Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Miles de niños perdieron a sus padres por covid. ¿Adónde está la ayuda?

KFF Health News Original

Más de 46,000 niños han perdido a uno o ambos padres a causa de covid desde febrero de 2020. Los sobrevivientes luchan por conseguir ayuda médica y financiera para superar el duelo.

Thousands of Young Children Lost Parents to Covid. Where’s Help for Them?

KFF Health News Original

More than 46,000 children in the U.S. have lost a parent to covid-19. Families say finding even basic grief counseling has been difficult and there’s been no coordinated effort to help these children access services or benefits.

Hospitals, Insurers Invest Big Dollars to Tackle Patients’ Social Needs

KFF Health News Original

Eager to control costs, health systems and insurers are trying to address patients’ social needs such as food insecurity, transportation and housing. Yet, after years of testing, there’s slim evidence these efforts pay off.

Hemmed In at Home, Nonprofit Hospitals Look for Profits Abroad

KFF Health News Original

About three dozen elite health systems are involved in for-profit hospital projects overseas. Though the systems are exempt from U.S. taxes for providing “community benefit,” there’s limited evidence that such business ventures benefit American patients.

Is Rand Paul Mixing Up the Vaccine Message for Covid Survivors?

KFF Health News Original

The scientific literature shows that natural immunity does provide protection against covid-19, but experts say getting vaccinated can provide additional protection against variants.

Una misión: voluntarios ofrecen atención médica a refugiados hacinados en la frontera

KFF Health News Original

Un número récord de migrantes está realizando el largo viaje hacia la frontera. La Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos detuvo a 180,034 personas en la frontera sur en mayo, un aumento del 78% desde febrero.

What It Means When Celebrities Stay Coy About Their Vaccine Status

KFF Health News Original

St. Louis Blues leading scorer David Perron took 10 days to explain he had indeed been vaccinated before he caught covid-19, which knocked him from playing in the NHL playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche. His case and those of other public figures raise questions about the role of celebrity in enticing people to get covid vaccinations.

‘It’s a Mission’: Volunteers Treat Refugees Massing at the Border

KFF Health News Original

A growing number of Mexican and Central American migrants are trying to cross into the U.S. at the southern border. Volunteers at one free clinic in Tijuana tend to the health needs of migrants waiting for their immigration cases to come up — and simply trying to survive in packed and dangerous encampments.

The Hard Realities of a ‘No Jab, No Job’ Mandate for Health Care Workers

KFF Health News Original

Despite a hearts-and-minds campaign and millions spent in incentives, managers struggle to get staffs vaccinated against covid. Some workers have threatened to quit over the pressure to get a shot, which employers can’t afford.

Unvaccinated, Homebound and Now Hospitalized With Covid in New York City

KFF Health News Original

Across the country, doctors report that those hospitalized with covid now are largely unvaccinated. New York City lags the rest of the nation in vaccinating people 65 and older, and its efforts to reach the homebound and disabled have been late in coming and disorganized.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Our 200th Episode!

KFF Health News Original

The federal approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease has reignited the debate over drug prices and the way the Food and Drug Administration makes decisions. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden seeks to gain goodwill overseas as he announces the U.S. will provide 500 million doses of covid vaccine to international health efforts. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. And to mark the podcast’s 200th episode, the panelists discuss what has surprised them most and least over the past four years.

Change to Gilead Assistance Program Threatens PrEP Access, HIV Advocates Say

KFF Health News Original

Safety-net clinics especially are bracing for how the drugmaker’s policy shift could reduce their budgets and hamstring their ability to provide care to an at-risk population.