Latest KFF Health News Stories
Financially Strapped Doctors, Hospitals Eyeing Insurers’ Profits With Increasing Distrust
Executives and advisers from eight hospitals across Massachusetts use phrases like “sucking us dry,” “bloodbath” and “shameful,” on background, to describe health insurers, whom they see as sitting on piles of unspent health care premiums that they could be using to keep clinicians afloat. In other news, patient advocates want to make sure the neediest hospitals are getting federal aid.
Dentists, Physicians Offices Hit Hardest During April’s Loss Of 1.4M Health Care Jobs
The industry is usually immune to economic hardships, but closings of dentist offices and eliminating nonessential surgeries and procedures led to many layoffs and furloughs. News on health workers is nursing, paramedics, sports specialists, Doctors Without Borders, medical students, mobile health clinics, residents, mental health and hospice care, as well.
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic issues and others.
States’ Lean Contact Tracing Teams ‘Overwhelmed,’ And Officials Fear There’s Little Help Coming
Contact tracing is viewed by experts as a key component to reopening the country, but it takes time, money and resources — all of which are thin for already overstretched public health departments. Meanwhile, federal virus hunters are hamstrung by an outdated system that relied on fax machines and paper documents. And a promising solution posed by tracing apps could breed a host of other smaller problems.
Both the national parties of Republicans and Democrats realize they will need to seek personal protective equipment if their political conventions go forward. Because the events have been considered national security events in the past, the White House would have the option to provide PPEs during the conventions. Other election news reports on the unease growing among Republicans about losing the Senate as well as President Obama’s leaked criticism of the Trump administration’s pandemic response.
News on the global pandemic is reported from South Korea, Sweden, Great Britain, China, Italy, France, Senegal, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Ukraine, Madagascar, Germany, Croatia, Greece, Brazil and Taiwan.
Judy Mikovits Is Gaining Notoriety Among Anti-Shutdown Activists. Who Is She Exactly?
A viral video showcasing COVID-19 disinformation espoused by Judy Mikovits has made her a celebrity among conspiracy theorists and anti-shutdown activists. The New York Times and Washington Post look into her background and the path she took to becoming the latest darling of extreme groups.
Supply-Chain Shortages Could Hinder Efforts To Scale Up Production Of Needed Vaccine
In related news, health officials warn that not enough children are getting their routine vaccinations during the pandemic and that could lead to measles outbreaks.
At The Core Of World’s Success Against Small Pox Was Global Cooperation, Experts Say
When looking back to previous outbreaks and global health scares, experts say if there’s one lesson to take from the small pox effort it’s that countries need to work together. In other public health news: “deaths of despair,” face masks, seeking non-COVID care, plasma from survivors, flying safely and more.
‘Tuskegee Is In The Back Of My Mind’: Black Americans Wary Of Volunteering For COVID Studies
Deep distrust in a medical system and government that has time and again exploited black Americans is hampering scientists’ efforts now to get a better idea of why such severe racial disparities are being seen in the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, ProPublica looks at Chicago’s early deaths–the vast majority of whom were black. And as social distancing arrests pick up, data show that minorities are being disproportionately targeted.
Road To Recovery For COVID-19 Patients Can Be Much Longer Than Expected, Doctors Warn
Even when patients are discharged from the hospital that doesn’t mean their recovery from COVID-19 is complete. Many patients find they are struggling to return to their normal levels of health weeks after getting infected. In other news: the virus’s damage to the body isn’t limited to the lungs, scientists race to understand the mysterious symptoms showing up in kids, doctors pull back on the use of ventilators and more.
A large share of coronavirus deaths have been in nursing homes. “There’s a risk and a liability when we reopen, no matter how we craft it,” said Kathryn Hyer, a professor at the University of South Florida. “It’s going to be very difficult.” Nursing home news is reported from New York, Maryland, Georgia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, as well.
‘Time Of Fear, Panic’: As Orders To Remain Open Surfaced, Misinformation Spread Among Meat Packers
The New York Times reports on elbow-to-elbow work conditions inside a Tysons Foods pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, its resistance to close and new precautions workers say came too late. Other news on worker safety reports on an uptick in pork exports to China and General Motors reopening three plants.
The project is designed to deliver needed medical gear and supplies to hospitals and doctors across the states. While President Donald Trump and his officials called it a success, a Washington Post analysis digs deeper into the actual numbers. In other preparedness news: a missed opportunity for more N95 masks, a rush on ventilators might have backfired for some and more.
First Antigen Test Gets Green Light From FDA: ‘A Lot Of Us Have Been Looking Forward To This Moment’
Experts say the tests are quicker than the traditional kits that have been hampering the United States’ efforts to quickly identify people who have been infected with COVID-19. In other tracking news: spit tests, privacy, shortages and more.
After Reports Of Chaos And Confusion, White House Announces New Plan For Remdesivir Distribution
“State health departments will distribute the doses to appropriate hospitals in their states because state and local health departments have the greatest insight into community-level needs in the COVID-19 response,” HHS said following backlash from hospitals and doctors across the country. Meanwhile, Stat pulls back the curtain on NIH’s decision to stop its drug trial of remdesivir as a COVID-19 treatment
What Went Wrong In New Jersey VA Nursing Home That’s Seen At Least 72 Deaths?
Families and loved ones of veterans living demand answers as to why VA facilities, like the New Jersey Veterans Home at Paramus, are being so hard hit. “The whole place is sick now,” said Mitchell Haber, whose 91-year-old father, Arnold, an Army veteran, died last month.
Even If Coronavirus Was Contained Tomorrow, Economic Ramifications Would Likely Be Felt For Years
Lifting social distancing restrictions aren’t going to fix the economy with a flip of a switch. There will be businesses that won’t be able to rebound from the closures, shifting dynamics between workers and employers and a general weariness from American consumers to engage with services again. Meanwhile, White House advisers warn unemployment numbers are likely to get worse before they get better.
House Democrats Press The Gas Pedal On Next Relief Package Even As Republicans Pump The Brakes
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders are putting finishing touches on their next relief package, but Senate Republicans have not budged from their wait-and-see stance. While the White House begins informal talks with both sides, advisers say they are not in a rush to pass anything yet. Meanwhile, the previous stimulus efforts are having mixed results.
Media outlets report on news from Washington, New York, Illinois, California, South Dakota, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maine, Oklahoma, Nevada and Louisiana.
