Latest KFF Health News Stories
Q&A: How Will California’s New 988 Mental Health Line Actually Work?
California Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored legislation to create and fund the state’s new 988 phone line for mental health emergencies, spoke with KHN about the effort and what more will be needed to create a full-fledged response network for people experiencing mental health crises.
Covid Testing, Turnaround Times Are Still Uneven This Far Into Pandemic
The availability of covid testing and turnaround times for results still vary widely around the country, some 19 months since the pandemic was declared a national crisis. A jumbled testing system, technician burnout and squirrely spikes in demand are all part of the problem.
Reluctant Localities Are Being Dragged Into Court to Fix Sidewalks for People With Disabilities
Hundreds of towns, cities and states across the U.S. have ignored part of the Americans With Disabilities Act, and now it’s costing them billions of dollars to comply.
Trabajadores de salud alertan sobre el aumento de la violencia en hospitales
Trabajadores de salud piden una legislación federal que los proteja de los crecientes episodios de violencia, que aumentaron durante la pandemia de covid-19.
En todo el país, un número creciente de programas de trasplantes ha optado por excluir a los pacientes que se niegan a recibir las ampliamente disponibles vacunas contra covid, o darles una prioridad menor en las abarrotadas listas de espera de órganos.
‘Are You Going to Keep Me Safe?’ Hospital Workers Sound Alarm on Rising Violence
Health care workers already bore the brunt of workplace violence in the U.S. Now, tensions from an exhausting pandemic are spilling over into hospitals.
Community Clinics Shouldered Much of the Vaccine Rollout. Many Haven’t Been Paid.
Federally qualified health centers from California to Michigan are mired in a bureaucratic mess over how they should be paid under Medicaid for each dose of covid vaccine given. In California alone, clinics await reimbursement for at least 1 million shots, causing a “massive cash flow problem.”
Journalists Examine Vaccination Rates Among Student Nurses and in Covid Hot Spots
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.
New California Law Bans Harassment at Vaccination Sites, but Free Speech Concerns Persist
Effective immediately, it will be a misdemeanor in California to harass people on their way to get a covid, or any other, vaccine. But First Amendment experts say the new law violates free speech protections and could face a constitutional battle.
Ser inmune a covid por haberlo tenido o estar vacunado, ¿es lo mismo?
Hay pruebas de que contraer SARS-CoV-2 genera inmunidad. Pero muchos científicos creen que no son contundentes.
From Sewers to Golf Courses, Cities See Green With New Federal Covid Relief Dollars
The American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress in March, provides $130 billion to cities, counties and tribes — with few restrictions on how the money can be spent.
Covid Immunity Through Infection or Vaccination: Are They Equal?
As scientists argue whether a previous bout of covid offers the same amount of protection as vaccinations, people turn to the courts to decide.
NY Reaches Agreement With DOJ Over Vaccine Access for Blind People
Following a February KHN investigation into covid vaccine accessibility, the Department of Justice reached an agreement with five New York government agencies to make their websites accessible to people who are visually impaired.
Organ Centers to Transplant Patients: Get a Covid Shot or Move Down on Waitlist
At issue is whether transplant patients who refuse the shots are not only putting themselves at greater risk for serious illness and death from covid-19, but also squandering scarce organs that could benefit others.
Our Covid Cocoon: The Parents Aren’t Alright (But Help May Be Coming)
After experiencing multiple quarantines and school closures in less than two months, covid vaccine approvals for 5- to 11-year-olds can’t come soon enough for a KHN editor in Montana.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: How One State Protects Patients From Hospital Lawsuits
In Maryland, it’s now illegal for a hospital to sue a patient who qualifies for charity care. But in many other states, that’s still a thing.
California Vaccine Mandate Extends to Aides for People With Disabilities
Even though they perform the same intimate tasks as nursing home and hospital workers, in-home health aides initially were left out of California’s vaccine mandate. They must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 30.
Needle Exchanges Are Targeted by Eco-Rooted Lawsuits. A New California Law Will Stop That.
Opponents of free needle programs in California are using environmental regulations to shut them down. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will end that strategy.
The Pandemic Forced My Transgender Wife to Fight Our Insurer Over Hormones
The covid pandemic has caused millions of people, particularly LGBTQ adults, to lose their jobs and enroll in Medicaid or insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Yet these plans often don’t fully cover the basics needed by many transgender Americans, such as injectable estrogen, a hormone therapy commonly used by trans women.
Solitary Confinement Condemns Many Prisoners to Long-Term Health Issues
An estimated 300,000 people were held in solitary confinement in U.S. jails and prisons at the height of the pandemic. An international movement is pushing to limit the form of incarceration due to its damaging physical and psychological effects.
