Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘An Arm and a Leg’: Obamacare Alum Andy Slavitt Takes Stock of the COVID Pandemic — So Far
On the latest episode of ‘An Arm and a Leg’: Come for insights from an Obama administration health policy leader, stay to hear how frank health policy conversations can get uncomfortable.
Trump Rule Gives Small Companies a New Tool to Help Workers Buy Health Coverage
Instead of taking on the expense of traditional health plans, some small businesses are setting up an “individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement” that allows them to give workers money to put toward comprehensive coverage on the individual insurance market. But consumer advocates are concerned they may shortchange some workers.
Imponen toques de queda en restaurantes y bares mientras aumentan los casos de Covid-19
Con brotes de coronavirus originándose en bares y restaurantes, los toques de queda están siendo adoptados no solo por funcionarios, sino también por propietarios de establecimientos.
Last Call for COVID: To Avoid Bar Shutdowns, States Serve Up Curfews
Authorities are ordering early closures — generally around 10 p.m. — to curb the spread of COVID-19. But will the coronavirus observe this curfew?
Think Your Health Care Is Covered? Beware of the ‘Junk’ Insurance Plan
Millions of people are looking for coverage on the federal and state marketplaces right now. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a comprehensive plan and a “junk” plan with limited benefits and coverage restrictions.
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.
What Happened When the Only ER Doctor in a Rural Town Got COVID
Hospitals across the country are struggling as staffers get infected with the coronavirus. It’s especially tough for small, rural hospitals, where even one doctor out sick can upend patient capacity.
After a Deadly COVID Outbreak, Maryland County Takes Steps to Protect Health Workers
Prince George’s County in Maryland is taking action after a coronavirus outbreak left veteran public health worker Chantee Mack dead and several colleagues with lasting medical problems. But some staffers say more still needs to be done to keep public health workers on the front lines of the COVID fight safe.
Nueva York enfrenta la segunda ola de COVID con disparidades y controversia
El personal médico de Nueva York sabe exactamente lo difíciles y peligrosos que pueden ser los hospitales abrumados y se preparan con cautela cuando las infecciones aumentan.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Who Will Run the Biden Health Effort?
The official transition to a Joe Biden administration has finally begun, and he is expected to announce his health care team soon, including a new secretary of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in the U.S., officials are preparing for the effort to get Americans vaccinated as soon as vaccines are approved by the FDA. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Julie Appleby, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment.
Limpieza dental, gafas nuevas… y la vacuna contra COVID-19
Con múltiples vacunas de COVID-19 en camino, optometristas y dentistas presionan para que se autorice vacunar a los pacientes durante los exámenes oculares de rutina y las limpiezas dentales.
Durante la inscripción de ACA, elegir un plan genera nuevas complicaciones de COVID
Las personas que compran su propio seguro médico enfrentan desafíos, en particular los pacientes que tuvieron COVID-19 y que presentan problemas de salud persistentes.
NYC Hospital Workers, Knowing How Bad It Can Get, Brace for COVID 2nd Wave
Hospitals are in better shape now than in the spring, with more knowledge of how to handle COVID-19 and bigger stockpiles of protective equipment. Still, nurses worry about staffing shortages and unfilled jobs.
As LA County Sets New Infection Record, State Leaders’ Behavior Sends Mixed Messages
Even as L.A.’s stay-at-home restrictions began, leaders across California took heat for their do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do pandemic behavior.
Feds Look to Pharmacists to Boost Childhood Immunization Rates
Fears over COVID-19 have contributed to a slump in inoculations among children. Now the federal government is looking to pharmacists for help, but many of them do not participate in a program that offers free shots to half the kids in the U.S.
Come for Your Eye Exam, Leave With a Band-Aid on Your Arm
Dentists and optometrists across the country are trying to join in the fight to get everyone vaccinated against COVID-19, the flu and other diseases.
During ACA Open Enrollment, Picking a Plan Invites New COVID Complications
COVID-19’s “long haulers” — patients with lingering effects of the disease — have joined the ranks of Americans with preexisting conditions. For those shopping for health coverage on the individual market, here’s help navigating an uncharted insurance landscape.
Con récord de internaciones por COVID, la crisis ahora es la falta de personal médico
Los hospitales en gran parte del país están tratando de hacer frente a un número sin precedentes de pacientes con COVID-19 con una creciente escasez de personal médico.
As Hospitals Fill With COVID Patients, Medical Reinforcements Are Hard to Find
More than 93,000 COVID patients are hospitalized across the country. But beds and space aren’t the main concern for hospital administrators — It’s the health care workforce.
COVID en restaurantes, el fallido rastreo de contactos deja a comensales sin saber qué hacer
Con el invierno y la gente se reúne cada vez más en interiores, muchos gobiernos locales se mueven a ciegas, al carecer de datos para crear y ajustar las políticas de restricción por COVID.