The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
In the most comprehensive tally of such injuries to date, the Physicians for Human Rights scoured publicly available data 鈥 including social media, news accounts and lawsuits 鈥 to document and name victims of summer protests. Still, the group cautions, it’s likely an undercount.
As California workers and schoolchildren struggled to work from home, state lawmakers met in person. And as their legislative session came to a close in late August, they broke COVID rules: They huddled, let their masks slip below their noses, removed their masks to drink coffee 鈥 and required a new mom to vote in person while toting her hungry newborn.
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Studies show that at least half of ground ambulance rides across the nation leave patients with 鈥渟urprise鈥 medical bills. And a $300-a-mile ride is not unusual. Yet federal legislation to stem what鈥檚 known as balance billing has largely ignored ambulance costs.
Gyms are reopening with fewer people and more protocols, and they want to rehabilitate their pandemic-battered image. Although there’s not much evidence, they say science is on their side.
Inspections for lead hazards and blood testing for lead have dropped significantly just as kids are spending more time in the places where their exposure to the poisonous metal is highest: their homes.
Republicans have all but abandoned the Affordable Care Act as a campaign cudgel, judging from their national convention, at least. Meanwhile, career scientists at the federal government鈥檚 preeminent health agencies 鈥 the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health 鈥 are all coming under increasing political pressure as the pandemic drags on. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Elizabeth Lawrence about the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 installment.
COVID patients have been commingled with uninfected patients in California, Florida, New Jersey, Iowa, Ohio, Maryland, New York and beyond. While officials have penalized nursing homes for such failures, hospitals have seen less scrutiny.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says airplanes are not vectors for the spread of COVID-19 and that flying is “something that is safe for people to do.” Is the evidence really so clear?
About 60% of poll respondents are worried that federal regulators will rush to allow a vaccine because of political pressure. Opposition to getting a vaccine that might be authorized before the November election is strongest among Republicans.
鈥淭he Quarantine 15鈥 鈥 weight gain due to inactivity during the pandemic 鈥 is a real phenomenon. Here are some ways to fight it.
Once there were 23 of these nonprofit plans across 26 states; in January there will be only three, serving Maine, Wisconsin, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
Check out KHN鈥檚 video series 鈥 Behind the Byline: How the Story Got Made. Come along as journalists and producers offer an insider鈥檚 view of health care coverage that does not quit.
When people had a health insurance headache, these two words were a relief: 鈥淐all Barbara.鈥 No problem was too big, or too small, she鈥檇 fix it.
Traditionally, requirements that kids undergo certain immunizations before attending school have been a critical public health tool. Health officials are scrambling to make sure children don鈥檛 fall through the cracks.
Voters in Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and several other conservative-leaning states will decide in November whether to legalize medical or recreational marijuana.
Epidemiologists are having a hard time predicting whether Labor Day will be like the Fourth of July and Memorial Day, when celebrations fanned the flames in coronavirus hot spots around the South and West.
Efforts are underway to bring to market a vaccine for valley fever, a fungal infection with COVID-like symptoms that occurs in the deserts of the Southwest. The illness is getting more attention as cases rise and a warming climate threatens to spread it through the West.
The proposal details a wide-ranging agenda to remedy the gaps in health care and myriad challenges in rural America. In addition to more telehealth options, it includes shifts in hospital payments and expanded funding for school-based mental health programs.
Lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign bills that would address the challenges of the current COVID-19 crisis and help the state prepare for future pandemics.
