Weekly Edition: 032621

Lost on the Frontline: Explore the Database
By The Staffs of KFF Health News and The Guardian As of Wednesday, the KHN-Guardian project counted 3,607 U.S. health worker deaths in the first year of the pandemic. Today we add 39 profiles, including a hospice chaplain, a nurse who spoke to intubated patients "like they were listening," and a home health aide who couldn't afford to stop working. This is the most comprehensive count in the nation as of April 2021, and our interactive database investigates the question: Did they have to die?

Her Doctor’s Office Moved One Floor Up. Her Bill Was 10 Times Higher.
By Lauren Weber Same building. Same procedure. Same doctor. But now you’re charged a hospital facility fee. For one Ohio Medicare patient, the copay for a shot that used to cost her about $30 went up to more than $300.

Military Exposed to Toxic Fumes From Burn Pits Set to Get Bipartisan Boost
By Michael McAuliff Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio were set to roll out a bill Friday that could help unknown thousands of service members who are sick from toxic substances they were exposed to from burning garbage in Afghanistan, Iraq and other war zones.

How One State’s Public Health Defunding Led to Vaccination Chaos
By Lauren Weber The underfunding of public health and political backlash destabilized Missouri’s vaccine rollout, creating racial inequity and forcing some residents to drive hours to get shots.

‘Incredibly Concerning’ Lawsuit Threatens No-Charge Preventive Care for Millions
By Harris Meyer A Texas federal judge, who previously ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, has signaled his openness to ending the law’s popular coverage requirement for preventive services.

Democrats Could Undo Trump Policies Faster, But They’re Not. Why?
By Julie Rovner The little-used Congressional Review Act allows a new administration and Congress to fast-track the repeal of regulations and other executive actions of the previous administration. But neither lawmakers nor the president are making any attempt to use it now.

How Much of Trump’s Health Agenda Has Biden Undone?
By Julie Rovner In his campaign, President Joe Biden promised to undo policies, particularly health policies, implemented by former President Donald Trump. Yet, despite immense executive power, reversing four years of action takes time and resources.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Getting Down to Work at HHS
After a bruising confirmation process, Xavier Becerra was sworn in as secretary of Health and Human Services this week. The Senate also confirmed the nominations of former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to return to the post he held in the Obama administration, and former Pennsylvania health secretary Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health. Levine is the first openly transgender person to receive Senate confirmation. Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl around the AstraZeneca covid vaccine, which some public health experts worry will create more hesitancy toward other vaccines.

Nosing In on Kids Who Had Covid and Lost Their Sense of Smell
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez Clinicians at pediatric hospitals are experimenting with “smell training” among children who had covid-19 and have now lost this sense.

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.
By April Dembosky, KQED The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve more attention to move more Black Americans toward vaccine protection.

Inmates’ Distrust of Prison Health Care Fuels Distrust of Covid Vaccines
By Eric Berger Many inmates at Western Missouri Correctional Center, like their peers in prisons across Missouri and the nation, are hesitant about getting vaccinated against covid-19 because they don’t trust prison health care.

Democrats Gave Americans a Big Boost Buying Health Insurance. It Didn’t Come Cheap.
By Noam N. Levey The $1.9 trillion covid relief bill expands subsidies for private insurance plans. That will lighten the burden on consumers, but it locks taxpayers into yet more support for the health care industry.

Lots of Health Insurance Help in Covid Relief Law — But Do Your Homework First
By Michelle Andrews Democrats’ $1.9 trillion covid relief package will offer some of the most significant help for Americans to pay for health insurance in a decade. But the temporary provisions are complicated. KHN offers tips for consumers.

Birx Joins Air-Cleaning Industry Amid Land Grab for Billions in Federal Covid Relief
By Christina Jewett and Lauren Weber Air-cleaning companies with limited oversight are targeting a growing market of schools desperate for covid-19 protection. Donald Trump’s former covid adviser lands with one that built its business, in part, on ozone-emitting technology.

Under New Cost-Cutting Medicare Rule, Same Surgery, Same Place, Different Bill
By Susan Jaffe A Trump administration Medicare rule will push some hospital patients into a Catch-22: The government says several hundred procedures no longer need to be done in a hospital, but it did not approve them to be performed elsewhere. So patients will still need to use a hospital while not officially admitted — and may be charged more out-of-pocket for the care.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: In Vaccinating Philadelphia, A Mix of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
By Dan Weissmann Covid vaccinations are ramping up, so “An Arm and a Leg” checked in on the effort in Philadelphia, where capitalism and compassion have clashed.

Indiana School Goes Extra Mile to Help Vulnerable Kids Weather Pandemic
By Giles Bruce Many students at Sarah Scott Middle School in Terre Haute, Indiana, deal with poverty, dysfunction and stress. Since the pandemic hit, teachers and administrators have struggled to give kids and families the support they need.

Democrats Eye Medicare Negotiations to Lower Drug Prices
By Emmarie Huetteman Progressive and conservative Democratic lawmakers, as well as President Joe Biden, are in favor of authorizing federal officials to negotiate with drugmakers over what Medicare pays for at least some of the most expensive brand-name drugs and to base those prices on the drugs’ clinical benefits. Such a measure could put Republicans in the uncomfortable position of opposing an idea that most voters from both parties generally support.

‘Press 1 for English’: Vaccination Sign-Ups Prove Daunting for Speakers of Other Languages
By Rachana Pradhan In Virginia, if you called 1-877-VAX-IN-VA to register for a vaccine and wanted help in a language other than English or Spanish, the system might hang up on you.

Some Dream — Others Scheme — To Find a Vaccine Before Spring Break
By Fred Mogul It’s the second spring break of the pandemic, and rumors abound about people exploiting loopholes to get vaccinated in order to party. But some students who’ve been immunized were eligible because of where they work or underlying health conditions.

The Hype Has Faded, but Don’t Count Out Convalescent Plasma in Covid Battle
By JoNel Aleccia The once-promising therapy that infuses blood plasma from recovered covid-19 patients into newly infected people, theoretically to boost immunity, has suffered setbacks. But some proponents say it’s too early to abandon the treatment.

In America, Covid Vaccine Eligibility Is a ‘Crazy Quilt’ of State Rules
By Phil Galewitz Across the country, a mishmash of rules to qualify for a precious covid shot is creating nightmares for consumers. Criteria including age, occupation and medical conditions vary dramatically.

So You’re Vaccinated Against Covid. Now What?
By Bernard J. Wolfson The vaccination rollout has been unsteady, but the vaccines seem very effective, raising hopes that the pandemic will subside by later this year if enough Americans get their shots. Meanwhile, remain cautious.

Journalists Analyze the Covid Relief Bill
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.

Blue Shield Spent Years Cultivating a Relationship with Newsom. It Got the State Vaccine Contract.
By Samantha Young and Angela Hart Insurance giant Blue Shield of California has made millions in charitable and political donations to Gov. Gavin Newsom over nearly two decades, largely to his dearly held homeless initiatives. In turn, Newsom has rewarded the insurer with a $15 million no-bid contract to lead the state’s covid vaccination distribution.