As the coronavirus swept into Detroit this spring, Wayne State University junior Skye Taylor noticed something striking. On social media, many of her fellow Black classmates who live or grew up in the city were “posting about death, like, ‘Oh, ... [Continue Reading]
Back to the Future: Trump’s History of Promising a Health Plan That Never Comes
Ever since he was a presidential candidate, President Donald Trump has been promising the American people a “terrific,” “phenomenal” and “fantastic” new health care plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. But, in ... [Continue Reading]
Amid COVID Chaos, California Legislators Fight for Major Health Care Bills
California lawmakers are barreling toward an end-of-month deadline to pass or kill bills amid the biggest public health crisis the state has faced in a century. Yet even in a year consumed by sickness, they’re considering significant — ... [Continue Reading]
Without Federal Protections, Farm Workers Risk Coronavirus Infection to Harvest Crops
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It’s a busy time for the tomato-producing farms in this part of the state. Farms have staffed up with hundreds of workers, most of whom are Latino. Some live locally. Others are migrant workers who travel from farm to farm, ... [Continue Reading]
With Caveats, Hopeful News for Preschools Planning Young Kids’ Return
Sabrina Lira Garcia is proud to work as a clinical assistant in the COVID-19 ward of a Los Angeles hospital, but sometimes she wishes she could just stay home with her infant son until the pandemic is over. Pulling her child from day care has never ... [Continue Reading]
Covered California Announces Record-Low Rate Hike for 2021
Premiums for health plans sold through Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act insurance exchange, will rise an average of 0.6% next year — the smallest hike since it started providing coverage in 2014, the agency announced ... [Continue Reading]
Hospital Merger in Washington State Stokes Fears About Catholic Limits on Care
The proposed merger of a well-regarded secular hospital system and a larger Roman Catholic system in Washington state has triggered new alarms about religious restrictions on patients’ access to care. Virginia Mason Health System and CHI ... [Continue Reading]
Don’t Count on Lower Premiums Despite Pandemic-Driven Boon for Insurers
When COVID-19 smacked the United States in March and April, health plans feared medical costs could skyrocket, jacking up premiums drastically in 2021, when millions of the newly unemployed might still be out of work. But something else happened: ... [Continue Reading]
Get the Data: Hollowed-Out Public Health System Faces More Cuts Amid Virus
There is no comprehensive data on government public health spending and staffing in the U.S., and KHN and the Associated Press spent months gathering different datasets, each measuring a slightly different concept of “public health,” into ... [Continue Reading]
Must-Reads of the Week From Lauren Olsen
Hiya! I’m Lauren Olsen, your new Newsletter Editor. That’s right — the totally official, no more fill-ins, always-here-for-you Newsletter Editor. As the replacement for editor extraordinaire Brianna Labuskes, I’m here to tackle all ... [Continue Reading]
Less-Lethal Weapons Blind, Maim and Kill. Victims Say Enough Is Enough.
There’s a gap in Scott Olsen’s memory for the night of Oct. 25, 2011. The Iraq War vet remembers leaving his tech job in the San Francisco Bay Area and taking a BART train to join an Occupy Oakland protest against economic and social ... [Continue Reading]
Sex In The Time Of COVID: Gay Men Begin To Embrace A ‘New Normal’
Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a primary care physician in Los Angeles, has treated gay men for decades. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he said, many patients have so dramatically changed their sexual behavior that they shrug off the need for ... [Continue Reading]
Listen: Outbreak of Trench Fever Grips Coloradans
KHN senior correspondent Markian Hawryluk joined KUNC’s Henry Zimmerman on “Colorado Edition” to discuss his recent story about an outbreak of trench fever, a rare disease carried by body lice. Public health officials are trying to ... [Continue Reading]
Medicaid Mystery: Millions of Enrollees Haven’t Materialized in California
The predictions were dire: Coronavirus lockdowns would put millions of Americans out of work, stripping them of their health insurance and pushing them into Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income people. In California, Gov. Gavin ... [Continue Reading]
Ever Heard of a Surgical Assistant? Meet a New Boost to Your Medical Bills
Izzy Benasso was playing a casual game of tennis with her father on a summer Saturday when she felt her knee pop. She had torn a meniscus, one of the friction-reducing pads in the knee, locking it in place at a 45-degree angle. Although she suspected ... [Continue Reading]
Essential and in Danger: Coronavirus Sickens, Even Kills Public Health Workers
As a veteran public health worker, Chantee Mack knew the coronavirus could kill. She already faced health challenges and didn’t want to take any chances during the pandemic. So she asked — twice — for permission to work from home. She was ... [Continue Reading]
Behind The Byline: ‘Reporting From a Distance’
https://khn.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/Anna-A-BTB-w-copyedit.mp4 ... [Continue Reading]
As Coronavirus Patients Skew Younger, Tracing Task Seems All But Impossible
Use Our Content This story can be republished for free (details). Younger people are less likely to be hospitalized or die of COVID-19 than their elders, but they circulate more freely while ... [Continue Reading]
An Ickier Outbreak: Trench Fever Spread by Lice Is Found in Denver
DENVER — Dr. Michelle Barron, medical director of infection prevention and control at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, received an unusual call last month from the microbiology lab: confirmation of the third case this year of trench fever, a ... [Continue Reading]