KHN Weekly Edition: Feb. 18, 2022
‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 3: Uranium Mining Left Navajo Land and People in Need of Healing
Episode 3 is an exploration of the forces that brought uranium mining to the Navajo Nation, the harmful consequences, and the fight for compensation that continues today.
Inmates Who Died Asked for Release Before Falling Ill With Covid
LJ Dawson
Covid is running rampant through the Alderson women’s prison in West Virginia, in one of the deadliest outbreaks this year at a federal correctional facility. This comes as Bureau of Prisons officials take heat for how the agency has handled the pandemic.
As Covid Slogs On, Seniors Find Fortitude Waning and Malaise Growing
Judith Graham
The spread of the omicron variant has dashed the hopes of many older adults that the country was exiting the worst of the pandemic, leaving them anxious while their patience wears thin.
Teen Traveled to Philly to Get Vaccinated Against His Parents’ Wishes
Nina Feldman, WHYY
Nicolas Montero is 16, and that’s old enough to get a vaccine on his own in Philadelphia. Vaccine regulations vary around the country and, in more than a dozen states, teens can consent to their own medical care.
Covid Precautions Are Part of Hispanic Community’s Efforts to Tend to Community Good
Sarah True
Among many Latinos, especially recent immigrants, there is a cultural emphasis on living in harmony within one’s community — called “convivir” in Spanish. That notion may have helped drive improvements in covid vaccination and testing rates.
As Politics Infects Public Health, Private Companies Profit
Vignesh Ramachandran
Localities in California and Colorado are contracting with private companies to create their own health departments, spurred by a disregard for regional covid safety mandates.
Medical Boards Pressured to Let It Slide When Doctors Spread Covid Misinformation
Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
State medical boards have an obligation to investigate complaints about doctors, including those who may spread false information about medical care. But in Florida, Tennessee, and other states, lawmakers are moving to protect physicians using unproven covid treatments or spreading misinformation.
Missouri Takes Months to Process Medicaid Applications — Longer Than Law Allows
Bram Sable-Smith and Phil Galewitz
Missouri has more people waiting to have their Medicaid applications processed than it has approved since the expansion of the federal-state health insurance program. Although most states process Medicaid applications within a week, Missouri is taking, on average, more than two months. Patient advocates fear that means people will stay uninsured longer, leading them to postpone care or get stuck with high medical bills.
Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months Ahead
Rachana Pradhan
State Medicaid agencies for months have been preparing for the end of a federal mandate that has prevented states from removing people from the safety-net program during the pandemic.
State Constitutions Vex Conservatives’ Strategies for a Post-Roe World
Nick Ehli
Conservative lawmakers may find their anti-abortion agendas complicated by state constitutions that explicitly grant citizens the right to privacy, regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court does.
Demand for Service Dogs Unleashes a ‘Wild West’ Market
Markian Hawryluk
Service dogs can help people with ailments from autism to epilepsy, but a trained dog can cost up to $40,000 — and insurance won’t cover it.
‘I Just Want to Stay in One Spot’: From Homeless to Housed in Rugged Del Norte
Anna Maria Barry-Jester
California’s homeless crisis is often understood through cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where the sheer number of people living unsheltered can quickly capsize the programs designed to help them. But in remote counties like Del Norte, California’s Project Homekey is having a tangible impact.
This Doctor Thought She Could Navigate US Health Care. Then Her Autistic Son Needed Help.
Noam N. Levey
Dr. Mai Pham left her corporate career to spark change in a system that is failing millions of Americans with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
What Does It Say About Your Neighborhood If the Supermarket Isn’t So Super?
Chaseedaw Giles
A mother-and-daughter team went comparison-shopping to see what grocery store shelves revealed about inequity in America.
Inside the Tactical Tug of War Over the Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug
Arthur Allen
An epic battle is playing out behind the scenes over whether the government should pay for Aduhelm, an FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drug that scientists say has not been proven to work.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: It’s Health Costs, Stupid (2022 Edition)
As the pandemic wanes, for now, the ever-rising cost of health care is again taking center stage. Meanwhile, a year into the Biden administration, the FDA finally has a Senate-confirmed commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf. Tami Luhby of CNN, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about how the pandemic has worsened the nation’s mental health crisis and what can be done about it.
Journalists Discuss Cracks in the Health Care System and Roadblocks to Covid Booster Shots
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.
Health Policy Valentines Too Sweet Not to Tweet
KHN highlights some of the creative valentines posted on Twitter by health policy enthusiasts.