Public Health Archives - Page 45 of 187

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Taking a Shot at Gun Control

The U.S. House passed a package of bills seeking to keep some guns out of the hands of children and teenagers, but its fate in the Senate remains a big question mark. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission takes on drug and hospital prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Cori Uccello of the American Academy of Actuaries about the most recent report from Medicare’s trustees board.

June 9, 2022

A photo illustration shows two rows of people standing on separated zones, divided in the middle with a dashed line.

A Deep Dive Into the Widening Mortality Gap Across the Political Aisle

Research out this week examines how an area’s political environment can affect its mortality rate.

By Colleen DeGuzman

June 8, 2022

A photograph of Steve McGrath in the town of Butte, Montana. He looks directly at the camera and has his hands behind his back. Behind him are scattered buildings and beige cliffs.

Some People in This Montana Mining Town Worry About the Dust Next Door

Residents of a Butte neighborhood are concerned about the dust from a nearby open-pit mine that can coat their homes and vehicles. In a city where past mining left a legacy of soil and water pollution, is the air unsafe, too?

By Katheryn Houghton

June 8, 2022

Why the War in Ukraine Might Make Root Canals More Difficult

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine are making it harder for the health care system to secure important supplies, including gases used in imaging and by dentists.

By Darius Tahir

June 3, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Washington’s Slow Churn

Stemming gun violence is back on the legislative agenda following three mass shootings in less than a month, but it’s hard to predict success when so many previous efforts have failed. Meanwhile, lawmakers must soon decide if they will extend current premium subsidies for those buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and the Biden administration acts, belatedly, on Medicare premiums. Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Michelle Andrews, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a too-common problem: denial of no-cost preventive care for a colonoscopy under the Affordable Care Act.

June 2, 2022

Politics and Pandemic Fatigue Doom California’s Covid Vaccine Mandates

Even in deep-blue California, Democratic lawmakers pulled their proposed covid vaccine requirements before they had a vote. The lawmakers blamed the ebbs and flows of the coronavirus, the public’s short attention span, and opposition from public safety unions.

By Rachel Bluth

May 31, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A(nother) Very Sad Week

Two mass shootings in two weeks — one at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 fourth graders and two teachers — have reignited the “guns-as-public-health-problem” debate. But political consensus seems as far away as ever. Meanwhile, the FDA is in the congressional hot seat over its handling of the infant formula shortage. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Richard Baron, head of the American Board of Internal Medicine, about how doctors should discipline colleagues who spread medical misinformation.

May 26, 2022

A discarded surgical face mask lies on pavement.

COVID-19

California Schools Try to Outrace Covid Outbreaks

A covid outbreak on a field trip. Another at prom. Yet administrators are reluctant to expose their schools to legal challenges by again requiring masks for students and staffers. That leaves parents fretful and confused.

By Mark Kreidler

May 26, 2022

Marla Ollinger is seen standing behind a fence on her ranch in Browning, Montana. She is wearing a jacket with her hands in her pockets.

The Blackfeet Nation’s Plight Underscores the Fentanyl Crisis on Reservations

The deadly synthetic opioid has spread across the nation during the pandemic, and the problem is disproportionately affecting Native Americans.

By Aaron Bolton, MTPR

May 25, 2022

‘Almost Like Malpractice’: To Shed Bias, Doctors Get Schooled to Look Beyond Obesity

Research has long shown that doctors are less likely to respect patients who are overweight or obese — terms that now apply to nearly three-quarters of adults in the U.S. The Association of American Medical Colleges plans to roll out new diversity, equity, and inclusion standards aimed at teaching doctors, among other things, how to treat patients who are overweight with respect.

By Lauren Sausser

May 24, 2022

A billboard on the side of a building shows the Golden Gate Bridge with text next to it reading, "FAMOUS THE WORLD OVER FOR OUR BRAINS, BEAUTY AND, NOW, DIRT-CHEAP FENTANYL." Tree branches and a string of lanterns and lights are seen blurred in the foreground.

The New MADD Movement: Parents Rise Up Against Drug Deaths

People who have lost children to pills laced with fentanyl are demanding that lawmakers adopt stricter penalties and are pressuring Silicon Valley for social media protections. The movement harks back to the 1980s, when Mothers Against Drunk Driving activated a generation of parents.

By Rachel Scheier

May 23, 2022

KHN On Air

Watch: Going Beyond the Script of ‘The G Word’ and How Government Responds to Disease (Or Not)

KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal joins comedian Adam Conover to discuss his new Netflix series, “The G Word,” which examines the federal government's role in Americans' lives, and how it plays out in the covid era.

May 20, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Waking Up to Baby Formula Shortage

The nationwide shortage of baby formula, which has been simmering for months, finally burst into public consciousness as more parents become less able to find food for their babies, prompting a belated federal response. Meanwhile, covid-19 cases rise but prevention activities don’t, and abortion-rights backers ready their legal arsenal for a post-Roe world. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

May 19, 2022

Fletcher and Brenda Letner are seen sitting on their porch. Their dog, Hazzy, sits on Fletcher's lap.

This Rural, Red Southern County Was a Vaccine Success Story. Not Anymore.

Meigs County in Tennessee reported one of the highest covid-19 vaccination rates in the South for much of the past year. But those reports were wrong because of a data error that has surfaced in other states, such as West Virginia and Montana, as well.

By Brett Kelman

May 19, 2022

An illustration shows a figure facing to the side with coronavirus particles flying through the air in shades of pink and orange.

COVID-19

How Better Ventilation Can Help ‘Covid-Proof’ Your Home

Is someone at home sick with covid-19? One simple but effective strategy for keeping the virus from spreading is to make your indoor air as much like the outdoors as possible.

By Liz Szabo

May 18, 2022

Navigating Aging

‘That’s Just Part of Aging’: Long Covid Symptoms Are Often Overlooked in Seniors

Millions of older adults are grappling with long covid, yet the impact on them has received little attention even though research suggests seniors are more likely to develop the poorly understood condition than younger or middle-aged adults.

By Judith Graham

May 18, 2022

States Have Yet to Spend Hundreds of Millions of Federal Dollars to Tackle Covid Health Disparities

A year ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded states and local health departments $2.25 billion to help people of color and other populations at higher risk from covid. But a KHN review shows public health agencies across the country have been slow to spend it.

By Phil Galewitz, Lauren Weber, and Sam Whitehead

May 16, 2022

Johanna and Trenerry are seen sitting next to one another in front of a table, posing for a photo together. The two are dressed for a wedding.

After the Pandemic Hit Nursing Homes Hard, California Lawmakers Push to Tighten Licensing Rules

Legislators are proposing an overhaul of California’s licensing system for nursing homes that would make it the most stringent in the country. They argue that disreputable and unlicensed owners and operators have harmed residents. The industry describes the proposed requirements as excessive.

By Samantha Young

May 16, 2022

KHN On Air

Journalists Recap the Latest on the Supreme Court Leak, Mental Health Care, and Fentanyl Testing Strips

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.

May 14, 2022

A wide shot shows rows of pews in a funeral home leading up to casket. Some of the pews are cordoned off.

COVID-19

Few Eligible Families Have Applied for Government Help to Pay for Covid Funerals

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse many families up to $9,000 in funeral expenses for loved ones who died of covid-19. But fewer than half of eligible families have applied, while others have run into application problems.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

May 13, 2022

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