The Pandemic Is Hurting Pediatric Hospitals, Too
By Bernard J. Wolfson
May 19, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Children’s hospitals were generally in good shape before COVID-19, but now their revenues are plunging as beds they reserved to assist in the pandemic effort remain empty.
Farmworkers, Firefighters and Flight Attendants Jockey for Vaccine Priority
By Rachel Bluth Phil Galewitz
December 11, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Everyone — from toilet paper manufacturers to patient advocates — is lobbying state advisory boards, arguing their members are essential, vulnerable or both — and, thus, most deserving of an early vaccine.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Election Preview: What’s Next for Health?
October 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
How will health issues affect voter choices? What will happen if President Donald Trump is reelected or the White House goes to Joe Biden? In this special election preview episode, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Less-Lethal Weapons Blind, Maim and Kill. Victims Say Enough Is Enough.
By Donovan Slack, USA TODAY and Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY and Jay Hancock, KHN and Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY
July 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Time and again over the past two decades, peace officers have targeted demonstrators with munitions designed only to stun and stop. Protests this year in reaction to George Floyd’s death in police custody have reignited a controversy surrounding their use.
Senate Republicans Kill Effort To Suspend Debt Ceiling, Avert Shutdown
September 28, 2021
Morning Briefing
The House-passed legislation was blocked in the Senate on Monday, leaving Democrats scrambling for a plan B to avoid a government shutdown and U.S. loan default — an outcome that economists warn could lead to another recession. Meanwhile, intraparty tensions among Democrats mount over the intertwined infrastructure and social spending bills.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: ACA in Peril With Ginsburg’s Seat in Play
September 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
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.
Covid Cases: Thought Labor Day Would Be Better This Year? You Were Wrong
September 7, 2021
Morning Briefing
Daily infections are more than four times what they were during Labor Day weekend 2020, when the United States didn’t have a covid vaccine. Meanwhile, the mu variant, also known as B.1.621, has been detected in Los Angeles County.
Purdue Pushes For Opioid Settlement; Six States Pass On $26B J&J Deal
August 24, 2021
Morning Briefing
The role and financial responsibility of drugmakers in the national painkiller epidemic continues to be litigated in court. And two senators raise conflict of interest concerns over the FDA’s contracts with McKinsey and Co., which also consulted for “wide range of actors in the opioid industry.”
Delta Now Responsible For More Than Half Of New US Covid Infections
July 7, 2021
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the more transmissible delta variant, or B.1.617.2, is now estimated to be the dominant coronavirus strain in the U.S. The rapid growth worries public health experts.
LA County Authorities Cautious Despite Declining COVID Numbers
By Bernard J. Wolfson
September 3, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The county, a hotbed of coronavirus infection in California, has seen a steady reduction in positive test results, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths over the past few weeks. But officials are concerned about public behavior over the Labor Day holiday weekend and wary of relaxing strictures too soon.
Texas Appeals Judge’s Temporary Block Of Law Banning Most Abortions
October 7, 2021
Morning Briefing
In a sharply worded opinion, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman barred enforcement of the restrictive law, saying “From the moment S.B. 8 went into effect, women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution.” The state of Texas quickly appealed for an emergency stay of Pitman’s ruling.
Perspectives: 340B Issue An Unneeded Distraction For Safety-Net Hospitals
June 22, 2021
Morning Briefing
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
As Schools Spend Millions on Air Purifiers, Experts Warn of Overblown Claims and Harm to Children
By Lauren Weber Christina Jewett
May 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A KHN investigation found that more than 2,000 schools have spent millions of dollars for systems, lured by air purifier companies’ claims that experts say mislead or obscure the potential for harm from toxic ozone.
Medical Debt Soars To $140B; States Without Medicaid Expansion Hit Hard
July 23, 2021
Morning Briefing
The debt estimate, from a study in JAMA, was up from $81 billion in 2016. Other reports look at the cost of prescription medicine and contraception.
Ever Heard of a Surgical Assistant? Meet a New Boost to Your Medical Bills
By Markian Hawryluk
July 22, 2020
KFF Health News Original
A college student’s bill for outpatient knee surgery is a whopper — $96K — but the most mysterious part is a $1,167 charge from a health care provider she didn’t even know was in the operating room.
Epidemia de obesidad en los Estados Unidos amenaza la eficacia de una vacuna contra COVID
By Sarah Varney
August 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Otras vacunas han demostrado ser menos efectivas en adultos obesos que en la población general, dejándolos más vulnerables a infecciones y enfermedades.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats in Array (For Now)
August 20, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In a highly produced, made-for-TV political convention, Democrats papered over their differences on a variety of issues, including health care, to show a unified front to defeat President Donald Trump in November. Meanwhile, COVID-19 continues to complicate efforts to get students back to school, and a federal judge blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate anti-discrimination protections for transgender people. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Sanofi Expands mRNA Vaccine Efforts By Buying Translate Bio For $3.2B
August 3, 2021
Morning Briefing
Translate Bio was already Sanofi’s partner in an effort to try to build an mRNA covid vaccine. Separately, reports say the Federal Trade Commission has reluctantly withdrawn a remaining claim in a lawsuit over a so-called pay-to-delay deal with Abbvie.
Un sistema de salud pública devastado enfrenta más recortes en medio del virus
By Lauren Weber Laura Ungar Michelle R. Smith, The Associated Press Hannah Recht Anna Maria Barry-Jester
July 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
El sistema de salud pública de los Estados Unidos ha subsistido en la precariedad durante décadas y carece de los recursos necesarios para enfrentar la peor crisis de salud en un siglo.
Listen: Which Is The Greater Threat — The Coronavirus Or The Flu?
February 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News reporter Liz Szabo talked to Connecticut Public Radio about the risks of the novel coronavirus compared with influenza.
