As Links to MS Deepen, Researchers Accelerate Efforts to Develop an Epstein-Barr Vaccine
By Liz Szabo
October 19, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Recent leaps in medical research have lent urgency to the quest to develop a vaccine against Epstein-Barr, a ubiquitous virus that has been linked to a range of illnesses, from mononucleosis to multiple sclerosis and several cancers.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The New Speaker’s (Limited) Record on Health
October 26, 2023
Podcast
The House finally has a new speaker: Mike Johnson (R-La). He’s a relative newcomer who’s been a lower-level member of the House GOP leadership. And while he’s an outspoken opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage, his record on other health issues is scant. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health appears on track to be getting a new director, and Georgia’s Medicaid work requirement experiment is off to a very slow start. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.
Unraveling the Interplay of Omicron, Reinfections, and Long Covid
By Liz Szabo
August 26, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The omicron variant has proved adept at finding hosts, often by reinfecting people who recovered from earlier bouts of covid. But whether omicron triggers long covid as often and severe as previous variants is a matter of heated study.
‘All We Want Is Revenge’: How Social Media Fuels Gun Violence Among Teens
By Liz Szabo
Illustrations by Oona Zenda
August 25, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Teens share photos or videos of themselves with guns and stacks of cash, sometimes calling out rivals, on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. When posts go viral, fueled by “likes” and comments, the danger is hard to contain.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Abortion — Again — At the Supreme Court
April 24, 2024
Podcast
For the second time in as many months, the Supreme Court heard arguments in an abortion case. This time, the justices are being asked to decide whether a federal law that requires emergency care in hospitals can trump Idaho’s near-total abortion ban. Meanwhile, the federal government, for the first time, will require minimum staffing standards for nursing homes. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
Journalists Cover Issues From Pollution to Vaccines and the Spread of Covid in Hospitals
November 20, 2021
KFF Health News Original
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Covid Funding Pries Open a Door to Improving Air Quality in Schools
By Liz Szabo
June 13, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Researchers say the billions in pandemic funding available for ventilation upgrades in U.S. schools provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to combat covid-19, as well as making air more breathable for students living with allergies, asthma, and chronic wildfire smoke.
Cómo una mejor ventilación puede ayudar a que tu hogar sea “a prueba de covid”
By Liz Szabo
May 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Para las personas que no viven en casas grandes con varias habitaciones y baños, un familiar con covid genera riesgos extra. Mejorar la ventilación puede cambiar los resultados.
How Better Ventilation Can Help ‘Covid-Proof’ Your Home
By Liz Szabo
May 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Is someone at home sick with covid-19? One simple but effective strategy for keeping the virus from spreading is to make your indoor air as much like the outdoors as possible.
¿Por qué más adultos mayores no reciben los refuerzos contra covid?
By Liz Szabo
May 12, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Según los CDC, aproximadamente 1 de cada 3 estadounidenses mayores de 65 años que completaron su ronda inicial de vacunación aún no han recibido la primera vacuna de refuerzo. Investigadores enfatizan que este grupo sigue teniendo el mayor riesgo de enfermedad grave y muerte por covid-19.
Is Legislation to Safeguard Americans Against Superbugs a Boondoggle or Breakthrough?
By Liz Szabo Arthur Allen
December 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
While supporters cheer the PASTEUR Act as an essential strategy to stem the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, critics call it a multibillion-dollar giveaway to Big Pharma.
Why Won’t More Older Americans Get Their Covid Booster?
By Liz Szabo
May 12, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Approximately 1 in 3 Americans 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster shot. The numbers dismay researchers, who say the lag has cost tens of thousands of lives.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The ACA Turns 12
March 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Although its fate was in doubt more than a few times, the Affordable Care Act turned 12 this week. Year 13 could be pivotal in determining how many Americans receive ACA health insurance, and at what price. Meanwhile, three leading credit bureaus agreed to stop using most medical debt to measure U.S. consumers’ creditworthiness. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Pandemic Stress, Gangs, and Utter Fear Fueled a Rise in Teen Shootings
By Liz Szabo
Illustration by Oona Zenda
March 14, 2023
KFF Health News Original
With their brains still developing and poor impulse control, teens who carry firearms might never plan to use them. But some do.
Better Ventilation Can Prevent Covid Spread. But Are Companies Paying Attention?
By Liz Szabo
April 19, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The research is clear that improving indoor air quality is an essential tool in stemming the spread of covid and a host of other diseases. But companies have to be willing to invest.
Covid’s ‘Silver Lining’: Research Breakthroughs for Chronic Disease, Cancer, and the Common Flu
By Liz Szabo
March 17, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Billions of dollars invested in mRNA vaccines and covid research could yield health care dividends for decades to come.
Por qué las embarazadas fueron rezagadas mientras se aceleraban las vacunas para la mayoría de la población
By Liz Szabo
February 25, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Fueron excluidas de los ensayos clínicos, una decisión que expertos cuestionan. Las dudas sobre si recomendar la vacuna contra COVID a las embarazadas al parecer ha generado más enfermedad y muerte.
Why Pregnant People Were Left Behind While Vaccines Moved at ‘Warp Speed’ to Help the Masses
By Liz Szabo
February 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Clinical trials of covid-19 vaccines excluded pregnant people, which left many women wondering whether to get vaccinated.
As STDs Proliferate, Companies Rush to Market At-Home Test Kits. But Are They Reliable?
By Liz Szabo
Photos by Eric Harkleroad
November 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The popularity of at-home covid tests has amplified calls from public health researchers and diagnostic companies to make home testing similarly routine for sexually transmitted diseases. But FDA guidelines are lagging.
CDC Tells Pharmacies to Give 4th Covid Shots to Immunocompromised Patients
By Liz Szabo
January 26, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The health agency and the White House acted in the wake of a KHN story about pharmacists refusing to give shots to patients with moderate to severe immune suppression.
