Desperate for Home Care, Seniors Often Wait Months With Workers in Short Supply
By Phil Galewitz
June 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The covid pandemic and President Joe Biden’s agenda — a planned $400 billion infusion of support — have focused national attention on the need to expand home- and community-based long-term care services designed to keep people out of nursing homes. But the need far outpaces the staffing.
Hospitals, Insurers Invest Big Dollars to Tackle Patients’ Social Needs
By Phil Galewitz
June 22, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Eager to control costs, health systems and insurers are trying to address patients’ social needs such as food insecurity, transportation and housing. Yet, after years of testing, there’s slim evidence these efforts pay off.
Pandemia eleva el número de beneficiarios de Medicaid a más de 80 millones
By Phil Galewitz
June 18, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Las últimas cifras de inscripción al Medicaid muestran que creció de 71,3 millones de miembros en febrero de 2020, cuando la pandemia comenzaba en los Estados Unidos, a 80,5 millones en enero, según un análisis de KFF de datos federales.
Pandemic Swells Medicaid Enrollment to 80 Million People, a ‘High-Water Mark’
By Phil Galewitz
June 17, 2021
KFF Health News Original
More than 80 million Americans with low incomes were receiving health coverage through the federal-state program in January. The program now covers nearly 1 in 4 people nationwide.
Uninsured in South Would Win Big in Democrats’ Plan, but Hospitals Fear Funding Loss
By Phil Galewitz Andy Miller
November 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The latest iteration of President Joe Biden’s social-spending package would close the health insurance gap for at least 2.2 million people, making a huge difference especially in the South, where political opposition has blocked Medicaid expansion.
Biden Administration Signals It’s in No Rush to Allow Canadian Drug Imports
By Phil Galewitz
May 28, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Federal officials asked a court to dismiss a suit by drugmakers over the policy enacted by the Trump administration that would allow states to bring in cheaper prescription medications from Canada. The filing said the lawsuit was moot because it’s unclear when or if the FDA would approve any state’s importation plan.
Colorado Will Pay Hospitals to Close Expensive Free-Standing ERs
By Phil Galewitz
May 21, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The state, concerned about the high cost of care at these stand-alone facilities, is offering hospitals more Medicaid money if they convert them to other uses, such as primary care or mental health centers.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Getting Down to Work at HHS
March 25, 2021
KFF Health News Original
After a bruising confirmation process, Xavier Becerra was sworn in as secretary of Health and Human Services this week. The Senate also confirmed the nominations of former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to return to the post he held in the Obama administration, and former Pennsylvania health secretary Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health. Levine is the first openly transgender person to receive Senate confirmation. Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl around the AstraZeneca covid vaccine, which some public health experts worry will create more hesitancy toward other vaccines.
KHN on the Air This Week
December 18, 2020
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.
Mounting Covid Deaths Fuel School Bus Drivers’ Fears
By Andy Miller Phil Galewitz
September 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Since August, school bus drivers and monitors have died of covid-19 in at least 10 states, including Georgia and Florida. Masks are required on school buses, but enforcing the rules in districts without school mask mandates is especially hard to do.
Vaccine-or-Test Requirements Increase Work and Costs for Governments
By Amanda Michelle Gomez Phil Galewitz
November 19, 2021
KFF Health News Original
But state and local officials embrace the requirement because it creates a safer workplace while allowing employees to continue working.
Cuatro respuestas sobre el freno a la vacuna contra covid de Johnson & Johnson
By Phil Galewitz
April 14, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Expertos en salud se preguntan si el freno a la vacuna de J&J a causa de seis casos de mujeres que desarrollaron coágulos luego de recibirla puede impactar negativamente en los esfuerzos de inmunización.
4 Things to Know About the J&J Covid Vaccine Pause
By Phil Galewitz
April 14, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The messaging surrounding vaccine safety and efficacy may mean as much as the science.
Hospitales enfrentan más casos de covid en personas ya hospitalizadas, con menos personal
By Lauren Weber Phil Galewitz Andy Miller
January 13, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Las infecciones están exacerbando algunas condiciones médicas y dificultando la reducción de la propagación de covid dentro de las paredes del hospital, especialmente porque los pacientes se presentan en etapas más tempranas y más infecciosas de la enfermedad.
Incidental Cases and Staff Shortages Make Covid’s Next Act Tough for Hospitals
By Lauren Weber Phil Galewitz Andy Miller
January 13, 2022
KFF Health News Original
As omicron sweeps the country, many hospitals are dealing with a flood of people hospitalized with covid — including those primarily admitted for other reasons. While often milder cases, so-called incidental covid infections still drain the beleaguered health care workforce and can put them and other patients at higher risk for contracting covid.
Covid, delta y tu deporte favorito, ¿es seguro ir a un estadio?
By Phil Galewitz Andy Miller
September 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Antes de la era COVID, sentarse hombro con hombro en un estadio con decenas de miles de espectadores gritando era lo que más esperaban los fans en el otoño. Ahora no parece ser la mejor idea.
Your Covid Game Plan: Are Stadiums Safe?
By Phil Galewitz Andy Miller
September 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Fall and football go hand in hand. But with covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths soaring from the delta variant, is it safe to go to the stadium? KHN asks the experts.
Vermont to Give Minority Residents Vaccine Priority
By Phil Galewitz
April 5, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Covid cases have disproportionately affected the state’s Black residents, so officials are moving them to the front of the line for vaccinations before the state expands eligibility to all adults.
Indiana’s Medicaid Expansion — Designed by Pence and Verma — Panned in Federal Report
By Phil Galewitz
April 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Indiana’s program seeks to give expansion enrollees “skin in the game,” requiring that they pay small monthly premiums and manage health savings accounts.
In America, Covid Vaccine Eligibility Is a ‘Crazy Quilt’ of State Rules
By Phil Galewitz
March 22, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Across the country, a mishmash of rules to qualify for a precious covid shot is creating nightmares for consumers. Criteria including age, occupation and medical conditions vary dramatically.
