Latest Morning Briefing Stories

‘All You Want Is to Be Believed’: The Impacts of Unconscious Bias in Health Care

KFF Health News Original

One woman shares her experience trying to get care in a Bay Area hospital for COVID symptoms. At nearly every turn, a doctor dismissed her complaints. Is bias part of why people of color are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus?

Health Care Groups Dive Into Property Tax Ballot Fight, Eyeing Public Health Money

KFF Health News Original

Health care leaders say Proposition 15, a ballot initiative that would raise property taxes for large-business owners, could help boost revenue for chronically underfunded public health departments.

COVID Crackdowns at Work Have Saved Black and Latino Lives, LA Officials Say

KFF Health News Original

Strict enforcement of coronavirus protocols at factories and shops where some of the worst outbreaks have occurred has reduced the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID deaths and illness, say public health officials. They want to expand the effort by creating workplace safety councils.

Pandemic Erects Barriers for Prized Bloc of Voters in Nursing Homes, Senior Facilities

KFF Health News Original

Voting is a point of pride for many older Americans, and senior living facilities in past years have encouraged the civic act by hosting voting precincts, providing transportation to the polls and bringing in groups to help explain election issues. But fears of the spread of the coronavirus among this vulnerable population make voting more difficult this year.

Hard Lives Made Harder by COVID: Homeless Endure a ‘Slow-Moving Train Wreck’

KFF Health News Original

This was supposed to be the year California finally did something about its homelessness epidemic. COVID-19 upended that promise, along with the cobbled-together services many homeless people rely on for survival. Interviews across the state reveal a new magnitude of hardship and indignity for tens of thousands of people living on the streets.

One School, Two Choices: A Study in Classroom vs. Distance Learning

KFF Health News Original

Most students at one Marin County school attend in person, while a dozen study from home. Those on campus are constantly nagged to use hand sanitizer and submit to the thermometer. Home-schoolers yell to their parents for help, while the parents pray that Zoom doesn’t freeze.

Easier-to-Use Coronavirus Saliva Tests Start to Catch On

KFF Health News Original

Regulators and scientists have been leery of introducing the tests, preferring to rely on tried-and-true methods, but evidence is mounting that the spit and swab tests may be more convenient and just as accurate.

Wear a Mask. If Only It Were That Simple.

KFF Health News Original

Health experts agree masks are the cheapest, best weapon against the coronavirus pandemic. But how should mask-wearing be enforced? Mandates? Fines? Polite requests? It’s hard to figure out what works as President Donald Trump’s behavior keeps the debate alive over whether they should be worn at all.

New Laws Keep Pandemic-Weary California at Forefront of Health Policy Innovation

KFF Health News Original

Gov. Gavin Newsom approved many consequential health care bills by his bill-signing deadline Wednesday, including a ban on the sale of menthol and other flavored tobacco products, the creation of a state generic drug label and better coverage for mental health disorders.

Post-COVID Clinics Get Jump-Start From Patients With Lingering Illness

KFF Health News Original

Pop-up care facilities bring together a range of specialists to address the needs of patients who survive but continue to wrestle with COVID-19’s physical or mental effects, including lung damage, heart or neurological concerns, anxiety and depression.