Weekly Edition: December 18, 2020
Pandemic Backlash Jeopardizes Public Health Powers, Leaders
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Hannah Recht and Michelle R. Smith, The Associated Press and Lauren Weber
At least 181 public health leaders in 38 states have resigned, retired or been fired amid the turmoil of the pandemic. The departures come as backlash against public health is rising with threats to officials’ personal safety and legislative and legal efforts to strip their governmental public health powers.
In COVID Hot Zones, Firefighters Now ‘Pump More Oxygen Than Water’
By Eli Cahan
Firefighters are often thrust into front-line health emergencies. During the COVID pandemic, they’ve paid an especially high price.
Hospitals Scramble to Prioritize Which Workers Are First for COVID Shots
By JoNel Aleccia
Even as the federal Food and Drug Administration engaged in intense deliberations ahead of Friday's authorization of the nation’s first COVID vaccine, and days before the initial doses were to be released, hospitals have been grappling with how to distribute the first scarce shots. Their plans vary broadly.
With Vaccine Delivery Imminent, Nursing Homes Must Make a Strong Pitch to Residents
By Judith Graham
More than half of long-term care residents have cognitive impairment or dementia, raising questions about whether they will understand the details about the fastest and most extensive vaccination effort in U.S. history.
Pediatricians Want Kids to Be Part of COVID Vaccine Trials
By Arthur Allen
Some years from now, infants and school-aged children will probably be the mainstay of a universal vaccination program against COVID-19 in the United States. But first, doctors want to be sure that newfangled vaccines won’t harm them.
Trusted Messengers May Help Disenfranchised Communities Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy
By Sheila Mulrooney Eldred
Persuading vulnerable low-income and ethnic communities hit hard by the coronavirus to take a new vaccine may be challenging. But established local health leaders, like a group in Rochester, Minnesota, may be one answer.
As Congress Bickers Over Pandemic Relief, Flight Attendant’s Life Is in a Holding Pattern
By Emmarie Huetteman
The coronavirus pandemic has hit hard for Troy Muenzer of Chicago. He had a “suspected case” of COVID in the spring, was billed nearly $1,000 after he unsuccessfully sought to get tested for COVID-19 and has been furloughed after the airline he worked for saw a major decline in passengers.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: All I Want for Christmas Is a COVID Relief Bill
Congress seems on the verge of finishing a long-delayed COVID-19 relief bill, which will reportedly include neither of the things each party wanted most — for Republicans, liability protections; for Democrats, funding for states and localities. That bill is likely to be tied to a package to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year and, possibly, include a fix for “surprise” medical bills that patients receive when they inadvertently receive care outside their insurance network. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner talks to Elizabeth Mitchell, president and CEO of the Pacific Business Group on Health, about the future of employer-provided health insurance.
Pandemic-Related Paid Sick Days and Leave to Expire Dec. 31 — With No Extension in Sight
By Steven Findlay
Enacted in March, an emergency measure covers about half of full-time workers nationwide, permitting 10 days of paid sick leave for all who fall ill or need to quarantine, and 50 more days of extended leave for parents who need to care for a child at home due to COVID-related school or day care closures.
Lie of the Year: The Downplay and Denial of the Coronavirus
By Daniel Funke, PolitiFact and Katie Sanders, PolitiFact
It's no worse than the flu, and other deadly disinformation about the coronavirus
Trump’s Wrong. 15% ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Not on Par With Strength of a Vaccine
By Victoria Knight
Experts agree that more than 70% of a population needs to be inoculated to reach “herd immunity.”
No More ICU Beds at the Main Public Hospital in the Nation’s Largest County
By Heidi de Marco and Bernard J. Wolfson
As some patients linger near death, staffers at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center seek ways to expand capacity for a surge of cases that isn’t letting up.
Ski Resorts Work to Stay Open as COVID Cases Snowball
By Christie Aschwanden
Colorado’s Telluride is a case study in the challenges ski resorts across the U.S. face in staying open as COVID-19 surges.
More Americans — Of All Political Persuasions — Are Donning Masks
By Jordan Rau
Half the public believes the worst of the pandemic is yet to come, but most are prepared to continue to take measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 until vaccines are distributed.
How to Pull Off a COVID-Era Music Festival
By Chaseedaw Giles
One woman’s attempt to create a festival celebrating diverse music ran up against the reality of the pandemic this year. But it also yielded lessons in how to reimagine events in the COVID era.
Behind Each of More Than 300,000 Lives Lost: A Name, a Caregiver, a Family, a Story
By Will Stone
Family members and health care workers say the statistic of 300,000 lost Americans cannot capture their grief or anger at the apathy they've encountered from those who minimize the dangers of the coronavirus. "The numbers do not reflect that these were people," said Brian Walter, who lost his father.
High-Poverty Neighborhoods Bear the Brunt of COVID’s Scourge
By Phillip Reese
COVID infection rates in California are consistently higher in low-income neighborhoods than more affluent areas, according to an analysis by ZIP code. Our findings underscore the heightened risks borne by millions of low-wage workers whose jobs are deemed essential.
Alzheimer’s Inc.: Colleagues Question Scientist’s Pricey Recipe Against Memory Loss
By Linda Marsa
Dr. Dale Bredesen is a well-known, well-respected neurologist. But his colleagues think the comprehensive Alzheimer’s program he’s marketing through a private company is a mixture of free-for-the-asking common sense and unproven interventions.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: Shopping for Health Insurance? Here’s How One Family Tried to Pick a Plan
By Dan Weissmann
Host Dan Weissmann gives us an inside look at his family’s quest to pick health insurance for next year. COVID-19 makes it more complicated.
This Health Care Magnate Wants to Fix Democracy, Starting in Colorado
By Rae Ellen Bichell
Kent Thiry, the former CEO of dialysis giant DaVita, has clear ideas about how democracy should work. By backing ballot measures in Colorado, he’s shaping the power of voters in that state.
Readers and Tweeters Defend Front-Line Nurses and Blind Us With Science
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
KHN on the Air This Week
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.