Latest KFF Health News Stories
Kaiser Permanente, Big Player in State Vaccine Effort, Has Had Trouble Vaccinating Own Members
Older patients in several states where the California-based managed care giant operates complain they’ve had difficulty scheduling appointments and spotty communication from the health system. Some report it’s getting better, though.
Por el bienestar de los abuelos, buscan reabrir hogares de adultos mayores
Ahora es el momento de aliviar a los residentes del abrumador y brutal aislamiento, dice un grupo cada vez más grande de expertos, cuidadores, consumidores y médicos.
Coronavirus Deranges the Immune System in Complex and Deadly Ways
Researchers are testing treatments to overcome autoimmune reactions that begin when the body’s defenses respond to the coronavirus.
Reopening of Long-Term Care Facilities Is ‘an Absolute Necessity for Our Well-Being’
Relatives and advocates are calling for federal authorities to relax restrictions in long-term care institutions and grant special status to “essential caregivers” — family members or friends who provide critically important hands-on care — so they have the opportunity to tend to relatives in need.
To Help Farmworkers Get Covid Tests and Vaccine, Build Trust and a Safety Net
Testing and vaccinating essential workers on commercial farms and in meatpacking plants requires more than a pop-up clinic miles away. Missing work to get a test, or to quarantine after a positive result, can be financially devastating.
Accidentally Trashed, Thawed or Expired: Reports of Covid Vaccine Spoilage
As the speed of covid vaccinations picks up, so do the reports of doses going to waste. Health officials are trying to rein in waste without slowing down vaccinations.
Hospitales infantiles enfrentan los casos de niños con covid “de largo plazo”
Aunque las estadísticas indican que la mayoría de los niños se han librado de los peores efectos de covid, se sabe poco sobre los que desarrollan una enfermedad grave.
Rechazan a cuidadores familiares en sitios de vacunación contra covid de California
Aunque el gobierno los considera trabajadores de salud prioritarios, la confusión y la comunicación fallida han provocado que algunos padres elegibles sean rechazados.
Rural Americans in Pharmacy Deserts Hurting for Covid Vaccines
Pharmacies are poised to start filling the gaps to vaccinate all of America against covid. Where does that leave people in rural counties that lack pharmacies?
Children’s Hospitals Grapple With Young Covid ‘Long Haulers’
Pediatric hospitals are creating clinics for the increasing number of children reporting lingering covid symptoms similar to those that plague some adults long after they have recovered.
In California, Caregivers of People With Disabilities Are Being Turned Away at COVID Vaccine Sites
Parents and caregivers of people with disabilities in California are supposed to be near the front of the line for the covid-19 vaccine. But some are hitting roadblocks at vaccination sites.
States Aim to Chip Away at Abortion Rights With Supreme Court in Mind
Legislatures in conservative-leaning states across the country are pushing bills that would restrict abortion and, with a conservative Supreme Court in place, could erode abortion protections under Roe v. Wade.
Readers and Tweeters Dispense Timely Advice for Difficult Times
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: Revisiting Insulin: How the Medicine Got So Expensive
“An Arm and a Leg” is updating a story, first reported in 2019, about how insulin got to be so expensive. The latest news is more encouraging than expected.
Beijing’s SARS Lockdown Taught My Children Resilience. Your Covid Kids Will Likely Be Fine.
Living through SARS taught my children important lessons, and not just about hygiene. It taught them how to make sacrifices for the sake of friends, family and community.
Sorting Out How Politics, Policies Figure in Flap Over New York Nursing Home Covid Death Rates
The debate begins with the covid death tallies. But the issues go beyond basic numbers.
Black Churches Fill a Unique Role in Combating Vaccine Fears
Churches are the keystone of a major campaign to bring good information about covid vaccines to Black communities. But pastors are finding that scarce supplies and a clumsy rollout are complicating efforts to urge vaccination.
Becerra Has Long Backed Single-Payer. That Doesn’t Mean It Will Happen if He’s HHS Secretary.
Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services has been on record throughout his career for this type of health care system. But the president doesn’t support it, which is the position that counts.
‘Into the Covid ICU’: A New Doctor Bears Witness to the Isolation, Inequities of Pandemic
Dr. Paloma Marin-Nevarez graduated from medical school during the pandemic. We follow the rookie doctor for her first months working at a hospital in Fresno, California, as she grapples with isolation, anti-mask rallies and an overwhelming number of deaths.
Looking to Kentucky’s Past to Understand Montana Health Nominee’s Future
Montana’s pick for health director has garnered both praise and criticism for his past in Kentucky, where he sought to add work requirements to the state’s Medicaid program and was a top health official amid a hepatitis A outbreak.