Latest KFF Health News Stories
GOP Senate Ad Misrepresents Montana Governor’s Stance
The race between Steve Bullock and Steve Daines reflects a trend in campaigns nationwide. Republicans often paint Democrats as left of the general public and health care has often been one of the issues the GOP highlights in that effort. In this case, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is leaping to conclusions with its claims.
Teen Artist’s Portraits Help Frame Sacrifice of Health Care Workers Lost to COVID
A 15-year-old high school student in New Jersey is memorializing doctors, nurses and others who died after tending to coronavirus patients.
Isolation, Disruption and Confusion: Coping With Dementia During a Pandemic
COVID-19 has upended the lives of people with dementia, limiting their interactions with others and complicating matters for their caregivers.
Politics Slows Flow of US Pandemic Relief Funds to Public Health Agencies
Congress has allocated trillions of dollars to ease the coronavirus crisis. A joint KHN and AP investigation finds that many communities with big outbreaks have spent little of that federal money on local public health departments for work such as testing and contact tracing.
‘Pennie’-Pinching States Take Over Obamacare Exchanges From Feds
Pennsylvania and New Jersey are leaving the federal marketplace this fall to save money and will start their own insurance exchanges. Kentucky, New Mexico, Virginia and Maine are looking to join them in 2021 or beyond.
Trust, Fear and Solidarity Will Determine the Success of a COVID Vaccine
Polio terrified Americans, and in 1955, when Jonas Salk’s vaccine became available, they snapped it up like candy. Sixty-five years later, COVID is the latest dread virus, but many undercurrents could inhibit its acceptance.
With COVID Vaccine Trial, Rural Oregon Clinic Steps Onto World Stage
A small allergy clinic in Medford, Oregon, might seem an unlikely place to recruit hundreds of volunteers to test the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19. But its steward has a record of leading hundreds of clinical trials.
PPE Shortage Could Last Years Without Strategic Plan, Experts Warn
The rolling shortages of personal protective gear continue even in hospitals, as buyers look directly for manufacturers — often through a maze of companies that have sprung up overnight.
‘Is This When I Drop Dead?’ Two Doctors Report From the COVID Front Lines
Two emergency room doctors, one in New York and the other in Houston, discuss their cities’ coronavirus outbreaks — and responses.
COVID Data Failures Create Pressure for Public Health System Overhaul
Poor information-sharing between hospitals and public health agencies has hurt the response to the pandemic. Some health care systems and IT companies are making inroads, but an overhaul would cost billions.
Back to Life: COVID Lung Transplant Survivor Tells Her Story
The first known coronavirus patient in the U.S. to undergo a double lung transplant is now strong enough to share the story of her ordeal.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Kamala Harris on Health
The Democratic presidential ticket is complete, with Joe Biden’s selection of California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. Health has not been a major issue for Harris, whose career priority has been the criminal justice system. But expect Republicans to pounce on her on-again, off-again support for “Medicare for All.” Meanwhile, with Congress still in a stalemate over another round of COVID-19 relief, President Donald Trump is trying to use his executive power to do what lawmakers have not — with mixed success. Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Dying Young: The Health Care Workers in Their 20s Killed by COVID-19
A database of deaths compiled by KHN and The Guardian includes a significant minority under 30, leaving shattered dreams and devastated families.
Contact Tracers in Massachusetts Might Order Milk or Help With Rent. Here’s Why.
Massachusetts offers support and resources for people isolating because of COVID-19 — helping them make choices that keep everyone safe. Experts say that is work that more states need to fund.
Turning Anger Into Action: Minority Students Analyze COVID Data on Racial Disparities
About 70 college students are enrolled this summer in a program developed by San Francisco researchers and funded by the National Institutes of Health that allows them to explore the pandemic’s impact on communities facing health disparities.
Back to the Future: Trump’s History of Promising a Health Plan That Never Comes
Even before he was elected, the president talked about a plan that would be released soon. Now he is saying the end of August.
Bereaved Families Are ‘the Secondary Victims of COVID-19’
New research suggests the pandemic’s deaths are taking an enormous toll on surviving family members and worrisome ripple effects may linger for years.
Primary Care Doctors Look at Payment Overhaul After Pandemic Disruption
Many physicians were forced to close their offices — or at least see only emergency cases — when the pandemic struck. Because they are generally paid piecemeal for every service, they suffered big losses, leading to layoffs and pay cuts. Some doctors say they now are looking to overhaul the way they get paid.
Nurses and Doctors Sick With COVID Feel Pressured to Get Back to Work
Hospital employees say they must choose between their paychecks and their health or that of their families. Returning to work with symptoms also risks infection among the patients they are meant to heal.
Public Health Officials Are Quitting or Getting Fired in Throes of Pandemic
A review by KHN and the Associated Press finds at least 49 state and local public health leaders have resigned, retired or been fired since April across 23 states. One of the latest departures came Sunday, when California’s public health director was ousted.
