Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Public Health Officials To Newsom: Lockdown Won’t Work Without Enforcement

KFF Health News Original

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was out front nationally when he ordered nearly all Californians to stay at home to stem the spread of COVID-19. But local officials warn it won’t work without tougher enforcement.

California Lawmakers Struggle To Conduct Business Amid COVID-19 Lockdown

KFF Health News Original

In an interview with California Healthline, the state’s Senate leader, Toni Atkins, makes clear that with social-distancing measures in force it will be difficult to debate and pass complicated budget measures ― but public health, education and public safety will be priorities.

Why Hoarding Of Hydroxychloroquine Needs To Stop

KFF Health News Original

Six states — Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas —  have taken steps to limit inappropriate prescriptions for the medicine and preserve supplies for patients who take it for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Photo Essay: LA Under Lockdown

KFF Health News Original

Californians are under orders to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus — and the result is that some of Southern California’s best-known spots are shuttered or deserted, from Santa Monica Pier to Olvera Street.

Listen: The Hard-Knock Health Law Turns 10 Amid Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

On the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Kaiser Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner and Kaiser Family Foundation Executive Vice President Larry Levitt put the law in perspective.

En Seattle, enfermeras se vuelven creativas para cuidarse y trabajar en medio de la pandemia

KFF Health News Original

Al aumentar el número de pacientes con coronavirus, escasean las máscaras y otros equipos de protección. Y las enfermeras de Washington recurren a métodos alternativos para cuidarse y cuidar a los pacientes.

Seattle Nurses Scrounge For Masks To Stay Safe On Pandemic’s Front Lines

KFF Health News Original

As illness from the new coronavirus stresses the health care system, nurses said they are being forced to make do with less and learning to be good stewards of available equipment and protective gear.

Coronavirus Threatens The Lives Of Rural Hospitals Already Stretched To Breaking Point

KFF Health News Original

Almost half of the nation’s rural hospitals operate in the red on a good day. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, rural hospital CEOs warn that soon some may be unable to pay their workers. And their doors may close when the community most needs them.

Some Hospitals Continue With Elective Surgeries Despite COVID-19 Crisis

KFF Health News Original

Even as many states put a moratorium on elective surgeries in a desperate effort to preserve dwindling stocks of protective gear, hospitals in other pockets of the country continue to perform a range of elective procedures. Some staff members and ethicists are voicing concerns.

Hoping That Insurance Expansion Will Help Tamp Outbreak, 9 States Reopen Marketplaces

KFF Health News Original

The states are allowing new enrollments this month to help ease consumers’ concerns about the cost of health care so that the sick will not be deterred from seeking medical attention and inadvertently spread the virus.