Weekly Edition: March 27, 2020
Senators Who Led Pharma-Friendly Patent Reform Also Prime Targets For Pharma Cash
By Emmarie Huetteman
Three senators on a revived subcommittee received more than $100,000 each from drugmakers.
Pharma Cash to Congress
By Elizabeth Lucas and KFF Health News Staff
A KFF Health News database tracks campaign donations from drugmakers over the past 10 years.
Physicians Fear For Their Families As They Battle Coronavirus With Too Little Armor
By Laura Ungar
Doctors sent an impassioned, desperate letter to Congress describing the lack of protective equipment across the country — from masks to respirators to gowns to goggles. They're using equipment from construction sites and home-repair stores or wearing the same mask from patient to patient. And they worry about what exposure without sufficient protection means for them and their families.
Coronavirus Has Upended Our World. It’s OK To Grieve.
By Stephanie O'Neill
To weather uncertain times, it's important to acknowledge and grieve losses — even if they seem small in the scheme of the global pandemic, psychologists and grief experts say.
Not So Fast Using CPAPs In Place Of Ventilators. They Could Spread The Coronavirus.
By Markian Hawryluk
U.S. pandemic planning envisioned the possibility of using CPAP machines for milder cases of COVID-19 when ventilators are in short supply. But evidence suggests that the machines, commonly used by people with sleep apnea, can aerosolize and possibly spread the virus. That leaves hospitals with few good alternatives if the demand for ventilators exceeds the supply.
Help Wanted: Retired Doctors And Nurses Don Scrubs Again In Coronavirus Fight
By Michelle Andrews
As they prepare for an onslaught of coronavirus patients, health officials in New York and other states urge retired medical professionals to rejoin the ranks.
In Coronavirus Relief Bill, Hospitals Poised To Get Massive Infusion Of Cash
By Julie Rovner
The legislation scheduled to go before the House for a vote Friday provides nearly $200 billion in aid for hospitals. That includes payments for expenses or lost revenues from the coronavirus pandemic, interest-free loans and changes in Medicare reimbursements.
Telemedicine Surges, Fueled By Coronavirus Fears And Shift In Payment Rules
By Phil Galewitz
Millions of Americans are suddenly seeking care by connecting with a doctor electronically. Helping drive that trend, medical providers can now charge as much as they would for an office visit.
Under Financial Strain, Community Health Centers Ramp Up Coronavirus Response
By Will Stone
Many of the nation’s safety-net clinics for low-income patients are having to turn their model of care upside down overnight to deal with the realities of the pandemic — a challenge both financially and logistically. Federal funding is on the way.
Public Health Officials To Newsom: Lockdown Won’t Work Without Enforcement
By Angela Hart
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was out front nationally when he ordered nearly all Californians to stay at home to stem the spread of COVID-19. But local officials warn it won’t work without tougher enforcement.
Shortfall Of Comfort Care Signals Undue Suffering For Coronavirus Patients
By Liz Szabo
Families worry that overwhelmed hospitals won’t be able to provide palliative care for loved ones stricken with COVID-19.
California Lawmakers Struggle To Conduct Business Amid COVID-19 Lockdown
By Samantha Young
In an interview with California Healthline, the state’s Senate leader, Toni Atkins, makes clear that with social-distancing measures in force it will be difficult to debate and pass complicated budget measures ― but public health, education and public safety will be priorities.
Some States Are Reporting Incomplete COVID-19 Results, Blurring The Full Picture
By Fred Schulte
Maryland, Ohio and others are reporting only positive tests, which skews tracking and an understanding of how the virus spreads.
Hospital Suppliers Take To The Skies To Combat Dire Shortages Of COVID-19 Gear
By Christina Jewett and Lauren Weber
As the coronavirus sweeps the nation, a new survey reveals widespread medical gear shortages while hospitals give up on a fractured supply chain and take matters into their own hands with planes sprinting past cargo ships.
Trump’s Boast About U.S., South Korea Coronavirus Testing Misses The Mark
By Shefali Luthra
The president’s statement frames the data in a way that doesn’t accurately represent the status of the American response to COVID-19.
Are Vital Home Health Workers Now A Safety Threat?
By Phil Galewitz
Hundreds of thousands of health care workers go into homes to provide important services for seniors and disabled people. But with the rising concerns about the danger of the coronavirus pandemic, especially for older people, these health workers could be endangering their patients and themselves.
Why Hoarding Of Hydroxychloroquine Needs To Stop
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR
Six states — Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas — have taken steps to limit inappropriate prescriptions for the medicine and preserve supplies for patients who take it for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Photo Essay: LA Under Lockdown
By Heidi de Marco
Californians are under orders to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus — and the result is that some of Southern California’s best-known spots are shuttered or deserted, from Santa Monica Pier to Olvera Street.
Does Everyone Over 60 Need To Take The Same Coronavirus Precautions?
By Judith Graham
Just how careful should older people be? Here’s what geriatricians think is reasonable.
CDC Coronavirus Testing Decision Likely To Haunt Nation For Months To Come
By Rachana Pradhan
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave huge cities roughly the same number of test kits as some rural spots, which crippled efforts by health officials to contain the virus.
With Medical Safety Gear Scarce, The Public Is Stepping Up. Here’s Help On Ways To Help.
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
If you or your company have useful supplies and want to donate them, here are some answers to questions you might be asking.
Seattle Nurses Scrounge For Masks To Stay Safe On Pandemic’s Front Lines
By Will Stone
As illness from the new coronavirus stresses the health care system, nurses said they are being forced to make do with less and learning to be good stewards of available equipment and protective gear.
Coronavirus Threatens The Lives Of Rural Hospitals Already Stretched To Breaking Point
By Lauren Weber
Almost half of the nation's rural hospitals operate in the red on a good day. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, rural hospital CEOs warn that soon some may be unable to pay their workers. And their doors may close when the community most needs them.
Some Hospitals Continue With Elective Surgeries Despite COVID-19 Crisis
By Jenny Gold
Even as many states put a moratorium on elective surgeries in a desperate effort to preserve dwindling stocks of protective gear, hospitals in other pockets of the country continue to perform a range of elective procedures. Some staff members and ethicists are voicing concerns.
Hoping That Insurance Expansion Will Help Tamp Outbreak, 9 States Reopen Marketplaces
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
The states are allowing new enrollments this month to help ease consumers’ concerns about the cost of health care so that the sick will not be deterred from seeking medical attention and inadvertently spread the virus.
Listen: The Hard-Knock Health Law Turns 10 Amid Pandemic
By Julie Rovner
On the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Kaiser Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner and Kaiser Family Foundation Executive Vice President Larry Levitt put the law in perspective.
California Isn’t Testing Enough Children For Lead, Prompting Legislation
By Harriet Blair Rowan
A recent report by the California state auditor faults two state health departments for failing to ensure that children receive required blood lead tests and for not doing enough to reduce childhood lead exposure in high-risk areas. Lawmakers are proposing several measures to increase testing.
Listen: The Reverberations of Gun Violence In Baltimore
KHN’s Chaseedaw Giles discusses her story about the West Baltimore barber who cares for his clients in life and death on Baltimore’s news radio station, WBAL.