Weekly Edition: November 6, 2020
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Change Is in the Air
Former Vice President Joe Biden remains on the cusp of being declared the winner of the presidential election, and which party will control the Senate next year remains in question. The outcomes of both the presidential and Senate elections will have dramatic effects on the health agenda. Meanwhile, should President Donald Trump eke out a win, his administration is still pushing some sweeping health changes. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Longtime Health Advocate Donna Shalala Loses House Reelection Race
By Emmarie Huetteman
In a notable loss for Democrats, Shalala, who represented a Miami district, was defeated by Maria Elvira Salazar — a Republican former TV journalist who compared Democratic policy proposals to leftist oppression in countries like Cuba.
A Biden Win and Republican Senate Might Lead to Gridlock on Health Issues
By Julie Rovner
If Democrat Joe Biden is successful in his bid for the presidency but the Senate remains in GOP control, Democrats’ plans for major changes in health care may be curbed.
California’s Progressive — and Expensive — Health Care Ambitions Rely on Biden Win
By Angela Hart
There couldn’t be more at stake for California’s Democratic health care agenda in the presidential race. State lawmakers are already penning big-ticket legislation they hope to pursue should Democrat Joe Biden win, from single-payer to a new wealth tax.
Hospitalized? You Can Still Vote in Most Parts of the Country
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Hospital staff in states such as California and New York can help patients obtain ballots and vote. In other states, you need a relative to assist you.
Medicare Fines Half of Hospitals for Readmitting Too Many Patients
By Jordan Rau
The penalties are the ninth round of a program created as part of the Affordable Care Act’s broader effort to improve quality and lower costs. The average reduction in federal payments is 0.69%, with 613 hospitals receiving a penalty of 1% or more.
Look Up Your Hospital: Is It Being Penalized by Medicare?
By Jordan Rau
Each year, Medicare punishes hospitals that have high rates of readmissions and high rates of infections and patient injuries. Check out which hospitals have been penalized.
It’s Open Enrollment. Here’s What You Need to Know
By Bernard J. Wolfson
For Californians who are buying their own insurance, enrollment in 2021 health plans runs through Jan. 31.
Feds Approve Fractious Georgia Plan to Change ACA Marketplace
By Jordan Rau
Under the plan pushed by Gov. Brian Kemp, the healthcare.gov website will no longer provide options for Georgia starting next fall, and consumers will need to rely on private brokers, insurance companies, agents and commercial websites.
‘Is This Worth My Life?’: Traveling Health Workers Decry COVID Care Conditions
By Eli Cahan
Frequently employed by staffing agencies based in other states, nurses and other healthcare professionals can find themselves working through crisis without advocates or adequate safety equipment.
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?
‘His Lies Are Killing My Neighbors’: Swing-State Doctors Target Trump
By Danielle Renwick, The Guardian
Furious over Republicans’ handling of the pandemic, Wisconsin health care workers are speaking out against the president — and running for office.
How Escalating COVID Cases Forced One State to Change Its Masking Strategy
By Katheryn Houghton
Montana is seeking penalties against some businesses that violated its mask and social distancing directives, after months of reluctance to enforce COVID restrictions. Meanwhile, cities, counties and tribal nations still struggle to get people to mask up and avoid crowds.
VA Joins Pentagon in Recruiting Volunteers for COVID Vaccine Trials
By Patricia Kime
The Department of Veterans Affairs hopes to enroll 8,000 people in advanced-stage trials of four leading vaccine candidates. The Defense Department earlier announced plans to enlist 3,000 volunteers in trials.
Lions and Tigers and Anteaters? US Scientists Scan the Menagerie for COVID
By JoNel Aleccia
Thousands of animals in the U.S. have been tested for the coronavirus, as researchers work to understand its transmission and which other species might be at risk. So far, dozens have tested positive, mostly cats and dogs exposed to sick owners.
Seniors Form COVID Pods to Ward Off Isolation This Winter
By Judith Graham
Older adults are deliberating what to do as days and nights turn chilly and coronavirus cases rise across the country. Some are forming “bubbles” with small groups of friends who agree on pandemic precautions and will see one another in person. Others are planning to go it alone.
The Best COVID Warning System? Poop and Pooled Spit, Says One Colorado School
By Rae Ellen Bichell
About 6% of large universities with in-person classes are routinely testing all students. For many institutions, that strategy is out of reach. To get ahead of the virus, Colorado State University is experimenting with a combination of sewage monitoring and a lesser-known approach to pool testing.
How COVID Death Counts Become the Stuff of Conspiracy Theories
By Victoria Knight and Julie Appleby
Experts say President Trump’s claim that COVID deaths are being overcounted is inaccurate. Most agree they are undercounted. Here’s what we know about COVID death numbers so far.
They Work in Several Nursing Homes to Eke Out a Living, Possibly Spreading the Virus
By Jackie Fortiér, LAist
An analysis of location data from 30 million smartphones found that facilities across the country that share the most workers also had the most COVID-19 infections. The "Kevin Bacon of nursing homes" in each state — the one with the most staffers working at other nursing homes — was likely to have the worst outbreaks of coronavirus contagion.
‘No Mercy’ Chapter 6: Trickle-Down Heartache Reaches the Next Generation in a Rural Town With No Hospital
By Sarah Jane Tribble
Meet Josh. He’s a teenager in Fort Scott, Kansas, who dropped out of high school around the same time the town’s hospital closed. He says those two things are related.
Poor and Minority Children With Food Allergies Overlooked and in Danger
By Sandy West
Having a child with a food allergy is terrifying for any parent, but for low-income families such allergies can be especially deadly. Food assistance programs and food pantries rarely take allergies into account. And access to specialists, support groups and lifesaving epinephrine can be hard to attain. This especially hurts low-income Black children, who have higher incidences of allergies to corn, wheat and soy than white kids.
Coming Abortion Fight Could Threaten Birth Control, Too
By Julie Rovner
In discussions of the impact Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett could have on abortion rights, many overlook related issues, including the right to birth control that the court recognized in 1965. During her confirmation hearings, Barrett refused to say whether she felt that case was correctly decided.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: David vs. Goliath: How to Beat a Big Hospital in Small Claims Court
By Dan Weissmann
In a classic — and hilarious — David vs. Goliath story, Jeffrey Fox takes on a huge hospital over an outrageous bill, and wins.
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.