KHNâs âWhat the Health?â: Oh, Oh, Omicron
Even before the omicron variant of covid starts to spread widely in the U.S., hospitals are filling up with post-holiday delta cases. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court signals â loudly â that 2022 will be the year it rolls back abortion rights in a big way. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
After âTruly Appallingâ Death Toll in Nursing Homes, California Rethinks Their Funding
California wants to hold nursing homes accountable for the quality of care they provide by tying Medicaid funding more directly to performance. But the nursing home industry, an influential player in the Capitol, is gearing up for a fight.
Covid Shots for Kids Are Scarce â And Demand Is Mixed â In Rural Montana
Although covid vaccines have been available to children as young as 5 for more than a month, theyâre not being offered in some rural Montana counties, and parents donât know where to find them in others.
Colorado Hospitals in âCritical Conditionâ as State Weathers Another Surge
Patients with other ailments are frustrated, and nurses and doctors are stressed and burned out, as unvaccinated covid-19 patients fill ICU and acute care beds.
Con mĂĄs muertes por sobredosis, defensores claman por una naloxona de venta libre
La administración Biden ha destinado $30 millones a programas de reducción de daños por adicciones. Pero defensores dicen que la principal barrera es que la naloxona sigue siendo de venta bajo receta.
With Overdose Deaths Surging, Advocates on the Ground Push for Over-the-Counter Naloxone
Harm-reduction groups say that requiring a doctor to sign off on their orders of the overdose reversal drug is one of the biggest barriers they face in obtaining the lifesaving medication.
How LA, Calling the Shots on School Vaccine Mandates, Can Lead the Way on Covid Rules
In the middle of a measles outbreak in 1977, the Los Angeles school system required students to be inoculated or stay out of class. Other school systems followed the practice. Will it work again now that the county is insisting that teens have their shots against covid?
Journalists Discuss Omicron, Public Health, Culturally Competent Care
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Hereâs a collection of their appearances.
Split Supreme Court Leaves Texas Abortion Law in Effect, but Says Providers May Sue
The decision does not address the fate of abortion rights nationally, but the justices took up those arguments in a separate case earlier this month that will likely be decided in the summer.
West Virginia Sen. Manchin Takes the Teeth Out of Democratsâ Plan for Seniorsâ Dental Care
In West Virginia, older residents often go without dental care, and a quarter of people 65 and older have no natural teeth, the highest rate of any state in the country. But a powerful senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, has rebuffed efforts to add a dental benefit to Medicare.
Sex Apps for Gay Men Join Forces to Fight Online Insults
A San Francisco-area group that pushes for healthier internet behavior aims to show that being mean isnât sexy and can lead to mental anguish and unsafe sexual encounters.
KHNâs âWhat the Health?â: Much Ado About (Vaccine) Mandates
The fight over covid vaccines continues to intensify, with Republicans on Capitol Hill pushing â with some success â to cancel President Joe Bidenâs âtest regularly or vaccinateâ requirement for private employers. Meanwhile, abortion is not the only health issue before the Supreme Court this term. Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Health Experts Worry CDCâs Covid Vaccination Rates Appear Inflated
Accuracy issues raise red flags because the data is used to plan and direct resources in the nationâs continuing response to the covid-19 pandemic.
From ‘Physician Assistant’ to Medicare, Readers and Tweeters Mince No Words
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
ÂżHa llegado el momento de cambiar la definiciĂłn de “totalmente vacunado”?
CientĂficos y funcionarios de salud pĂșblica debaten cuĂĄndo serĂĄ el momento de cambiar la definiciĂłn de “totalmente vacunado” para que incluya una vacuna de refuerzo.
Data Science Proved What Pittsburghâs Black Leaders Knew: Racial Disparities Compound Covid Risk
Inside the Black Equity Coalitionâs novel effort to share community health intel and scrape government data to understand â and document â the life-threatening differences between white and Black Pittsburgh.
When the Surges Just Keep Coming: A View From the Covid Vortex
Fresno County, one of Californiaâs persistent covid-19 hot spots, is experiencing an autumn surge that once again has overwhelmed area hospitals. KHN spoke with Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra about leading the charge in a region where many people remain anti-mask and vaccine-wary.
Journalists Explore Health Care Disparities and Policy Pitfalls
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Hereâs a collection of their appearances.
Is It Time to Change the Definition of âFully Vaccinatedâ?
Experts weigh in as the federal government urges everyone to get boosted amid concerns over omicron, a new covid variant.
KHNâs âWhat the Health?â: Roe v. Wade on the Rocks
A Supreme Court majority appears ready to overturn nearly 50 years of abortion rights, at least judging by the latest round of oral arguments before the justices. And a new covid variant, omicron, gains attention as it spreads around the world. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Blake Farmer of Nashville Public Radio about the latest KHN-NPR âBill of the Monthâ episode.