Public Health Archives - Page 40 of 184

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A Big Week for Biden

Congress is leaving for its annual summer break having accomplished far more than many expected, including, barring unforeseen snags, a bill to address the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and extend the enhanced subsidies for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the abortion issue continues to roil the nation as Indiana becomes the first state to ban the procedure in almost all cases since the Supreme Court overruled the constitutional right to abortion in June. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Aug. 11, 2022

A photo shows Kyle approaching a pop-up harm reduction unit table.

They Call It ‘Tranq’ — And It’s Making Street Drugs Even More Dangerous

Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, has made it into the illegal drug supply of opioids and cocaine. It is changing the way outreach workers treat overdoses and may be responsible for grisly injuries and infections among people who unknowingly inject it.

By Martha Bebinger

Aug. 11, 2022

An employee collects a wastewater sample from an open manhole. A plastic bottle at the end of a long, yellow pole contains the water sample as it's lifted from the manhole.

Covid Sewage Surveillance Labs Join the Hunt for Monkeypox

Wastewater testing has proved a reliable early alarm bell for covid outbreaks. U.S. researchers are now adapting the approach to track the explosive spread of monkeypox.

By Mark Kreidler

Aug. 9, 2022

Tribe Embraces Recreational Marijuana Sales on Reservation Where Alcohol Is Banned

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota allows people to buy and use recreational marijuana but not alcohol. Some tribal citizens say cannabis is safer than alcohol, meth, and opioids — which have wreaked havoc on the state’s Indigenous communities.

By Arielle Zionts

Aug. 8, 2022

KHN On Air

Journalists Put Polio, Price Transparency, and a Personal Covid Battle in Perspective

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.

Aug. 6, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Kansas Makes a Statement

In the first official test vote since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, voters in Kansas’ primary said in no uncertain terms they want to keep a right to abortion in their state constitution. Meanwhile, the Senate is still working to reach a vote before summer recess on its health care-climate-tax measure, but progress is slow. Tami Luhby of CNN, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Bram Sable-Smith, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment about a very expensive ambulance trip.

Aug. 4, 2022

A California Man’s ‘Painful and Terrifying’ Road to a Monkeypox Diagnosis

A Bay Area man described himself as “delirious” from the pain of a quickly spreading rash, but it took six telehealth appointments, one urgent care visit, and two emergency room trips before he was finally diagnosed and treated for monkeypox.

By Jackie Fortiér, LAist

Aug. 4, 2022

Music Festivals Embrace Overdose Reversal Drugs, but Fentanyl Testing Kits Remain Taboo

Music festival promoters are allowing distribution of overdose reversal medication as fentanyl deaths continue to surge. But nonprofits and volunteers are often left to do the work, and more controversial forms of harm reduction aren’t openly allowed.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

Aug. 3, 2022

A woman a black face mask rolls a suitcase beside her. A sign behind her reads "To trains & bus plaza".

Asking Never Hurts

The Time Has Come for DIY Mandates on Covid

Yes, lots of us suffer from pandemic fatigue and have been getting sloppy about precautions in recent months. But with covid an ongoing menace — and governments reluctant to return to sweeping mandates — it’s time for all of us to step up our game.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Aug. 2, 2022

KHN On Air

Journalists Detail the Scope of the Abortion Ruling, Monkeypox, and Public Health Powers

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.

July 30, 2022

A 3D graphic shows models of the polio virus against a pale background.

What the Polio Case in New York Tells Us About the End of Polio

The Rockland County case isn’t expected to cause a major outbreak, but it shows how even this rare disease can pop up in undervaccinated communities.

By Arthur Allen

July 29, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Manchin Makes a Deal

In a rare surprise for official Washington, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced a deal to expand the planned health bill in the Senate to include provisions raising taxes and addressing climate change. The measure would include a third year of expanded subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, but not health care coverage for people left out of Medicaid in states that failed to expand the program. Meanwhile, the ACA goes back to court, and the Biden administration restores anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people that were rolled back by the Trump administration. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Céline Gounder of KHN about the latest on the monkeypox outbreak.

July 28, 2022

A photo shows a gloved hand holding a box of paxlovid. A blister pack of tablets is seen on the table.

COVID-19

Everything You Need to Know About Paxlovid — Especially, Should You Take It?

Paxlovid has eclipsed other available therapies for preventing life-threatening covid symptoms in high-risk patients. But even as doctors praise its effectiveness, many say they have unanswered questions about prescribing the drug and want more and better data about it.

By Michelle Andrews

July 28, 2022

Perspective

To Stem the Spread of Monkeypox, Health Departments Tap Into Networks of Those Most at Risk

Although the disease is currently spreading almost exclusively among men who have sex with men, some cases are turning up in other populations — and that number is likely to grow if public health officials don’t effectively nip the outbreak in the bud.

By Céline Gounder

July 27, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Drug Price Bill Is a Go in the Senate

Two things happened in Washington this week that were inevitable: President Joe Biden tested positive for covid-19, and the Senate agreed to move forward on a budget bill that includes only a sliver of what Biden hoped it would. Still, the bill to allow Medicare to negotiate some drug prices, cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, and extend temporary subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance premiums would represent a major step if Democrats can get it across the finish line. Meanwhile, abortion battles continue to escalate around the country, with Texas leading the way in restrictions. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Jack Resneck Jr., the new president of the American Medical Association.

July 21, 2022

Critics Worry Government Surveillance of HIV May Hurt More Than It Helps

Some people living with HIV and some state health officials are raising concerns about part of the federal effort to end the HIV epidemic: a new technology that analyzes blood samples to find emerging outbreaks. The critics say it’s too invasive and stigmatizing and might not be more effective than older public health approaches.

By Sam Whitehead

July 20, 2022

A screenshot of Lauren Weber speaking on CBS News about monkeypox.

Watch: Why the Public Health System Is Having Trouble Containing Monkeypox

July 20, 2022

A long line of people facing away from the camera are lined up outside of a building.

Fighting Monkeypox, Sexual Health Clinics Are Underfunded and Ill-Equipped

Sexual health clinics are scrambling to properly track, test, and treat hundreds of monkeypox patients. So far, it isn’t going well.

By Liz Szabo and Lauren Weber

July 19, 2022

Conservative Blocs Unleash Litigation to Curb Public Health Powers

Spurred on by opposition to pandemic-related health mandates, a coalition of religious liberty groups, conservative think tanks, and Republican state attorneys general has filed a cascade of litigation seeking to rein in the powers of public health authorities.

By Lauren Weber and Anna Maria Barry-Jester

July 18, 2022

A photo shows a doctor putting a bandage on an elderly patient's arm after she gets vaccinated.

COVID-19

Boost Now or Wait? Many Wonder How Best to Ride Out Covid’s Next Wave

As the country faces a rise in new infections driven by the omicron BA.5 subvariant of the coronavirus, about 70% of people 50 and older who got a first covid-19 booster shot haven't received the recommended second one, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many undervaccinated Americans have lost interest, and others aren’t sure whether to get boosted again now or wait for vaccines reformulated to target newer strains of the virus.

By Sam Whitehead and Arthur Allen

July 18, 2022

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