Latest KFF Health News Stories
With Senate Control at Stake, Trump and COVID Haunt Ernst’s Fight to Keep Her Seat
In less than six years, Sen. Joni Ernst has gone from being a rising star in the Republican Party to running neck and neck against a political newcomer. A poll last month showed more than 1 in 3 Iowa voters think Ernst’s relationship to President Donald Trump is “too close,” and her comments about the coronavirus death toll sparked a backlash.
COVID Stalks Montana Town Already Saddled With Asbestos Disease
Residents of a small Montana community exposed to decades of asbestos contamination are taking extra precautions to keep COVID-19 away.
Stigma Against D.O.s Had Been Dissipating Until Trump’s Doctor Took the Spotlight
Two types of licensed physicians exist in this country — M.D.s and D.O.s. Here’s what you need to know about the differences.
As Trump Touts His ‘Great’ COVID Drugs, the Pharma Cash Flows to Biden, Not Him
President Donald Trump has been heralding drugmakers as “great companies.” Yet in the final stretch of the presidential campaign, Trump is not feeling the love in pharma contributions. Former Vice President Joe Biden is, even though his proposed policies could dent the industry’s profitability.
Pandemic Erects Barriers for Prized Bloc of Voters in Nursing Homes, Senior Facilities
Voting is a point of pride for many older Americans, and senior living facilities in past years have encouraged the civic act by hosting voting precincts, providing transportation to the polls and bringing in groups to help explain election issues. But fears of the spread of the coronavirus among this vulnerable population make voting more difficult this year.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Trump vs. COVID
President Donald Trump is one of at least two dozen people tied to the White House who have tested positive for COVID-19. Negotiations on the next round of COVID relief are off again — maybe. And the FDA and CDC continue to fight for scientific credibility. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Erin Mershon of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog about what the Supreme Court might do with the latest case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Job-Based Health Insurance Costs Are Up 4% This Year, 55% in Past Decade
A family plan costs, on average, more than $21,000 this year and workers pay nearly $5,600 toward that cost, the annual KFF survey of employers finds.
In Debate, Pence and Harris Offer Conflicting Views of Nation’s Reality
During this, the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2020 election season, the two candidates clashed over the coronavirus and other health care issues, as well as a range of other topics.
Young Doctor Succumbs to COVID, One of the South’s Many Health Workers Lost
A 28-year-old Texas doctor tested positive in early July and died in September — one of a dozen young health workers nationwide whose deaths from the coronavirus have been profiled by KHN and The Guardian as part of the “Lost on the Frontline” project.
Moved by Plight of Young Heart Patient, Stranger Pays His Hospital Bill
A retired college professor in Las Vegas saw Matthew Fentress’ story and felt called to help. So she paid off $5,000 of his medical bill. “When you help other people, it gives you joy,” the Good Samaritan said.
Hard Lives Made Harder by COVID: Homeless Endure a ‘Slow-Moving Train Wreck’
This was supposed to be the year California finally did something about its homelessness epidemic. COVID-19 upended that promise, along with the cobbled-together services many homeless people rely on for survival. Interviews across the state reveal a new magnitude of hardship and indignity for tens of thousands of people living on the streets.
Does the Federal Health Information Privacy Law Protect President Trump?
The president’s doctors have used HIPAA — the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — as a shield to avoid questions about the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Refuge in the Storm? ACA’s Role as Safety Net Is Tested by COVID Recession
Relentlessly knocked around by politics and now headed again to the Supreme Court, the ACA is covering millions who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. But not everyone.
Lifetime Experiences Help Older Adults Build Resilience to Pandemic Trauma
These seniors use coping strategies to keep them socially active yet safe from the coronavirus.
Fighting for Patient Protections While Attacking ACA — Hard to Have It Both Ways
Montana’s Matt Rosendale and many other Republican congressional candidates face the challenge of convincing voters they support safeguards on preexisting conditions even as they oppose the Affordable Care Act, which codifies those safeguards.
One School, Two Choices: A Study in Classroom vs. Distance Learning
Most students at one Marin County school attend in person, while a dozen study from home. Those on campus are constantly nagged to use hand sanitizer and submit to the thermometer. Home-schoolers yell to their parents for help, while the parents pray that Zoom doesn’t freeze.
‘No Mercy’ Chapter 2: Unimaginable, After a Century, That Their Hospital Would Close
After Mercy Hospital Fort Scott shut its doors, investigative reporter Sarah Jane Tribble traveled to Kansas and spent time with former hospital president Reta Baker and City Manager Dave Martin — to understand what their town lost.
Campus Dorm Resident Assistants Adjust to a New Role: COVID Cop
Students charged with keeping their peers in line on college campuses say they are dealing with hostility, unclear policies and health risks as they try to enforce policies to prevent COVID-19.
Analysis: ‘Don’t Be Afraid of COVID’? Not Buying It, Unless Businesses Do Job Right
COVID precautions may seem like overkill. But I won’t set foot in a store unless certain steps are taken.
Easier-to-Use Coronavirus Saliva Tests Start to Catch On
Regulators and scientists have been leery of introducing the tests, preferring to rely on tried-and-true methods, but evidence is mounting that the spit and swab tests may be more convenient and just as accurate.
