Latest KFF Health News Stories
Trump Unveils Testing Plan That Falls Far Short Of What Public Health Experts Say Is Necessary
President Donald Trump has been saying for weeks that states have enough testing capabilities, while also promising but failing to ramp up testing. The latest White House plan gives states the ability to test at least 2 percent of their populations per month. Even if it is implemented, experts warn it’s a far cry from what’s necessary to reopen country. Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence will visit the Mayo Clinic to learn about a new testing “moonshot.”
Trump Was Warned About Virus Threat In More Than A Dozen Intelligence Reports In January, February
The Washington Post offers more evidence that President Donald Trump was informed of the coronavirus threat at least a dozen times in the President’s Daily Brief early in the year, while he continued to downplay the outbreak to the public. Meanwhile, Trump’s dangerous comments about injecting disinfectants haunt him more than other false claims he’s made. And Trump’s decision to freeze WHO funding allows China to step up into a more prominent global role.
White House Finalizing Guidelines To Help States Reopen In Phases
The effort has sparked sharp debates between public health experts and other officials who fear the guidance could restrict worship services, damage the profitability of restaurants and upend daily life in a way they deem unnecessary. President Donald Trump is also pushing for schools to reopen before the end of the year.
Texas and Ohio are joining some other southern states who are trying to lift some restrictions, but health experts continue to warn that it’s a bad idea and will likely prolong the outbreak. Meanwhile, even as Americans long for a return to “normalcy,” many say the country is not just going to go back to how it once was. Shutdown news comes from the West Coast and Northeast, as well.
The popular predictive model is often cited by the White House, and has been more conservative in its death estimates than other models. On Monday those scientists adjusted the predictions up for the summer to more than 74,000 deaths. Meanwhile, analysis looking at year-over-year numbers suggests that there are thousands of deaths that are related to COVID-19 but that aren’t being counted.
Supreme Court Sides With Insurers In $12B Case Over Promised Risk-Corridor Funds Under ACA
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the federal government must live up to its promise to shield insurance companies from some of the risks they took in participating in the health law exchanges. Insurers who accused the government of a “bait and switch” claimed they are owed $12 billion.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
Administration Latched Onto Model That Predicted Far Rosier Outbreak Outcome Than Most Others
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projected as few as 60,000 American deaths and a tapering off of the outbreak at the end of April. The Trump administration’s response was shaped in part by the more optimistic forecast–and exposes the vulnerability that comes with relying on any one model to predict the future. Meanwhile, media outlets dissect President Donald Trump’s statements during his press briefings even as he announces he’ll be paring them back.
Editorial pages focus on these pandemic issues and others.
The suit filed by Gilead Sciences on Friday is the latest twist between the drug company and the U.S. government over patent rights to research that led to the ground-breaking drug Truvada. Other pharmaceutical news reports on an experimental multiple sclerosis medication and bespoke cell therapy for lung cancer treatment.
Officials in California told ABC News they believe domestic violence is increasing but the abused are stuck at home with their abusers and can’t alert authorities. Other public health news is on sexual assaults of children, a shocking recovery after 32 days on a ventilator, hospitalization declines for acute conditions, travel risks, life-saving surgeries, curbside vaccinations for children and when to wear a mask, as well.
House Sidelined By Struggle To Adapt In Social-Distancing Era
Frustration is building amid House Democrats, with many increasingly convinced that Congress is functioning as a shadow of its former self. “We’re basically ill-prepared for the nature of this emergency,” said Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash). Meanwhile, lawmakers face increasing backlash from their constituents, who are struggling to get aid from the government. Meanwhile, experts say Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) plan for states to declare bankruptcy could lead to a prolonged depression.
Hard Science Thrust Back Into Political Conversations As Coronavirus Likely To Dominate 2020 Race
Scientific experts, like experts in general, have fared poorly in the populist atmosphere of the past decade in Europe and the United States. But the pandemic could shift the conversation when it comes to hard facts. In other news on the election, Joe Biden says he wants a much bigger stimulus, many Republicans at the county level favor mail-in-voting, and Republicans worry about President Donald Trump’s approval ratings.
Media outlets report on news from Oklahoma, California, Louisiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Indiana, as well.
News on the global pandemic is reported from Italy, Brazil, China, Colombia, Bangladesh, Romania, India, Pakistan, Ghana and South Africa.
In Las Vegas, A City Of Tourism And Leisure, The Economic Toll Has Been Devastating
In Las Vegas, one-third of the local economy depends on the leisure and hospitality industry, more than in any other major metropolitan area in the country. In other economic news, many Americans foresee their jobs coming back when pandemic tapers off, the outbreak exposes the wounds of the Great Recession, a political divide separates some essential workers and more.
Trump Touted His Administration’s Efforts To Secure PPE, But Health Workers Say It’s Far From Enough
“We had very little in our stockpile,” President Donald Trump said in a recent briefing. “Now we’re loaded up. And we also loaded up these hospitals.” Politico talks to health workers around the country to get their front-line take on the situation. In other health-worker news: weary first responders, legal immunity, workplace safety concerns and more.
Black Georgia Residents Fearful, Mistrustful Of Governor’s Decision To Reopen
Black Americans are being hit disproportionately hard by the pandemic, and some in Georgia see the states decision to reopen as potentially devastating. “For black folks, it’s like a setup: Are you trying to kill us?” said Demetrius Young, a city commissioner in Albany, the center of the state’s epidemic.
More than 50 older patients recovering from the coronavirus are being moved out of hospitals located near New York City into Sharon Health Care Center, which is located in a rural area and has a low number of cases compared to other areas in the state. Other nursing home news is from Rhode Island, New York, Utah, Washington, Massachusetts, California and Michigan, as well.
