Pharma & Tech 022422
‘Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain
Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold
In May 2021, Lags Medical Centers, one of California’s largest chains of pain clinics, abruptly closed its doors amid a cloaked state investigation. Nine months later, patients are still in the dark about what happened with their care and to their bodies.
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.
I Write About America’s Absurd Health Care System. Then I Got Caught Up in It.
Bram Sable-Smith
A KHN reporter had written for years about the people left behind by the absurdly complex and expensive U.S. health care system. Then he found himself navigating that maze as he tried to get his insulin prescription filled.
What Are Taxpayers Spending for Those ‘Free’ Covid Tests? The Government Won’t Say.
Christine Spolar
Inquiries lead from one federal office to the next, with no clear answers. At one Army Contracting Command, a protocol office employee says that “voicemail has been down for months.” And the email address listed for fielding media inquiries? “The army stopped using the email address about eight years ago.”
As Omicron Surges, Effort to Vaccinate Young Children Stalls
Rachana Pradhan and Hannah Recht
Just 18% of 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated, with rates varying significantly across the country, a KHN analysis of federal data shows. Pediatricians say the slow pace and geographic disparities are alarming, especially against the backdrop of record numbers of cases and pediatric hospitalizations.
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.
Patient, Beware: Some States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments
JoNel Aleccia
The top 12 states using antibody therapies produced by Regeneron and Lilly — which research shows don’t work against the omicron variant — include several Southern states with some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, but also California, which ranks among the top 20 for fully vaccinated residents.
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.
Covid Still Threatens Millions of Americans. Why Are We So Eager to Move On?
Victoria Knight
Those who are living with disabilities, chronic illnesses or are immunocompromised because of medications or cancer treatment feel that their needs are not being considered as states open back up and lift mask mandates.
Polio, Chickenpox, Measles, Now Covid. It’s Time to Consult History on School Vaccine Mandates
Elisabeth Rosenthal
As some states adopt covid vaccine requirements, not everyone agrees mandates for children are the way forward. Taking a page from history: We have two paths to putting the pandemic behind us: a quicker, more certain one of mandatory vaccination or a stuttering, drawn-out, likely more deadly affair.
The Advice to Vaccinate and Test Isn’t Much Help to Parents With Kids Under 5
Bram Sable-Smith
Many parents of children too young for vaccines are exhausted. Some feel isolated and even forgotten by those who just want to move on even as omicron continues to sweep through parts of the country.
At Nursing Homes, Long Waits for Results Render Covid Tests ‘Useless’
Rachana Pradhan
As omicron surges, more nursing homes are facing a double whammy: Lab tests are taking too long, and fast antigen tests are in short supply.
Montana Mice May Hold the Secret to Virus Spillover
Jim Robbins
Researchers in Montana are working to figure out how climate change and biodiversity affect viruses’ jump from animals to people.
How the Tiny-Home Movement Is Providing More Than Just a Roof to Homeless People
Giles Bruce
Cities and nonprofits across the country are building communities of tiny homes to safely house people amid covid and cold winters. Proponents say tiny homes give people dignity and privacy, but some advocates for homeless people say they don't go far enough.
‘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.
Faxes and Snail Mail: Will Pandemic-Era Flaws Unleash Improved Health Technology?
Bram Sable-Smith
The covid-19 pandemic exposed how state and local governments’ severely outdated technology can hinder unemployment benefits, food stamps, Medicaid, vaccine registrations, and the flow of other critical information. Now, with hefty federal pandemic relief and unexpected tax windfalls, states may finally have the chance to revamp their information technology for health care and social services. But can they?
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.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Dealing With Drug Prices
Medicare officials tentatively plan to restrict the use of a controversial Alzheimer’s drug to only those patients participating in clinical trials, while the Department of Health and Human Services looks into lowering the monthly Medicare Part B premium. Meanwhile, covid confusion still reigns, as the Biden administration moves, belatedly, to make more masks and tests available. Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Journalists Review Hospital Penalties and Problems Riddling Medicaid Rx Program
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.
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.
Para las personas con sistemas inmunes frágiles no hay retorno a la “normalidad”
Victoria Knight
Personas con salud frágil y de alto riesgo denuncian que se les ignora. Mientras, el resto de la sociedad abandona las medidas de protección contra la pandemia, como el uso de la máscara y la distancia física.
Farmacias rechazan a pacientes con problemas inmunes que necesitan una cuarta dosis de la vacuna contra covid
Liz Szabo
Muchas farmacias no saben que los CDC han autorizado la cuarta dosis de la vacuna contra covid para personas con sistemas inmunes comprometidos.