Have a Case of a Covid Variant? No One Is Going to Tell You
By Christina Jewett JoNel Aleccia Rachana Pradhan
February 25, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As experts race to get an approved test for covid variants, officials are severely restricted from sharing information about the cases. That makes it harder to protect others.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The State of Federal Health Agencies Is Uncertain
March 6, 2025
Podcast
The Supreme Court opined for the first time that Trump administration officials may be exceeding their authority to reshape the federal government by refusing to honor completed contracts, even as lower-court judges started blocking efforts to fire workers, freeze funding, and cancel ongoing contracts. Meanwhile, public health officials are alarmed at the Department of Health and Human Services’ public handling of Texas’ widening measles outbreak, particularly the secretary’s less-than-full endorsement of vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Stephanie Armour of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
New FDA-Approved Hemophilia Gene Therapy Is World’s Priciest Medicine
November 23, 2022
Morning Briefing
Drugmaker CSL Bering says the $3.5 million price tag for its Hemgenix treatment is justified because it would ultimately reduce long-term health care costs associated with treating patients living with hemophilia B.
Despite All the Talk, Covid Vaccination Does Not Infect People With Shingles
By Julie Appleby
April 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Covid-19 vaccinations do not infect recipients with shingles or any form of herpes virus, despite some misleading headlines.
You Don’t Have to Suffer to Benefit From Covid Vaccination — But Some Prefer It
By Arthur Allen
April 28, 2021
KFF Health News Original
In the times of smallpox, vaccination was accompanied by blood, sweat, fire and brimstone. Nowadays, a slight fever may make you feel as if you’ve earned the reward of immunity from covid. But you’re protected even without a nasty reaction to the vaccine.
Grupos de base lideran el camino para cerrar la brecha de mortalidad infantil en Colorado
By Rae Ellen Bichell
June 10, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Aunque Colorado se encuentra entre los estados más saludables del país, las disparidades en salud entre distintos grupos raciales y étnicos son visibles. Y un indicador clave es la mortalidad infantil.
Kaiser Permanente’s Third Quarter Finances Show $1.5B Loss
November 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, a financially-troubled Mississippi hospital failed to reach a deal with a medical campus that was planning to take over the facility, AP reports. In other news, Microsoft has an AI tool that transcribes doctor-patient discussions, at the expense of sharing sensitive info with tech giants.
In His Continued Sparring With Fauci, Sen. Rand Paul Oversimplified the Science
By Julie Appleby
March 29, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The Kentucky lawmaker was right that a recent study offered evidence that vaccination and previous infection appear to neutralize covid-19. But experts say that doesn’t mean people should be complacent.
An Arm and a Leg: When Hospitals Sue Patients (Part 2)
By Dan Weissmann
December 28, 2023
Podcast
Why do hospitals sue patients who can’t afford to pay their medical bills? On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann investigates such lawsuits and covers new laws and regulations that may change this practice.
Schools, Pediatricians Look to Make Up Lost Ground on Non-Covid Vaccinations
By Kate Ruder
November 18, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Health officials hope the rollout of covid shots for young children and other initiatives will boost routine vaccine rates that dropped during the pandemic and narrow socioeconomic disparities.
Covid no discrimina por edad: dramático aumento de casos en adultos jóvenes
By Will Stone
May 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Es tanto una señal del éxito del país en la protección de los adultos mayores con la vacunación como un recordatorio urgente de que las generaciones más jóvenes pagarán un alto precio si se permite que siga habiendo brotes en todo el país.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Arizona Turns Back the Clock on Abortion Access
April 11, 2024
Podcast
A week after the Florida Supreme Court said the state could enforce an abortion ban passed in 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that state could enforce a near-total ban passed in 1864 — over a half-century before Arizona became a state. The move further scrambled the abortion issue for Republicans and posed an immediate quandary for former President Donald Trump, who has been seeking an elusive middle ground in the polarized debate. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Molly Castle Work, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about an air-ambulance ride for an infant with RSV that his insurer deemed not medically necessary.
Do You Have Health Care and Health Policy Questions? We Want to Hear From You!
March 8, 2021
Page
Whether it’s health coverage, surprise medical bills, or navigating the ins and outs of the coronavirus, it’s no secret that the American health system can be confusing. KFF Health News wants to hear the health care and health policy questions you would like answered by health reporters from our newsroom.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Let the General Election Commence
August 23, 2024
Podcast
Abortion and reproductive health issues headlined the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, as expected. But what Vice President Kamala Harris has in mind for other health policies as the Democratic nominee remains something of a mystery. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump says he would not use the 19th-century Comstock Act to impose, in effect, a national ban on abortion, which angered his anti-abortion backers. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Johns Hopkins University, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Tony Leys, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a woman who fought back after being charged for two surgeries despite undergoing only one.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Ax Falls at HHS
March 27, 2025
Podcast
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a proposed reorganization for the department — which, counting those who already have left the agency, amounts to about a 25% cut in its workforce. And its planned “Administration for a Healthy America” will collapse several existing HHS agencies into one. Meanwhile, the department continues to cut billions in health spending while the nation faces measles outbreaks in several states and the continuing possibility of another pandemic, such as bird flu. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss the news.
Patent Battle Over Generic Versions Of Gilead HIV Drug Settled
September 13, 2022
Morning Briefing
Five drugmakers had proposed generic versions of Gilead’s HIV and hepatitis B drugs and are now licensed to sell them from around 2031 onward. Also in the news: Medicare advantage star ratings, and more.
Readers and Tweeters Weigh In on Medical Debt, the Obesity Epidemic, and Opioid Battles
June 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': A Colorful Cast Could Lead Key Health Agencies
December 5, 2024
Podcast
President-elect Donald Trump has made his choices to fill some top jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. They include controversial figures who were vocal critics of the Biden administration’s handling of the covid pandemic and have proposed sweeping changes to the agencies they would lead. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court heard its first two health-related cases of the term, challenging a Tennessee law barring transgender medical care for minors and, separately, challenging the FDA’s handling of e-cigarettes. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University and Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-Washington Post Well+Being “Bill of the Month” feature, about an emergency room bill for a visit that didn’t get past the waiting room.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Nursing Home Staffing Rules Prompt Pushback
June 6, 2024
Podcast
The nursing home industry — as well as a healthy number of Congress members — are all pushing back on the Biden administration’s new rules on nursing home staffing. Industry officials say that there are not enough workers to meet the requirements and that the costs would be prohibitive. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are trying to force Republicans to explain their exact positions on assuring access to contraceptives and in vitro fertilization. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a free cruise that turned out to be anything but.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, June 16, 2022
June 16, 2022
Morning Briefing
Thursday’s roundup covers medical debt, covid vaccines, 340B payments, abortion, monkeypox, baby formula, guns, forever chemicals, and more.
