Latest KFF Health News Stories
COVID-19 Crisis Threatens Beleaguered Assisted Living Industry
The Capital Senior Living chain of assisted living communities and others like it were struggling financially before coronavirus suddenly appeared. Now their situation is really getting tough.
Retiree-Rich Palm Beach County Leads Florida In COVID-19 Deaths
The coronavirus death toll in Palm Beach County — home to President Donald Trump’s palatial home and club, Mar-a-Lago ― is the highest in Florida, where the large senior population is at risk.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Superheroes Of ‘Stuff’ Help Health Workers In NYC
“An Arm and a Leg” is back — sooner than we expected — with stories about how COVID-19 intersects with the cost of health care, and how we can all respond. So we’re calling it SEASON-19.
‘When It Starts Getting Into Your Local Hospital, It Becomes Real’
Located about 45 minutes from New Orleans in one of the hardest-hit counties nationally, the 25-bed rural St. James Parish Hospital has hunkered down as staffers became infected, patient intake numbers have doubled, and intubations have skyrocketed. This is what it looks like inside a rural hospital when COVID-19 hits.
Postcard From The Edge: L.A. Street Vendors Who Can’t Stop Working
Foot traffic in L.A. has fallen off a cliff amid the COVID-19 crisis, driving many street vendors away. But some are still on the streets, peddling their wares out of economic necessity. Many are undocumented immigrants who won’t get any help from the recently approved $2 trillion federal assistance package.
Pandemic Delays Federal Probe Into Medicare Advantage Health Plans
Government officials want to focus on fighting COVID-19 instead of recouping overcharges that run into the millions.
To Curb Coronavirus, What’s Behind The Wearing Of A Mask?
The CDC recommends that Americans wear facial masks when they go to public places, such as the grocery store. But this is only one part of a multipronged effort to stop the virus’s spread.
Nursing Homes Have Thousands Of Ventilators That Hospitals Desperately Need
The prospect raises a grim dilemma: Should doctors take people off life support in order to save COVID-19 patients who might recover?
Cancer Patients Face Treatment Delays And Uncertainty As Coronavirus Cripples Hospitals
As hospitals across the country are forced to delay or cancel certain medical procedures in response to the surge in patients with COVID-19, those hard choices are disrupting care for some people with serious illnesses.
Inside Meals On Wheels’ Struggle To Keep Older Americans Fed During A Pandemic
Its older volunteers are staying home and its clients, mostly age 75 and up, are more vulnerable than ever.
Dispatch From A Country Doctor: Seeing Patients Differently In The Time Of Coronavirus
Emergency rule changes by the federal government and some insurers have made telemedicine a useful tool.
After COVID-19: Doctors Ponder Best Advice As Patients Recover From Coronavirus
Doctors are making decisions about a patient’s recovery with an incomplete understanding of the disease caused by the coronavirus. Although federal officials have issued general guidelines, physicians said they can’t offer recovered patients who aren’t retested any guarantees about whether they could transmit the virus.
Second Time Around? Health Care Issues Trump Might Tackle If Reelected
KHN’s Julie Rovner examines what health care issues the administration might encounter if President Donald Trump wins in November.
Young People Weigh Pain Of Job Loss Against Risks Of Virus
Young adults are being hit hard in the COVID-19 economy, but many have mixed feelings about losing jobs that might otherwise put them in harm’s way in the midst of the pandemic.
‘You Pray That You Got The Drug.’ Ailing Couple Gambles On Trial For COVID-19 Cure
Josie and George Taylor of Everett, Washington, are two of the first people in the U.S. to recover from novel coronavirus infections after joining a clinical trial for the antiviral drug remdesivir.
‘Staying Away From Grandma’ Isn’t An Option In Multigenerational Homes
About 1 in 5 U.S. residents live in multigenerational households. Many of those have three or more generations all under one roof. While the living arrangement has financial and emotional benefits, those families face a unique set of challenges as COVID-19 continues to spread.
Long-Standing Racial And Income Disparities Seen Creeping Into COVID-19 Care
Many health officials around the nation have not released data on the ethnic and racial demographics of people tested for the new coronavirus. But public health experts said the anecdotes are adding up, and they fear the response to the pandemic will result in predictable health care disparities.
Mysterious Heart Damage, Not Just Lung Troubles, Befalling COVID-19 Patients
Most of the attention in the COVID-19 pandemic has been on how the virus affects the lungs. But evidence shows that up to 1 in 5 hospitalized patients have signs of heart damage and many are dying due to heart problems.
‘You’ve Been Served’: Wisconsin Hospitals Sued Patients Even During Pandemic
Wisconsin hospitals had filed at least 104 lawsuits in small claims court since the state declared a public health emergency March 12. Most now say they are suspending the cases; one hospital has dismissed them after a reporter’s calls.
Trump Administration Uses Wartime Powers To Be First In Line On Medical Supplies
As states scour the world for masks and other protective medical equipment, the federal government has repeatedly invoked a little-known clause in the Defense Production Act to step to the front of the line for sought-after health supplies.
