Wildfires and Omicron Prompt a Special Health Insurance Enrollment Period in Colorado
By Markian Hawryluk
January 20, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Disasters have previously prompted special enrollment periods in California, Maine, and the South. Now, Colorado is extending the state insurance marketplace sign-up period by two months.
Laws Shield Hospitals From Families Who Believe Loved Ones Contracted Covid as Patients
By Lauren Weber and Christina Jewett
December 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Families who believe their loved ones contracted covid-19 while hospitalized are finding they have little recourse following a wave of liability shield legislation pushed by business interests.
Landmark Covid Relief Law Pumps More Than $100 Billion Into Public Health
By Steven Findlay
March 18, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The law provides money to enhance coronavirus testing and contact tracing, support federal efforts on vaccine distribution and hire more public health workers. But advocates worry support will wane when the pandemic is over.
Do You Have Health Care and Health Policy Questions? We Want to Hear From You!
March 8, 2021
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Whether it’s health coverage, surprise medical bills, or navigating the ins and outs of the coronavirus, it’s no secret that the American health system can be confusing. KFF Health News wants to hear the health care and health policy questions you would like answered by health reporters from our newsroom.
Montana Mice May Hold the Secret to Virus Spillover
By Jim Robbins
February 10, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Researchers in Montana are working to figure out how climate change and biodiversity affect viruses’ jump from animals to people.
Si me recuperé de covid, ¿por qué tengo que seguir usando máscara?
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
April 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Más de 120 millones de estadounidenses se han unido al club más selecto de la Tierra: los inmunizados contra el coronavirus. Cómo siguen las pautas de seguridad.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Covid and Kids
February 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Can schools safely reopen before all teachers and staffers are vaccinated against covid? And what’s the best way to communicate that science — and scientific recommendations — change and evolve? Also, get ready for a redo of open enrollment for Affordable Care Act coverage, this time with help and outreach to find those eligible. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Evaluating President Joe Biden’s First 100 Days in Office
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
April 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Presidential historians say that Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office — a somewhat arbitrary but frequently cited milestone — have included an above-average number of major accomplishments.
States Were Sharing Covid Test Kits. Then Omicron Hit.
By Katheryn Houghton
January 31, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The omicron variant upended a system in which states shared rapid covid tests with those that needed them more. Cooperation has turned into competition as states run out of supplies, limit which organizations get them, or hold on to expired kits as a last resort.
Health Officials See Bright Future in Poop Surveillance
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
March 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Sewage surveillance is proving so useful in mapping covid trends that many public health officials say it should become standard practice in tracking infectious diseases. Whether that happens will depend on the nation’s ability to make it viable in communities rich and poor.
Black Doctors Work to Make Coronavirus Testing More Equitable
By Nina Feldman, WHYY
October 13, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium has increased access to coronavirus testing in the Philadelphia region, testing more than 10,000 people. The group’s mobile unit and pop-up testing sites also offer patients an opportunity to connect with African American health care providers.
What Is the Risk of Catching the Coronavirus on a Plane?
By Noah Y. Kim
September 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says airplanes are not vectors for the spread of COVID-19 and that flying is “something that is safe for people to do.” Is the evidence really so clear?
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Expanding the ACA in an Unpredicted Way
March 11, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Beyond the billions of dollars aimed squarely at the pandemic, the covid relief bill cleared by Congress this week includes significant changes to health policy. Among them are the first major expansions to the Affordable Care Act since its enactment 11 years ago and changes that could expand coverage for the Medicaid program. Tami Luhby of CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
In Missouri and Other States, Flawed Data Makes It Hard to Track Vaccine Equity
By Alex Smith, KCUR
June 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Racial and ethnic categories for vaccination data vary widely from one state to another, complicating efforts to distribute shots where they are needed most. In Missouri, some red flags in the data surfaced, making health officials question its usefulness.
De puerta en puerta para crear confianza en las vacunas contra covid en la Pequeña Habana
By Verónica Zaragovia, WLRN
January 21, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Varias razones sociales y económicas hacen que sea difícil para algunos residentes de Miami hacerse la prueba o recibir tratamiento, o aislarse si están enfermos de covid.
As Biden Gets Sworn In, White House Will Get Scrubbed Down
By Phil Galewitz
December 21, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Fears about lingering coronavirus at the White House are prompting a massive disinfection initiative before the Bidens move in.
New Laws Let Visitors See Loved Ones in Health Care Facilities, Even in an Outbreak
By Stephanie Colombini, WUSF
April 8, 2022
KFF Health News Original
To contain the spread of covid, hospitals and nursing homes barred visits. The separation and isolation took a toll on patients and families. Florida is one of the latest states to ensure access for visitors.
With No End in Sight to Pandemic Life, Parents Find Disruption Is the New Normal
By Katharine Gammon
January 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Amid covid-related staffing shortages and testing requirements, school systems are stretched thin. And so are parents’ nerves.
La pandemia ha puesto más en peligro a los que no hablan inglés
By Martha Bebinger
April 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Al comienzo de la pandemia, médicos del Brigham and Women Hospital observaron lo que se sería una siniestra estadística: los pacientes que sabían poco o nada de inglés tenían un 35% más de posibilidades de morir.
Strides Against HIV/AIDS Falter, Especially in the South, as Nation Battles Covid
By Sarah Varney
April 21, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Public health resources have shifted from one pandemic to the other, and experts fear steep declines in testing and diagnoses mean more people will contract HIV and die of AIDS.