Claims That CDC’s PCR Test Can’t Tell Covid From Flu Are Wrong
By Victoria Knight
July 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Posts circulating on Facebook and Instagram incorrectly claim that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is withdrawing its covid test because it can’t differentiate between that virus and flu viruses. These statements could be an attempt to blur the high cumulative numbers of covid cases.
Seed Money: Black Entrepreneurs Hope Pandemic Gardening Boom Will Grow Healthier Eating
By Chandra Thomas Whitfield
May 20, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Rapper DJ Cavem Moetavation is pushing beats and beets. A vegan, he’s selling seeds to encourage more people to eat healthier by growing their own food. His efforts are part of a national movement of Black-owned seed companies that merges pandemic-inspired gardening with efforts to expand healthier food options.
The WHO Didn’t Reverse Its Position on Kids and Covid Vaccines
By Victoria Knight
June 25, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The World Health Organization this week updated its guidance on children and covid vaccinations — but in a different way than alleged in a viral social media post.
Watch: When a Surprise Helper During Surgery Is Out-of-Network
July 27, 2020
KFF Health News Original
“CBS This Morning” features the July installment of KHN-NPR’s Bill of the Month about a surgical assistant’s out-of-network bill for helping during knee surgery.
¿Qué sabemos realmente sobre la eficacia de las vacunas contra covid?
By Julie Appleby
November 2, 2021
KFF Health News Original
¿Lo esencial? Vacunarse con cualquiera de las tres vacunas disponibles en los Estados Unidos disminuye la posibilidad de infectarse en primer lugar y reduce de manera significativa el riesgo de hospitalización o muerte si se contrae el coronavirus y se desarrolla covid-19.
Gun Manufacturers Defend Industry At Hearing; AR-15s Made Makers $1B
July 28, 2022
Morning Briefing
News outlets report on how gun manufacturers faced questions, including from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on gun violence and white supremacy. AP notes the AR-15 weapons used in recent mass shootings were big earners for a decade. HIV/AIDS cures, vitamin D and more are also reported.
Amazon Wants You To Be Its Patient, Buying One Medical In $3.9B Deal
July 22, 2022
Morning Briefing
Media outlets explain why the move is significant for Amazon and the future of the health care industry, and also highlight early concerns about the deal’s impact on medical data privacy.
Covid Summit Leaders Pledge $3B, Urge World Not To Get Distracted
May 13, 2022
Morning Briefing
Also Thursday, President Joe Biden ordered flags to fly at half-staff to honor the 1 million Americans who have died from covid. While NPR reports on a new analysis that looks into how many of those might have lived if vaccine uptake in the U.S. was greater.
More Drugmakers Avoid 340B Program
December 2, 2021
Morning Briefing
Among the top health industry news: Amgen curtails discounts through the federal 340B program, Duke, Mayo Clinic and the University of Michigan seek artificial intelligence software that works and barriers to prescription drugs created by insurance companies.
As Pandemic Eases, Many Seniors Have Lost Strength, May Need Rehabilitative Services
By Judith Graham
May 21, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A little-discussed, long-term toll of the pandemic is that large numbers of older adults have become physically and cognitively debilitated and less able to care for themselves after sheltering in place.
FDA OKs At-Home Combined Test For Covid, Flu, And RSV
May 17, 2022
Morning Briefing
The new tests, made by Labcorp, are the first non-prescription tests permitted to test for covid, influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus. Meanwhile, in a somewhat surprising move, the White House again offered a round of free regular at-home tests for covid.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: High Court’s Surprising Abortion Decision
June 29, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In a decision that surprised both sides of the polarized abortion debate, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times join KHN’s Julie Rovner to break down what happened, what comes next and how this case could provide a clue to the one challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Still Waiting for That Trump Health Plan
August 6, 2020
KFF Health News Original
President Donald Trump keeps promising a comprehensive plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. And he keeps not delivering. Meanwhile, members of Congress and White House officials seem unable to agree on a new COVID-19 relief bill. And Missouri becomes the sixth state where voters approved a Medicaid expansion ballot measure. Tami Luhby of CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider 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.
Michigan’s Outbreak Worries Scientists. Will Conservative Outposts Keep Pandemic Rolling?
By Julie Appleby
April 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The covid outbreak in Michigan stands out on the U.S. contagion map, but odds are it will be repeated elsewhere. How vaccine hesitancy, relaxed restrictions and a coronavirus variant combined to create the worst outbreak in the country.
A pesar de sus límites, el plan demócrata sobre el precio de los medicamentos podría ayudar a los consumidores
By Michael McAuliff
November 5, 2021
KFF Health News Original
La nueva legislación bajaría dramáticamente el precio de la insulina, y lograría que el impacto de los precios astronómicos no recaigan en el consumidor.
Geography Is Destiny: Dentists’ Access to Covid Shots Depends on Where They Live
By Phil Galewitz
January 15, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A handful of states are making dentists a lower priority than other health professionals for inoculations, even though they have their hands in people’s mouths and are exposed to aerosols that spray germs in their faces.
Free At-Home Covid Tests Now Available For People On Medicare
April 5, 2022
Morning Briefing
Millions of Medicare “Part B” enrollees will be able to get up to eight free at-home tests per month at participating drug stores — a workaround to Medicare rules that previously didn’t allow coverage of over-the-counter tests.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: The $7,000 COVID Test And Other Lessons From SEASON-19
By Dan Weissmann
June 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
“An Arm and a Leg” wraps an all-COVID podcast season with three different perspectives on what the pandemic is costing us — and what might come next.
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.
Readers and Tweeters Ponder Vaccines and Points of Fairness
August 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.