81420 weeklies

Without Federal Protections, Farm Workers Risk Coronavirus Infection to Harvest Crops
By Victoria Knight Skeptics say the lack of enforceable federal safety standards geared toward the coronavirus allows these employers to prioritize the harvest over worker safety.

Business Is Booming for Dialysis Giant Fresenius. It Took a $137M Bailout Anyway.
By Jordan Rau and Rachana Pradhan Half of the money the Trump administration gave dialysis companies was collected by Fresenius, an international juggernaut with a robust balance sheet, a KHN analysis has found.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Financial Self-Defense School Is Now in Session
By Dan Weissmann Starting in August 2020, a new episode every other week. No time like a pandemic to learn more about how to fight the high cost of health care.

Pandemic Hampers Reopening of Joint Replacement Gold Mine
By Bernard J. Wolfson The COVID-19 pandemic brought knee and hip replacements to a virtual halt because they aren’t usually considered emergency procedures. But they are profitable, and hospital systems are now counting on the surgeries to help restore their financial health.

La pandemia interrumpe una mina de oro: las cirugías de reemplazo articular
By Bernard J. Wolfson Las pérdidas de ingresos en hospitales y centros de cirugía ambulatoria pueden haber superado los $5,000 millones sólo por las cancelaciones de los reemplazos de rodilla y cadera.

Trabajadores agrícolas en alto riesgo de contraer coronavirus y sin protección federal
By Victoria Knight Viven hacinados, durmiendo en literas y compartiendo baños y cocinas. Y aunque son trabajadores esenciales, suelen no tener seguro médico o licencia paga por enfermedad.

Exclusive: Over 900 Health Workers Have Died of COVID-19. And the Toll Is Rising.
By Danielle Renwick, The Guardian and Shoshana Dubnow 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.

Behind The Byline: The Count — And the Toll
By Lydia Zuraw Check out KHN’s video series Behind the Byline: How the Story Got Made. Come along as journalists and producers offer an insider’s view of health care coverage that does not quit.

Amid COVID Chaos, California Legislators Fight for Major Health Care Bills
By Rachel Bluth There’s less time, less attention and fewer resources this year, but that isn’t stopping lawmakers from acting on controversial health care legislation not directly related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Public Health Officials Are Quitting or Getting Fired in Throes of Pandemic
By Michelle R. Smith, The Associated Press and Lauren Weber A review by KHN and the Associated Press finds at least 49 state and local public health leaders have resigned, retired or been fired since April across 23 states. One of the latest departures came Sunday, when California’s public health director was ousted.

Más de 900 trabajadores de salud han muerto por COVID-19 en los Estados Unidos. Y la cifra aumenta
By Danielle Renwick, The Guardian and Shoshana Dubnow 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.

Lost on the Frontline: Explore the Database
By The Staffs of KFF Health News and The Guardian As of Wednesday, the KHN-Guardian project counted 3,607 U.S. health worker deaths in the first year of the pandemic. Today we add 39 profiles, including a hospice chaplain, a nurse who spoke to intubated patients "like they were listening," and a home health aide who couldn't afford to stop working. This is the most comprehensive count in the nation as of April 2021, and our interactive database investigates the question: Did they have to die?

Nurses and Doctors Sick With COVID Feel Pressured to Get Back to Work
By Emmarie Huetteman Hospital employees say they must choose between their paychecks and their health or that of their families. Returning to work with symptoms also risks infection among the patients they are meant to heal.

Primary Care Doctors Look at Payment Overhaul After Pandemic Disruption
By Steven Findlay 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.

Bereaved Families Are ‘the Secondary Victims of COVID-19’
By Judith Graham New research suggests the pandemic’s deaths are taking an enormous toll on surviving family members and worrisome ripple effects may linger for years.

In Health-Conscious Marin County, Virus Runs Rampant Among ‘Essential’ Latino Workers
By Rachel Scheier The pandemic is racing through packed apartment blocks as Mexican and Central American workers bring the virus home to their families.

El coronavirus prolifera entre trabajadores latinos en un condado rico de California
By Rachel Scheier Las comunidades de color de bajos ingresos, especialmente los latinos, sufren cada vez más el peso de la pandemia de coronavirus en el estado.

Listen: Will Telemedicine Outlast the Pandemic?
KHN's Julie Rovner appears on WDET's "Detroit Today" to discuss the future of telemedicine.

Back to the Future: Trump’s History of Promising a Health Plan That Never Comes
By Victoria Knight Even before he was elected, the president talked about a plan that would be released soon. Now he is saying the end of August.

Turning Anger Into Action: Minority Students Analyze COVID Data on Racial Disparities
By Esther Landhuis About 70 college students are enrolled this summer in a program developed by San Francisco researchers and funded by the National Institutes of Health that allows them to explore the pandemic’s impact on communities facing health disparities.

Contact Tracers in Massachusetts Might Order Milk or Help With Rent. Here’s Why.
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR Massachusetts offers support and resources for people isolating because of COVID-19 — helping them make choices that keep everyone safe. Experts say that is work that more states need to fund.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Kamala Harris on Health
The Democratic presidential ticket is complete, with Joe Biden’s selection of California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. Health has not been a major issue for Harris, whose career priority has been the criminal justice system. But expect Republicans to pounce on her on-again, off-again support for “Medicare for All.” Meanwhile, with Congress still in a stalemate over another round of COVID-19 relief, President Donald Trump is trying to use his executive power to do what lawmakers have not — with mixed success. Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Dying Young: The Health Care Workers in Their 20s Killed by COVID-19
By Alastair Gee, The Guardian A database of deaths compiled by KHN and The Guardian includes a significant minority under 30, leaving shattered dreams and devastated families.

Back to Life: COVID Lung Transplant Survivor Tells Her Story
By Christine Herman, Side Effects Public Media The first known coronavirus patient in the U.S. to undergo a double lung transplant is now strong enough to share the story of her ordeal.

COVID Data Failures Create Pressure for Public Health System Overhaul
By Harris Meyer Poor information-sharing between hospitals and public health agencies has hurt the response to the pandemic. Some health care systems and IT companies are making inroads, but an overhaul would cost billions.

‘Is This When I Drop Dead?’ Two Doctors Report From the COVID Front Lines
By Danielle Renwick, The Guardian Two emergency room doctors, one in New York and the other in Houston, discuss their cities’ coronavirus outbreaks — and responses.