As Covid Surges In South, Florida Detects Variant First Identified In Colombia
July 29, 2021
Morning Briefing
Florida’s community transmission is ranked “high” by the CDC, possibly playing a role in the local detection of cases of a new covid variant (B.1.621) first detected in Colombia. Meanwhile, Texas’ case rate tops 10,000 daily for the first time in nearly six months, and southern hospitals are strained.
Fractured Skulls, Lost Eyes: Police Often Break Own Rules Using ‘Rubber Bullets’
By Liz Szabo Jay Hancock Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY Donovan Slack, USA TODAY Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY
June 19, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Around the country, police responded to protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death by shooting “less lethal” projectiles, which can seriously hurt and kill. In a joint investigation, KHN and USA TODAY found some officers appear to have violated their department’s own rules when they fired.
Biden Scrapping Trump Plan To Shift 340B Discounts on Insulin, Epi-Pens
June 16, 2021
Morning Briefing
The policy would have threatened to withhold grant funds from community health centers if they charged low-income patients more than what they paid for the life-saving injections. Other news is on the increasing price of Medicare drugs, incentives at skilled nursing facilities, Florida’s Medicaid budget and a program in Connecticut that will give “baby bonds” to new parents on Medicaid.
Supreme Court, Rejecting Restrictive La. Law, Refuses To Roll Back Abortion Rights
By Julie Rovner
June 29, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s liberals in the 5-4 decision that strikes down a state law requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
Prognosis for Rural Hospitals Worsens With Pandemic
By Sarah Jane Tribble
August 26, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Rural hospitals were already struggling before the coronavirus emerged. Now, the loss of revenue from patients who are afraid to come to the emergency room, postponing doctor’s appointments and delaying elective surgeries is adding to the pressure.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Live from D.C. With Rep. Donna Shalala
February 13, 2020
KFF Health News Original
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget includes billions of dollars in health spending cuts, Congress gets back to work on surprise medical bills, and health care remains a top issue for the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), a former Health and Human Services secretary, joins the panel at a special taping before a live audience in Washington, D.C. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
House Panel Advances $120B HHS Budget Bill; Senate Spending Deals On Uncertain Ground
July 16, 2021
Morning Briefing
Annual funding for the Department of Health and Human Services would get a 24% boost in the package approved by the House Appropriations Committee Thursday. On the Senate side, congressional reporters track the status of intertwined infrastructure and “human infrastructure” spending measures.
Musicians Improvise Masks for Wind Instruments to Keep the Band Together
By Laura Ungar
October 16, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Instrumentalists in ensembles, marching bands and other groups are getting creative with pantyhose, air filters, fabric and sewing machines to reduce the risk of COVID without silencing the music.
Six Drugmakers Warned To Reinstate 340B Discounts Or Face Steep Fines
May 18, 2021
Morning Briefing
The Health Resources and Services Administration sent letters to AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and United Therapeutics. They could face a $5,000 penalty for every violation.
Alaska’s Health Services Still Recovering From Cyberattack
June 3, 2021
Morning Briefing
In other news, Arizona’s plans to use a poison labelled Zyklon B by the Nazis for executions draw condemnation; smokable medical marijuana is backed by Louisiana lawmakers; and a Dallas high school valedictorian spoke out over Texas’ new anti-abortion laws.
Underfunded And Understaffed Public Health Workforce To Get $7.4B Injection
May 14, 2021
Morning Briefing
The White House announced that the funds come from the recent relief bill and will be used to hire additional public health workers and modernize the existing departments.
OxyContin Settlement Grows To $4.28B
March 16, 2021
Morning Briefing
The restructuring plan with Purdue Pharma includes another $1.5 billion and also ensures that the money will largely be spent to help curb the nation’s opioid crisis, rather than going into states’ general coffers, The Wall Street Journal reported.
From Clinic To Courtroom, Fighting For Immigrant Health Care
By Ana B. Ibarra
December 19, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Jane Garcia is CEO of La Clínica de La Raza, which operates more than 30 clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area serving a high percentage of immigrant patients. She has challenged state and federal immigration policies in court, including the Trump administration’s recent attempt to expand the “public charge” rule.
Una luchadora por la salud inmigrante, en las clínicas y en las cortes
By Ana B. Ibarra
December 19, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Jane García, directora ejecutiva de la Clínica de La Raza, que opera una red de 30 centros comunitarios de salud, ha sido testigo activo de la lucha por la salud de los inmigrantes.
Watch: Reviewing Public Health Record Of New Coronavirus Commander Mike Pence
February 28, 2020
KFF Health News Original
KHN Midwest editor and correspondent Laura Ungar shares her expertise on Vice President Mike Pence’s public health track record as he leads the nation’s novel coronavirus response. Ungar covered a 2015 Indiana HIV outbreak and its fallout amid Pence’s tenure as governor.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Say What? The Spread Of Coronavirus Confusion
June 11, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the public seems more confused than ever. And health officials still are not all on the same page; this week the World Health Organization had to walk back an official’s statement about how commonly the virus is spread by people without symptoms. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michael Mackert, a professor and health communications expert at the University of Texas-Austin, about how health information can best be translated to the public.
As Threat of Valley Fever Grows Beyond the Southwest, Push Is On for Vaccine
By Jim Robbins
September 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Efforts are underway to bring to market a vaccine for valley fever, a fungal infection with COVID-like symptoms that occurs in the deserts of the Southwest. The illness is getting more attention as cases rise and a warming climate threatens to spread it through the West.
Huge Windfall: Pfizer Will Rake In $26B For Covid Vaccine Sales In 2021
May 5, 2021
Morning Briefing
That would make it the biggest-selling pharmaceutical product in the world. The company, which splits its covid vaccine earnings 50-50 with BioNTech, expects demand to continue for years.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Fact-Checking President Trump’s State Of The Union
February 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
President Donald Trump spent a good deal of time on health issues in his State of the Union address, but not everything he said checks out. Meanwhile, Iowa Democrats heading into the caucuses said health is their top issue, but it’s hard to see how that played out in their actual choices. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Julie Appleby and NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin about the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.
A Coronavirus Vaccine: Where Does It Stand?
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
July 16, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Under ordinary circumstances, these phases of vaccine development can take years to complete. But now, during the age of coronavirus, the timeline is being shortened. Here’s an inventory of where things stand.
