Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Yurts, Igloos and Pop-Up Domes: How Safe Is ‘Outside’ Restaurant Dining This Winter?
All kinds of new structures are popping up to extend the outdoor dining season. Some are safer than others.
Door to Door in Miami’s Little Havana to Build Trust in Testing, Vaccination
It’s time-consuming but worthwhile: Residents respond to messages about Covid testing and vaccines when outreach teams speak their language and make a personal connection.
Biden Takes the Reins, Calls for a United Front Against Covid and Other Threats
On health care, President Joe Biden made it clear that combating the covid-19 pandemic will be his top priority. “We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation,” he said. “We will get through this together.”
Biden prometió 100 millones de vacunas de covid en 100 días. No será fácil de cumplir
Está en la naturaleza de los presidentes hacer promesas. Kennedy prometió enviar un hombre a la luna y lo cumplió. Distribuir 100 millones de vacunas parece más difícil.
Advocates View Health Care as Key to Driving LGBTQ Rights Conversation
A state ban preventing local governments from enacting nondiscrimination ordinances expired Dec. 1, opening the door for a new wave of local nondiscrimination laws.
Biden’s Covid Challenge: 100 Million Vaccinations in the First 100 Days. It Won’t Be Easy.
But keeping campaign promises regarding the nation’s covid response will go beyond stepping up the rollout of the vaccines.
