With Roots in Civil Rights, Community Health Centers Push for Equity in the Pandemic
Community health centers were born in the 1960s to reach low-income communities. But some rural health experts say federally qualified health centers were a missing piece in achieving early equity in the vaccine rollout.
In Missouri and Other States, Flawed Data Makes It Hard to Track Vaccine Equity
Racial and ethnic categories for vaccination data vary widely from one state to another, complicating efforts to distribute shots where they are needed most. In Missouri, some red flags in the data surfaced, making health officials question its usefulness.
Readers and Tweeters React to Racism, Inequities in Health Care
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda
In a candid interview, California’s newly appointed attorney general, Rob Bonta, reflects on his progressive roots and says he will pursue a health care agenda centered on the principle that quality medical care is a right, not a privilege.
Mississippi’s Black Communities Turned Around Their Covid Rates. Next Up: Make Strides on Vaccines.
Covid-19 tore through Mississippi’s Black population in the pandemic’s early days, but community efforts slowed the rate. Now health officials and community leaders aim to replicate the success as they dole out vaccines.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Return of the Public Option
Lawmakers are working on fleshing out the concept of a “public option,” a government-run or heavily regulated insurance plan that would compete with private insurance. But the details are complicated, both substantively and politically. Meanwhile, bioethicists are debating whether the U.S. should be vaccinating low-risk adolescents against covid-19 while high-risk adults in other countries are still waiting. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
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.
Corporations Encourage Employee Vaccination but Stop Short of Mandates
Public health officials fear that requiring jabs on the job would create a noisy, counterproductive backlash.
KHN Journalists Comment on Abortion Case, Wasted Covid Doses
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.
If You Are Vaccinated, You Can Dance the Night Away
After being closed for 14 months because of the pandemic, a North Carolina nightclub reopens. But now, in addition to showing an ID to gain entry, patrons also must show their vaccination cards.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Roe v. Wade on the Ropes
The newly conservative Supreme Court will hear a case that could overturn the nationwide right to abortion and cause political upheaval. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s abrupt announcement that vaccinated people can take off their masks in most places has caused upheaval of its own. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Stark Racial Disparities Persist in Vaccinations, State-Level CDC Data Shows
Black Americans’ vaccination rates still trail all other groups, while Hispanics show improvement. Native Americans show the strongest rates nationally.
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.
Los latinos son los que más quieren vacunarse, y los que más obstáculos enfrentan
Una nueva encuesta revela que los hispanos tienen el doble de interés en vacunarse “lo antes posible” que los blancos no hispanos o personas de raza negra no hispanas.
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 […]
Listen: Exploring Controversial Efforts to Waive Drugmakers’ Vaccine Patent Rights
KHN’s Julie Rovner joins The Atlantic’s “Social Distance” podcast, hosted by Dr. James Hamblin and Maeve Higgins, to talk about President Joe Biden’s support for an initiative to waive patent protection for covid vaccines and the politics of drug policy in the United States.
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.
Latinos Are the Most Eager to Get Vaccinated, Survey Shows — But Face Obstacles
A new survey shows that unvaccinated Hispanics are almost twice as likely as unvaccinated Blacks or whites to want a covid vaccination. But many still face a variety of access problems, ranging from fear to time squeeze.
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.
Biden Boasts About Equitable Senior Vaccination Rate by Race Without Data to Back It Up
There is no public national data source that tracks vaccination rates based on a combination of race or ethnicity as well as age. Most state-level data shows that disparities exist in vaccine rates between white people and people of color.
