Latest KFF Health News Stories
Listen: How the Pandemic Further Politicized Public Health
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies on “The Source” show to talk about the politicization of public health during the COVID pandemic.
Ever Heard of a Surgical Assistant? Meet a New Boost to Your Medical Bills
A college student’s bill for outpatient knee surgery is a whopper — $96K — but the most mysterious part is a $1,167 charge from a health care provider she didn’t even know was in the operating room.
Essential and in Danger: Coronavirus Sickens, Even Kills Public Health Workers
As the coronavirus threatens the nation’s public health army, an outbreak in Maryland reflects the tension between serving the community and protecting workers from a deadly disease.
Scientists Want to Know More About Using UV Light to Fight COVID-19 Spread
‘Germicidal’ ultraviolet light technology has a proven track record against indoor transmission of tuberculosis and other airborne microbes. It’s now being used in some restaurants and on subways.
Behind The Byline: ‘Reporting From a Distance’
Check out KHN’s video series — Behind The Byline: How the Story Got Made. Come along as journalists and producers offer an insider’s view of health care coverage that does not quit.
An Ickier Outbreak: Trench Fever Spread by Lice Is Found in Denver
Three people around Denver have confirmed cases of trench fever, and another person is suspected of having the rare disease, carried by body lice. A scourge during World War I, the illness is the latest problem to emerge as everyone’s attention is diverted to COVID-19.
As Coronavirus Patients Skew Younger, Tracing Task Seems All But Impossible
Although younger people are hospitalized and die less frequently than their elders when infected with COVID-19, their cases are harder to trace. As a result, the virus is spreading uncontrollably throughout much of Southern California. Even hospital staffs are affected by community spread.
KHN’s Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber drills through the vital health care policy stories of the week, so you don’t have to.
Trump Administration’s Sudden Shift on COVID Data Leaves States in the Lurch
Missouri Hospital Association says the switch of data collection from the CDC to a new HHS contractor is “a major disruption.” In Kansas, the move likely will delay hospitalization data.
Montana Rodeo Goes On, Bucking Fears on Fort Peck Reservation
Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes initially opposed the Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede this year, worrying about hundreds of people coming to their reservation for the rodeo amid coronavirus concerns. But the annual event was on private land and went ahead, highlighting the reopening tensions between resuming normal economic activities and protecting the vulnerable.
Disease-Carrying Mosquitoes Fly Free as Health Departments Focus on Coronavirus
Health departments and other public agencies tasked with protecting the nation from disease-carrying mosquitoes are overstretched amid the coronavirus pandemic — even as the nation is told it’s safest to be outside.
Mientras los departamentos de salud se enfocan en COVID, mosquitos vuelan libres
Todos los recursos de salud pública están enfocados en COVID, dejando volar libres a millones de mosquitos, sin control, que pueden transmitir enfermedades potencialmente mortales.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Trump Administration’s War on Fauci
Case counts for COVID-19 are rising in nearly every state, yet a major campaign by the Trump administration this past week was an attempt to discredit Dr. Anthony Fauci, a trusted voice in public health. Meanwhile, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s surprise decision to protect abortion rights, there’s been a flurry of activity on reproductive health issues in lower federal courts. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Erin Mershon of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more.
Why Doctors Keep Monitoring Kids Who Recover From Mysterious COVID-Linked Illness
About 1,000 children worldwide have had the condition known as MIS-C — Multisymptom Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. Children’s hospitals around the U.S. are trying to keep tabs on young people after they recover from the ailment, to gauge any long-term effects.
Más allá de teorías conspirativas, éste es el trabajo de los rastreadores de contactos
El rastreo de contactos es la práctica de salud pública de informar a las personas cuando han estado expuestas a una enfermedad contagiosa.
Conspiracy Theories Aside, Here’s What Contact Tracers Really Do
Recently, the idea has triggered a lot of conspiracy-theory talk. But it’s actually a tried-and-true public health tool being applied to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
You Can See Friends and Relatives During the Pandemic Surge — But Do It Carefully
Even as most U.S. states and authorities reimpose many of the restrictions they had prematurely lifted, public health experts say you can still have a safe social life — just not the one you were used to before the pandemic hit.
Listen: Colorado Cuts Back Health Care Programs Amid Dual Crises
KHN senior Colorado correspondent Markian Hawryluk joined KUNC’s Erin O’Toole on “Colorado Edition” to discuss his recent story on health care cuts that many states, including Colorado, are having to take amid the pandemic.
Puedes ver a amigos y familiares durante la pandemia, pero sigue estas reglas
Puedes expandir tu burbuja social más allá de la casa, y hasta abrazar a un ser querido, si prestas atención a las conocidas pautas de salud y, además, tomas precauciones adicionales.
Families of Health Workers Killed by COVID Fight for Denied Workers’ Comp Benefits
Attorneys say some state workers’ compensation laws leave workers and families struggling for benefits after a COVID illness or death.
