Trump Again Claims He’s Bringing Down Drug Prices, But Details of How Are Skimpy
By Victoria Knight
August 26, 2020
KFF Health News Original
During his Monday speech at the Republican National Convention, President Donald Trump pointed to his two of his recent executive orders as likely to lead to big reductions in prescription drug costs.
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.
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.
Another Problem on the Health Horizon: Medicare Is Running Out of Money
By Julie Rovner
July 22, 2020
KFF Health News Original
With millions out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic, fewer payroll taxes are coming in to help keep Medicare’s trust fund intact.
Trump-Biden Race Could Hinge on How Florida’s Pinellas County Swings
By Phil Galewitz and Margo Snipe, Tampa Bay Times
September 21, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Few places loom as large in the race for the White House as here in Pinellas County, the largest swing county in the ultimate swing state. And polls show that many people will have the pandemic and its public health and economic consequences on their minds when they cast their votes.
California’s Deadliest Spring in 20 Years Suggests COVID Undercount
By Phillip Reese
September 21, 2020
KFF Health News Original
California’s death count for the first five months of the pandemic was 13% higher than average for the same period during the prior three years. Subtract the deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 and experts say that still leaves scores of “excess” deaths among people of color that likely were mistakenly excluded from the coronavirus death tally.
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.
‘We’re In A Race Against Time’ As Mutations On The Rise
January 19, 2021
Morning Briefing
B.1.1.7; B.1.351; P.1: While viruses commonly mutate, worried scientists rush to keep up with all of the emerging coronavirus variants — fearing one that could prove to be even deadlier.
Swab, Spit, Stay Home? College Coronavirus Testing Plans Are All Over the Map
By Michael McAuliff and Sebastián Martínez Valdivia, KBIA and Christine Herman, Side Effects Public Media and Stephanie O'Neill
August 21, 2020
KFF Health News Original
2020 will be a year like no other on college campuses, as every institution makes its own rules. Some have no plans to routinely test students for the coronavirus; others aim to test every student and staff member twice a week.
Fractured Skulls, Lost Eyes: Police Often Break Own Rules Using ‘Rubber Bullets’
By Liz Szabo and Jay Hancock and Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY and Donovan Slack, USA TODAY and 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.
Fauci Unfazed as Scientists Rely on Unproven Methods to Create COVID Vaccines
By Liz Szabo
August 3, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Teams are starting to test vaccines using messenger RNA or chimpanzee cold viruses to inoculate humans. Will their benefits last?
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.
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.
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.
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.
House Passes $715B Bill Laying Out Opening Position On Infrastructure Talks
July 2, 2021
Morning Briefing
The public works legislation, passed in a mostly party-line vote, focuses on transportation and water safety initiatives.
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.
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.
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.