approval. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Análisis: ¿No quieres una vacuna? Prepárate para pagar más por tu seguro de salud
A pesar de que las compañías de seguros negocian precios más bajos y cubren gran parte del costo de la atención, los costos asociados al tratamiento de covid deberían ser un incentivo bastante aterrador.
“Sabiduría y miedo” llevan al 90% de los adultos mayores de EE.UU. a vacunarse contra covid
La pandemia ha sido especialmente cruel para los adultos mayores. Casi el 80% de las muertes ocurrieron entre personas de 65 años y más. Millones estuvieron aislados en residencias y en sus casas por meses.
‘Wisdom and Fear’ Lead 90% of U.S. Seniors to Covid Vaccines
The success in getting shots to older adults is likely due to states prioritizing that effort when the vaccines became available and motivation among the elderly after the virus killed so many in their age group.
Analysis: Don’t Want a Vaccine? Be Prepared to Pay More for Insurance.
Health insurers could do more to encourage vaccination, including letting the unvaccinated foot their bills.
Bus Stop by Bus Stop, Denver-Area Officials Microtarget Vaccine Hesitancy
Using detailed maps that show vaccination rates down to the ZIP code or census tract level, health departments highlight areas of greater Denver where vaccinations lag behind state or county averages, then partner with community organizations to overcome barriers. Can this be a model for President Joe Biden’s “neighborhood by neighborhood” approach?
Amid Covid Booster Debate, West Virginia to Check Immunity of Vaccinated Nursing Home Residents
The state says it will look at the levels of disease-fighting antibodies among nursing home residents vaccinated against covid, which could help indicate whether they need a booster shot.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Hot Covid Summer
The summer that promised to let Americans resume a relatively normal life is turning into another summer of anxiety and face masks, as the delta variant drives covid caseloads up in all 50 states. Meanwhile, the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 35, and the Missouri Supreme Court orders the state to expand Medicaid after all. Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Samantha Young, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about an Olympic-level athlete with an Olympic-size medical bill.
Unraveling the Mysterious Mutations That Make Delta the Most Transmissible Covid Virus Yet
Scientists are trying to piece together why the delta variant so readily infects unvaccinated Americans, spewing 1,000 times more virus particles.
