Weekly Edition: October 9, 2020
‘No Mercy’ Chapter 2: Unimaginable, After a Century, That Their Hospital Would Close
Sarah Jane Tribble
After Mercy Hospital Fort Scott shut its doors, investigative reporter Sarah Jane Tribble traveled to Kansas and spent time with former hospital president Reta Baker and City Manager Dave Martin — to understand what their town lost.
Young Doctor Succumbs to COVID, One of the South’s Many Health Workers Lost
Alastair Gee, The Guardian
A 28-year-old Texas doctor tested positive in early July and died in September — one of a dozen young health workers nationwide whose deaths from the coronavirus have been profiled by KHN and The Guardian as part of the "Lost on the Frontline" project.
Lost on the Frontline: Explore the Database
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?
5 Things to Know About a COVID Vaccine: It Won’t Be a ‘Magic Wand’
Julie Appleby
Approval of a vaccine will be an important step in defeating COVID-19. But it won’t immediately end the pandemic.
Distrusting Trump, States Plan to Vet COVID Vaccines Themselves. Bad Idea, Say Experts.
JoNel Aleccia and Liz Szabo
California and at least five other states have said they may independently vet any vaccines. Experts warn that could needlessly confuse the public.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Trump vs. COVID
President Donald Trump is one of at least two dozen people tied to the White House who have tested positive for COVID-19. Negotiations on the next round of COVID relief are off again — maybe. And the FDA and CDC continue to fight for scientific credibility. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Erin Mershon of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog about what the Supreme Court might do with the latest case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Does the Federal Health Information Privacy Law Protect President Trump?
Julie Appleby and Victoria Knight
The president’s doctors have used HIPAA — the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — as a shield to avoid questions about the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Inside the Flawed White House Testing Scheme That Did Not Protect Trump
Rachana Pradhan and Lauren Weber and Liz Szabo
President Trump relied heavily on testing as protection against COVID exposure, eschewing masks and social distancing.
Stigma Against D.O.s Had Been Dissipating Until Trump’s Doctor Took the Spotlight
Lauren Weber
Two types of licensed physicians exist in this country — M.D.s and D.O.s. Here’s what you need to know about the differences.
One School, Two Choices: A Study in Classroom vs. Distance Learning
John M. Glionna
Most students at one Marin County school attend in person, while a dozen study from home. Those on campus are constantly nagged to use hand sanitizer and submit to the thermometer. Home-schoolers yell to their parents for help, while the parents pray that Zoom doesn’t freeze.
Campus Dorm Resident Assistants Adjust to a New Role: COVID Cop
Anna Almendrala and Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
Students charged with keeping their peers in line on college campuses say they are dealing with hostility, unclear policies and health risks as they try to enforce policies to prevent COVID-19.
Hard Lives Made Harder by COVID: Homeless Endure a ‘Slow-Moving Train Wreck’
Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Angela Hart
This was supposed to be the year California finally did something about its homelessness epidemic. COVID-19 upended that promise, along with the cobbled-together services many homeless people rely on for survival. Interviews across the state reveal a new magnitude of hardship and indignity for tens of thousands of people living on the streets.
Lifetime Experiences Help Older Adults Build Resilience to Pandemic Trauma
Judith Graham
These seniors use coping strategies to keep them socially active yet safe from the coronavirus.
Easier-to-Use Coronavirus Saliva Tests Start to Catch On
David Tuller
Regulators and scientists have been leery of introducing the tests, preferring to rely on tried-and-true methods, but evidence is mounting that the spit and swab tests may be more convenient and just as accurate.
Analysis: ‘Don’t Be Afraid of COVID’? Not Buying It, Unless Businesses Do Job Right
Elisabeth Rosenthal
COVID precautions may seem like overkill. But I won't set foot in a store unless certain steps are taken.
Wear a Mask. If Only It Were That Simple.
Michael McAuliff and Julio Ochoa, WUSF and Jackie Fortiér, LAist and Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
Health experts agree masks are the cheapest, best weapon against the coronavirus pandemic. But how should mask-wearing be enforced? Mandates? Fines? Polite requests? It’s hard to figure out what works as President Donald Trump's behavior keeps the debate alive over whether they should be worn at all.
Refuge in the Storm? ACA’s Role as Safety Net Is Tested by COVID Recession
Steven Findlay
Relentlessly knocked around by politics and now headed again to the Supreme Court, the ACA is covering millions who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. But not everyone.
Job-Based Health Insurance Costs Are Up 4% This Year, 55% in Past Decade
Phil Galewitz
A family plan costs, on average, more than $21,000 this year and workers pay nearly $5,600 toward that cost, the annual KFF survey of employers finds.
Pandemic Erects Barriers for Prized Bloc of Voters in Nursing Homes, Senior Facilities
Rachel Bluth
Voting is a point of pride for many older Americans, and senior living facilities in past years have encouraged the civic act by hosting voting precincts, providing transportation to the polls and bringing in groups to help explain election issues. But fears of the spread of the coronavirus among this vulnerable population make voting more difficult this year.
In Debate, Pence and Harris Offer Conflicting Views of Nation’s Reality
During this, the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2020 election season, the two candidates clashed over the coronavirus and other health care issues, as well as a range of other topics.
Fighting for Patient Protections While Attacking ACA — Hard to Have It Both Ways
Alex Sakariassen
Montana’s Matt Rosendale and many other Republican congressional candidates face the challenge of convincing voters they support safeguards on preexisting conditions even as they oppose the Affordable Care Act, which codifies those safeguards.
As Trump Touts His ‘Great’ COVID Drugs, the Pharma Cash Flows to Biden, Not Him
Jay Hancock
President Donald Trump has been heralding drugmakers as “great companies.” Yet in the final stretch of the presidential campaign, Trump is not feeling the love in pharma contributions. Former Vice President Joe Biden is, even though his proposed policies could dent the industry’s profitability.
Not Pandemic-Proof: Insulin Copay Caps Fall Short, Fueling Underground Exchanges
Markian Hawryluk
Although sharing prescription medicines is illegal, many people with diabetes are turning to underground donation networks when they cannot afford their insulin. Caps on insulin copays enacted in Colorado and 11 other states were designed to help. But the gaps between insulin costs and many patients’ financial realities are only widening amid the economic crisis of the COVID pandemic.
Moved by Plight of Young Heart Patient, Stranger Pays His Hospital Bill
Laura Ungar
A retired college professor in Las Vegas saw Matthew Fentress’ story and felt called to help. So she paid off $5,000 of his medical bill. “When you help other people, it gives you joy,” the Good Samaritan said.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: TikTok Mom Takes On Medical Bills
Dan Weissmann
Shaunna Burns went viral on TikTok, partly because of a series of videos dishing out real-talk advice on fighting outrageous medical bills.
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.