Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hospice Nurse Staffing Also Hit By Pandemic Shortages
Modern Healthcare reports that the hospice care industry has also been suffering the same kind of staffing issues during the pandemic as other medical services. Meanwhile, in Boston, Atrius Health is laying off dozens of nurses as pandemic needs wane.
EPA Allows Trump Administration Call On Water Contaminant To Stand
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it will not regulate percholate, a chemical that has been linked to infant brain damage. The agency says it’s following the “best available peer reviewed science,” but the decision to uphold this Trump-era policy — that many environmental scientists denounced at the time — shocked public health advocates.
Being Pregnant Makes Risk Of Breakthrough Covid Soar
Axios and the Washington Post cover data showing pregnancy is linked to nearly double the risk of having a breakthrough covid infection. Organ transplants are similarly correlated to breakthroughs. Other media outlets cover more covid matters, including 44 countries being under 20% vaxxed.
Maternal Mortality Rate Has Increased, And Covid’s Mostly To Blame
From 2019 to 2020, the maternal death rate in the U.S. rose from 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births to 23.8 deaths — a nearly 37% increase over 2018. Covid in pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm delivery, blood clots, stillbirth, and preeclampsia, said Dr. Jason Melillo, an OhioHealth OB-GYN.
‘Sad Or Hopeless’: CDC Warns Of Looming Teen Mental Health Crisis
A CDC study finds that 44% of American teens report that they feel “persistently sad or hopeless” — up from 37% before the pandemic. The numbers get even worse for LGBTQ+ youth: 75% report emotional abuse in the home, and 20% say they’ve experienced physical abuse. “These data echo a cry for help,” said Debra Houry, a deputy director at the CDC. “The covid-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students’ mental well-being.”
House Advances Bill Capping Insulin Prices At $35 A Month
Republicans overwhelmingly opposed the bill, which they say could cause insurance premiums for everyone to rise. The measure now moves to the Senate, where it faces stiff opposition and where advocates are hoping a bipartisan effort might offer a compromise that could win passage.
Senate Nears Covid Aid Deal That Chops Biden Ask By More Than Half
Senators negotiations reached “an agreement in principle” on a $10 billion covid funding package that would boost federal pandemic efforts to test, treat and vaccinate Americans. Most of the money for global vaccination efforts has been stripped from the proposal, which falls far short of the $22 billion the Biden administration says is needed.
Map Of Human Genome Completed, Filling ‘Gaps In Our Knowledge’
New technology allowed scientists to finish the final 8% of the genome, but putting it to use for medical care could still take years.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers explore these public health topics.
Opinion writers tackle these covid issues.
Research Roundup: Strep; Flu Vaccine; Cancer; Autism; MERS; More
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Brain Condition Aphasia Causes Actor Bruce Willis To Retire
The disorder, which affects language processing, has many causes though some reports say Bruce Willis’ declining cognitive state has been a concern on movie sets for some time.
WHO Reports Covid Fading Globally, But People Are Still Dying
According to the AP, a 40% jump in reported covid deaths last week is likely due to changes in reporting, and adjusted figures from India. But according to the World Health Organization, the world’s case count is falling even in regions where the rate rose in December.
Requests For Medical Aid-In-Dying Rise In Colorado
In other news, West Virginia’s governor vetoed a bill that would have split the state’s health department into separate agencies; a Minnesota bill funding ALS research was signed; as was a landmark bill improving mental health services in Georgia; and more.
Secondhand Smoke From Bongs Worse Than From Cigarettes: Study
A fresh study examining dangers of secondhand smoke shows breathing air polluted by particles from marijuana bongs is worse than from cigarettes, with concentrations more than twice federal air quality limits. Separately, Houston’s new ban on vaping in enclosed places is also in the news.
Providers, Planned Parenthood Push Back At Idaho Anti-Abortion Bill
Abortion providers are calling the new six-week abortion ban, which mimics a similar, controversial Texas law, an “unprecedented power grab” and are asking the Idaho Supreme Court to strike it. A bill limiting abortion and trans rights was also signed in Arizona.
Insulin Cost-Capping Bill Goes To House Floor Today
Also, the Washington Post reports on the death of Arthur D. Riggs, a medical researcher whose recombinant DNA experiments helped develop synthetic insulin. Meanwhile, a Food and Drug Administration panel concluded an experimental ALS drug from Amylyx hadn’t proved effective.
‘The Criminalization Of Medical Errors Is Unnerving’: Nurses Slam Tenn. Case
RaDonda Vaught was found guilty last week of criminally negligent homicide after mistakenly giving a patient the wrong medication. “This verdict sets into motion a dangerous precedent,” the American Nurses Association said. “Health care delivery is highly complex. It is inevitable that mistakes will happen. … It is completely unrealistic to think otherwise.”
Missouri, Arizona Are Latest To Join The ‘Pandemic Is Done’ Club
Both states, each with a Republican governor, have declared a formal end to the pandemic emergency. In related news, AP details how these types of declarations will affect all areas of the U.S. health care system, including Medicaid, telehealth, insurance coverage, and more.
