Latest KFF Health News Stories
Pandemic Sends a Couple Into Indefinite Long Distance Though Just Miles Apart
Everyone is trying to figure out how relationships work in the time of covid. That includes a Bozeman, Montana, couple who suddenly found themselves in a long-distance relationship when the pandemic sent their group homes for adults with disabilities into lockdown.
If This Self-Sufficient Hospital Cannot Stand Alone, Can Any Public Hospital Survive?
New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C., makes money and does not require taxpayer subsidies. But the county is selling the public hospital because officials say it needs more capital to compete. Civic leaders say the change will lead to higher health care costs.
States Move Ahead With Canada Drug Importation While Awaiting Signal From Biden
As president, Donald Trump encouraged states to bring in drugs from Canada, where prices are cheaper. It’s not clear if the new administration will follow suit.
As Vaccine Rollout Expands, Black Americans Still Left Behind
Covid vaccines are reaching more Americans, but Black residents are being vaccinated at dramatically lower rates in the 23 states where data is publicly available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to release national data next week.
Nuevos casos de Covid caen un 25% o más a medida que cambian conductas
Expertos dicen que la caída puede estar relacionada con el creciente temor al virus después que alcanzara niveles récord, así como con la esperanza de vacunarse pronto.
¿Puede Estados Unidos controlar las nuevas mutaciones de covid?
Cuando una mutación hace sonar las alarmas de salud pública, normalmente se debe a que se ha combinado con otras mutaciones y, en conjunto, ha cambiado la forma en que se comporta el virus.
4 Vital Health Issues — Not Tied to Covid — That Congress Addressed in Massive Spending Bill
Lawmakers answered pleas from strained health facilities in rural areas, agreed to cover the cost of training more new doctors, sought to strengthen efforts to equalize mental health coverage with that of physical medicine and instructed the federal government to collect data that could be used to rein in high medical bills.
Huge Gaps in Vaccine Data Make It Next to Impossible to Know Who Got the Shots
Details about race, ethnicity and occupation are often missing as data collected nationally is scattered across scores of digital systems that don’t connect. And the CDC doesn’t require vaccinators to report occupations of recipients, even though the order in which people get shots largely depends on their job.
At Colorado’s Rural Edges, Vaccines Help Assisted Living Homes Crack Open the Doors
Amid the disorganization and confusion of the vaccine distribution, smaller communities may have an advantage. In some long-term care facilities where vaccination is underway, things are looking up.
Can the US Keep Covid Variants in Check? Here’s What It Takes
The U.S. has fumbled almost every step of its public health response in its battle against covid-19. Experts say that must change if we’re going to outflank the variants emerging as the virus continues to mutate.
New Covid Cases Plunge 25% or More as Behavior Changes
End of holiday gatherings or fear of the virus may be at play – or hope for the vaccine
Baby Blues: First-Time Parents Blindsided by ‘the Birthday Rule’ and a $207,455 NICU Bill
Charlie Kjelshus needed neonatal intensive care for the first seven days of her life. The episode generated huge bills, and left her parents in a tangle of red tape that involved two insurers, two hospitals and two states.
California’s Top Hospital Lobbyist Cements Influence in Covid Crisis
Carmela Coyle, who represents California’s hospitals in the state Capitol, is a power player whose clout has grown during the pandemic. Though she hasn’t won every battle, she has helped shape the state’s response to the crisis.
‘We’re Not Controlling It in Our Schools’: Covid Safety Lapses Abound Across US
As President Biden calls for more support to help schools hold in-person classes, public health experts say schools can be relatively safe if they take well-known steps to prevent covid. But a KHN investigation shows many districts and states have ignored health advice or written their own questionable safety rules for schools.
Big Business Boosts Vaccine Effort, but It’s ‘Complex Choreography’ to Get Shots in Arms
Corporations like Starbucks, Honeywell, Microsoft, Costco and Google are lining up to help with vaccine logistics. But the problem of the moment is supply, not systems.
Estados permiten contratar profesionales de salud extranjeros por la pandemia
Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, Nueva Jersey y Nueva York han adaptado sus normas para que profesionales de salud con formación internacional presten sus servicios durante la pandemia.
Amid Covid Health Worker Shortage, Foreign-Trained Professionals Sit on Sidelines
Hospitals dealing with staff shortages during the current covid surge are unable to tap into one valuable resource: foreign-trained doctors, nurses and other health workers, many with experience treating infectious diseases. Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Nevada are the only states to have eased credentialing requirements during the pandemic.
Vaccine Ramp-Up Squeezes Covid Testing and Tracing
The ability of California health officials to multitask in a pandemic will be severely tested as they scramble to find staff for vaccination sites while maintaining testing and contact tracing.
De puerta en puerta para crear confianza en las vacunas contra covid en la Pequeña Habana
Varias razones sociales y económicas hacen que sea difícil para algunos residentes de Miami hacerse la prueba o recibir tratamiento, o aislarse si están enfermos de covid.
Carpas, iglús, domos: ¿cuán seguro es comer al aire libre este invierno?
Los propietarios recurren a estas opciones como un salvavidas para ayudar a llenar algunas mesas, y tener al menos la posibilidad de ofrecer una experiencia gastronómica más segura.
