KHN Weekly Edition: Jan. 20, 2023
The ‘KHN Health Minute’ Debuts on CBS News Radio
Launched Jan. 12, the “Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KHN newsroom to the airwaves each week.
Numbers Don’t Lie. Biden Kept His Promise on Improving Obamacare.
Julie Appleby
KHN has teamed up with our partners at PolitiFact to monitor 100 key promises made by Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign — including those surrounding the Affordable Care Act.
What Older Americans Need to Know About Taking Paxlovid
Judith Graham
Covid-19 continues to hit seniors with disproportionate severity. Experts say Paxlovid is an effective therapy that is being underprescribed for people 65 and older.
Rural Seniors Benefit From Pandemic-Driven Remote Fitness Boom
Christina Saint Louis
When the pandemic began, senior service agencies hustled to rework health classes to include virtual options for older adults. Now that isolation has ended, virtual classes remain. For seniors in rural areas, those classes have broadened access to supervised physical activity.
After a Brief Pandemic Reprieve, Rural Workers Return to Life Without Paid Leave
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
Coastal and politically progressive states have passed stronger paid sick and family leave policies, but many workers in rural America are left out, facing tough decisions when choosing between caring for themselves or sick family members or keeping their jobs.
Luring Out-of-State Professionals Is Just the First Step in Solving Montana’s Health Worker Shortage
Keely Larson
Two proposals would make it easier for professionals with out-of-state licenses to work in Montana, but that tactic likely won’t be enough to fill the demand for mental health providers.
Will Your Smartphone Be the Next Doctor’s Office?
Hannah Norman
Entrepreneurs see smartphones as an opportunity to meet patients where they are. But many app-based diagnostic tools still need clinical validation to get buy-in from health care providers.
The Biggest, Buzziest Conference for Health Care Investors Convenes Amid Fears the Bubble Will Burst
Darius Tahir
This year’s JPMorgan confab, the first since covid’s chilling effect on such gatherings, was full of energy and enthusiasm. But it was also marked by questions about the future of health care investment.
A $30 Million Gift to Build an Addiction Treatment Center. Then Staffers Had to Run It.
Bram Sable-Smith
Howard Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and chairman of his own charitable foundation, gave $30 million to build an addiction treatment center in the central Illinois community where he farms. But the money was a one-time gift for infrastructure, so the clinic is on its own to keep it running.
NFL Has Been Slow to Embrace Mental Health Support for Players
Mark Kreidler
The shocking on-field cardiac arrest of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin traumatized some players and underscores the need for more consistent mental health support in a league whose athletes are trained to show no weakness.
Readers and Tweeters Diagnose Greed and Chronic Pain Within US Health Care System
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.