Weekly Edition: September 25, 2020

Heartbreaking Bills, Lawsuit and Bankruptcy — Even With Insurance
By Laura Ungar With health insurance that can leave him on the hook for more than a quarter of his salary every year, a Kentucky essential worker who has heart disease is one of millions of Americans who are functionally uninsured. At only 31, he has already been through bankruptcy and being sued by his hospital. This year, he faced a bill for more than $10,000.

Battle Rages Inside Hospitals Over How COVID Strikes and Kills
By Robert Lewis and Christina Jewett The debate over how the coronavirus spreads heated up Friday when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conceded that the virus spreads through tiny particles, but then took down guidance that could have forced big changes in hospitals.

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?

California Expands Privacy Protection to Public Health Workers Amid Threats
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded a confidential address program to public health officials in the wake of ongoing threats made against them tied to pandemic safety precautions such as masks and stay-at-home orders.

These Secret Safety Panels Will Pick the COVID Vaccine Winners
By Rachana Pradhan Data and safety monitoring boards work under a cloak of secrecy meant to prevent undue influence by stakeholders, such as companies or the government. In the Trump era, some worry the anonymity could actually invite it.

Signs of an ‘October Vaccine Surprise’ Alarm Career Scientists
By Liz Szabo and JoNel Aleccia President Donald Trump has the legal power to authorize a COVID vaccine over the objections of the Food and Drug Administration and vaccine manufacturers. Such a move could further erode public trust in a vaccine and foist an unsafe shot on Americans.

As Fires and Floods Wreak Havoc on Health, New Climate Center Seeks Solutions
By Bernard J. Wolfson The climate change center at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health plans to study and help implement policies for slowing climate change and adapting to it.

Native Americans Feel Double Pain of COVID and Fires ‘Gobbling Up the Ground’
By Miranda Green Tribal leaders have worked to keep the coronavirus off their reservations because of its deadly impact on Native populations. But careful avoidance of the COVID virus has handcuffed the tribes as they face a devastating fire season.

In Los Angeles, Latinos Hit Hard By Pandemic’s Economic Storm
By Jackie Fortiér, LAist A new poll finds 71% of Latino households in Los Angeles County experienced serious financial problems because of the coronavirus.

A Fair to Remember: County Fairs Weigh Risk of Outbreak Against Financial Ruin
By Justin Franz The threat of COVID-19 forced many county fairs to cancel this year. But some rural communities that depend on the annual economic and cultural boost decided to go ahead despite a pattern of outbreaks.

How Families Are Keeping Halloween From Turning Into a COVID Nightmare
By Priscilla Blossom Parents are turning to spooky scavenger hunts, pumpkin-carving and movie nights as alternatives to trick-or-treating. Health professionals have their own advice on how to safely celebrate Halloween during the pandemic.

Colleges’ Opening Fueled 3,000 COVID Cases a Day, Researchers Say
By Michael McAuliff In a draft study, researchers correlated cellphone data showing students’ back-to-campus movements and county infection rates to quantify how the coronavirus spread as colleges and universities reopened for the fall semester.

California’s Deadliest Spring in 20 Years Suggests COVID Undercount
By Phillip Reese California’s death count for the first five months of the pandemic was 13% higher than average for the same period during the prior three years. Subtract the deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 and experts say that still leaves scores of “excess” deaths among people of color that likely were mistakenly excluded from the coronavirus death tally.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: ACA in Peril With Ginsburg’s Seat in Play
The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is giving new life to the latest constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act. It also places anti-abortion activists on the cusp of a court majority large enough to ensure the rollback of the right to abortion and, possibly, some types of birth control. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar tries to centralize power at the sprawling department plagued by miscommunications and scandals. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Sarah Jane Tribble about her new podcast, “Where It Hurts,” debuting Sept. 29.

Without Ginsburg, Judicial Threats to the ACA, Reproductive Rights Heighten
By Julie Rovner With the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a lawsuit brought by Republican state officials has become the latest existential threat against the federal health law, scheduled for oral arguments at the Supreme Court a week after the general election in November.

Trump Approves Final Plan to Import Drugs From Canada ‘for a Fraction of the Price’
By Phil Galewitz The announcement clears the way for Florida and other states to implement a program bringing medications across the border to save money. The effort is strongly opposed by drugmakers and the Canadian government.

Rural Hospitals Teeter on Financial Cliff as COVID Medicare Loans Come Due
By Sarah Jane Tribble A lack of direction from federal administrators is causing confusion for many hospital administrators. Rural hospitals are among the ones hit hardest.

It’s Not Just Insulin: Lawmakers Focus on Price of One Drug, While Others Rise Too
By Rachana Pradhan While insulin is the poster child for outrageous prescription costs, patients are paying ever more to treat depression, asthma, HIV, cholesterol and more. And the pandemic has overtaken efforts to force the issue in Congress.

Trump-Biden Race Could Hinge on How Florida’s Pinellas County Swings
By Phil Galewitz and Margo Snipe, Tampa Bay Times Few places loom as large in the race for the White House as here in Pinellas County, the largest swing county in the ultimate swing state. And polls show that many people will have the pandemic and its public health and economic consequences on their minds when they cast their votes.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: A Primer on Persisting in Difficult and Uncertain Times
By Dan Weissmann Laura Derrick’s personal fight for affordable health care eventually landed her in the middle of a historic political fight ― and a movement that transformed American health policy.

Cory Gardner’s Bill Has as Much to Do With Politics as Preexisting Conditions
By Julie Appleby The legislation falls short of the big challenge.

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.