KHN Weekly Edition: May 20, 2022

High-Tech’s Business Model Hasn’t Worked for the Cue Covid Test
By Eric Taub Cue got attention with a Super Bowl ad for a stylish high-tech covid-testing machine to use at home. But the product is expensive, which has limited the San Diego company’s market.

This Rural, Red Southern County Was a Vaccine Success Story. Not Anymore.
By Brett Kelman Meigs County in Tennessee reported one of the highest covid-19 vaccination rates in the South for much of the past year. But those reports were wrong because of a data error that has surfaced in other states, such as West Virginia and Montana, as well.

‘That’s Just Part of Aging’: Long Covid Symptoms Are Often Overlooked in Seniors
By Judith Graham Millions of older adults are grappling with long covid, yet the impact on them has received little attention even though research suggests seniors are more likely to develop the poorly understood condition than younger or middle-aged adults.

How Better Ventilation Can Help ‘Covid-Proof’ Your Home
By Liz Szabo Is someone at home sick with covid-19? One simple but effective strategy for keeping the virus from spreading is to make your indoor air as much like the outdoors as possible.

States Have Yet to Spend Hundreds of Millions of Federal Dollars to Tackle Covid Health Disparities
By Phil Galewitz and Lauren Weber and Sam Whitehead A year ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded states and local health departments $2.25 billion to help people of color and other populations at higher risk from covid. But a KHN review shows public health agencies across the country have been slow to spend it.

The Private Sector Steps In to Protect Online Health Privacy, but Critics Say It Can’t Be Trusted
By Darius Tahir Health data can be shockingly available. A group of nonprofits and corporations is proposing to patch up the holes in health apps, but many of the biggest companies didn’t participate in the proposal’s creation.

No Prison Time for Tennessee Nurse Convicted of Fatal Drug Error
By Brett Kelman Hundreds of nurses gathered outside a Nashville courthouse to protest RaDonda Vaught’s prosecution for a medical mistake, and cheered when her probation sentence was announced.

Why So Slow? Legislators Take on Insurers’ Delays in Approving Prescribed Treatments
By Michelle Andrews Insurers say prior authorization requirements are intended to reduce wasteful and inappropriate health care spending. But they can baffle patients waiting for approval. And doctors say that insurers have yet to follow through on commitments to improve the process.

As Red Cross Moves to Pricey Blood Treatment Method, Hospitals Call for More Choice
By Julie Appleby The nation’s largest supplier of platelets is moving to a method it says is easier for hospitals, but one that sharply raises costs, leading some centers to demand more options.

Bison Pastrami, Anyone? Preschool Assistant Makes Sure Kids Get to Know Indigenous Foods
By Ariel Gans and Katherine Huggins Fawn Youngbear-Tibbetts wants youngsters to connect with their Native American culture and eat more nutritious foods.

New Covered California Leader Urges Renewal of Enhanced Federal Aid for Health Premiums
By Bernard J. Wolfson Jessica Altman took over in March as executive director of California’s health insurance marketplace, which serves 1.8 million people. She warns that if Congress does not renew the tax credit enhancements that have made health plans more affordable, consumers will face significantly higher premiums, which could cause many to forgo coverage.

After the Pandemic Hit Nursing Homes Hard, California Lawmakers Push to Tighten Licensing Rules
By Samantha Young Legislators are proposing an overhaul of California’s licensing system for nursing homes that would make it the most stringent in the country. They argue that disreputable and unlicensed owners and operators have harmed residents. The industry describes the proposed requirements as excessive.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Waking Up to Baby Formula Shortage
The nationwide shortage of baby formula, which has been simmering for months, finally burst into public consciousness as more parents become less able to find food for their babies, prompting a belated federal response. Meanwhile, covid-19 cases rise but prevention activities don’t, and abortion-rights backers ready their legal arsenal for a post-Roe world. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Watch: Going Beyond the Script of ‘The G Word’ and How Government Responds to Disease (Or Not)
KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal joins comedian Adam Conover to discuss his new Netflix series, “The G Word,” which examines the federal government's role in Americans' lives, and how it plays out in the covid era.

Journalists Recap the Latest on the Supreme Court Leak, Mental Health Care, and Fentanyl Testing Strips
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.