KHN Weekly Edition: December 3, 2021
Hospitals Refused to Give Patients Ivermectin. Lockdowns and Political Pressure Followed.
Matt Volz
Hospitals in Montana and Idaho reported threats and harassment from public officials and family members of patients who were denied treatment with a drug not authorized to treat covid-19.
Watch: No Extra Resources for Children Orphaned by Covid
Sarah Varney and Jason Kane, PBS NewsHour
Grieving children face grave risks to their well-being, both in the short and long term. But there is no concerted government effort to help the estimated 140,000 children who have lost a parent in the pandemic.
Omicron and Other Coronavirus Variants: What You Need to Know
Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
This new variant has set off alarm bells in the public health community, but much remains to be learned about it.
With Federal Covid Sick Leave Gone, Workers Feel Pressure to Show Up at Work
Rae Ellen Bichell
National paid sick leave provisions for covid expired, and an uncertain covid winter is around the corner. Colorado, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh are among the places trying to fill the gap, but many employees still face financial pressure to go to work while sick.
Black Tech Founders Want to Change the Culture of Health Care, One Click at a Time
Cara Anthony
Just as Uber Eats and Grubhub revolutionized food delivery, Black tech entrepreneurs want to change the way patients connect with doctors. They are using technology to match people of color with culturally competent professionals and the transportation they need to get to them.
As Climate Worsens, Environmentalists Grapple With the Mental Toll of Activism
Alex Smith, KCUR
After her son's death by suicide, a mother promotes mental health for environmentalists. It's part of a larger push to address the burnout and psychological stress that can affect activists.
‘I Can Go Anywhere’: How Service Dogs Help Veterans With PTSD
Stephanie O'Neill
The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act means more veterans with symptoms of traumatic stress can get specially trained service dogs.
California Joins States Trying to Shorten Wait Times for Mental Health Care
April Dembosky, KQED
In California, health insurers blame long waits for therapy appointments on workforce shortages, but state lawmakers say that’s an excuse. A new law requires insurers to reduce wait times for mental health appointments to no more than 10 business days.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Roe v. Wade on the Rocks
A Supreme Court majority appears ready to overturn nearly 50 years of abortion rights, at least judging by the latest round of oral arguments before the justices. And a new covid variant, omicron, gains attention as it spreads around the world. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Blake Farmer of Nashville Public Radio about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode.
Conservative Justices Seem Poised to Overturn Roe’s Abortion Rights
Julie Rovner
A majority of the members of the Supreme Court seemed sympathetic Wednesday during arguments to Mississippi’s assertion that the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized the procedure throughout the country, was wrongly decided.
A Title Fight Pits Physician Assistants Against Doctors
Jordan Rau
Physician assistants are pushing to be renamed “physician associates,” complaining their title is belittling and doesn’t convey what they do. “We don’t assist,” they insist. Doctors’ groups fear there’s more than just a name in play.
A Tale of Two Medicaid Expansions: Oklahoma Jumps In, While Missouri Lags
Bram Sable-Smith
Voters in Missouri and Oklahoma approved Medicaid expansion to begin in 2021. But while Oklahoma has enrolled over 200,000 people so far, Missouri has enrolled fewer than 20,000. Why are two such similar states handling the public insurance rollout so differently?
New California Law Eases Aid-in-Dying Process
Bernard J. Wolfson
Nearly 2,000 terminally ill Californians have used a 2015 law to end their lives with a doctor’s assistance. A revision of the law will make it easier to do so.
For Older Adults, Smelling the Roses May Be More Difficult
Judith Graham
The loss of smell is a common issue for many seniors and is often overlooked. Yet it can have serious consequences.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to Avoid the Worst Health Insurance
Dan Weissmann
Listen to a journalist's first-person horror story on shopping for health insurance — and learn how to avoid the pitfalls.