This story also ran on Fortune. It can be republished for free. The U.S. government has invested billions of dollars in manufacturing, used a wartime act dozens of times to boost supplies and yet there’s still not enough covid vaccine on the way to meet… Read More »After Billions of Dollars and Dozens of Wartime Declarations, Why Are Vaccines Still in Short Supply?
This story also ran on CNN. It can be republished for free. In the midst of a national shortage of N95 masks, the U.S. government quietly granted an exception to its export ban on protective gear, allowing as many as 5 million of the masks… Read More »Feds OK’d Export of Millions of N95 Masks as U.S. Workers Cried for More
En el este de Tennessee, los médicos han visto de primera mano cómo una política de inmigración dura puede afectar la salud y el bienestar de una comunidad. En 2018, agentes federales allanaron una planta empacadora de carne en Morristown, en el Valle de Tennessee,… Read More »El discurso anti inmigrante complica la vacunación contra covid en estados del sur
This story also ran on Daily Beast. It can be republished for free. In eastern Tennessee, doctors have seen firsthand how a hard-line immigration policy can affect the health and well-being of a community. In 2018, federal agents raided a meatpacking plant in Morristown, a… Read More »Anti-Immigrant Vitriol Complicates Vaccine Rollout in Southern States
At the last minute, President Donald Trump granted pardons to several individuals convicted in huge Medicare swindles that prosecutors alleged often harmed or endangered elderly and infirm patients while fleecing taxpayers. “These aren’t just technical financial crimes. These were major, major crimes,” said Louis Saccoccio,… Read More »Trump’s Pardons Included Health Care Execs Behind Massive Frauds
Anita Baron first noticed something was wrong in August 2018, when she began to drool. Her dentist chalked it up to a problem with her jaw. Then her speech became slurred. She managed to keep her company, which offers financing to small businesses, going, but… Read More »After a Decade of Lobbying, ALS Patients Gain Faster Access to Disability Payments
While millions wait for a lifesaving shot, the U.S. death count from covid-19 continues to soar upward with horrifying speed. On Tuesday, the last full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, the death toll reached 400,000 — a once-unthinkable number. More than 100,000 Americans have perished… Read More »On Trump’s Last Full Day, Nation Records 400,000 Covid Deaths
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. The reverberations from the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump continue. A broad array of business groups, including many from the health industry, are halting contributions to Republicans… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: On Capitol Hill, Actions Have Consequences
Use Our Content It can be republished for free. With just a dozen days left in power, the Trump administration on Friday approved a radically different Medicaid financing system in Tennessee that for the first time would give the state broad authority in running the… Read More »Trump Administration Approves First Medicaid Block Grant, in Tennessee
The party split in Congress is so slim that, even with Democrats technically in the majority, passing major health care legislation will be extremely difficult. So speculation about President-elect Joe Biden’s health agenda has focused on the things he can accomplish using executive authority. Although… Read More »Biden’s First Order of Business May Be to Undo Trump’s Policies, but It Won’t Be Easy
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. Surprise Democratic victories in Georgia’s two runoff elections this week will give Democrats control of the Senate, which means they will be in charge of both houses of Congress and the White House for the… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Georgia Turns the Senate Blue
Hospitals face the new year with new requirements to post price information they have long sought to obscure: the actual prices negotiated with insurers and the discounts they offer their cash-paying customers. The move is part of a larger push by the Trump administration to… Read More »Hospital Prices Just Got a Lot More Transparent. What Does This Mean for You?
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. COVID-19 was the dominant — but not the only — health policy story of 2020. In this special year-in-review episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” podcast, panelists look back at some of the biggest non-coronavirus… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: 2020 in Review — It Wasn’t All COVID
It was a down-in-the-mud presidential campaign, but the dirtiest part comes on Inauguration Day. As Joe Biden lifts his right hand to take the oath of office at noon on Jan. 20 at the Capitol, a team of specially trained cleaners will be lifting their… Read More »As Biden Gets Sworn In, White House Will Get Scrubbed Down
This story was produced in partnership with PolitiFact. It can be republished for free. A Florida taxi driver and his wife had seen enough conspiracy theories online to believe the virus was overblown, maybe even a hoax. So no masks for them. Then they got… Read More »Lie of the Year: The Downplay and Denial of the Coronavirus
The percentage of Americans with natural immunity from getting COVID-19 is “a very powerful vaccine in itself.” — President Donald Trump on Dec. 8 at a White House Operation Warp Speed vaccine summit This story was produced in partnership with PolitiFact. It can be republished… Read More »Trump’s Wrong. 15% ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Not on Par With Strength of a Vaccine
The Trump administration wants to require the Department of Health and Human Services to review most of its regulations by 2023 — and automatically void those not assessed in time. A proposed rule would require HHS to analyze within 24 months about 2,400 regulations —… Read More »Trump Plan May Set Clock Ticking on Many Health Rules — Setting Off Alarms
Until October, Andrea LaRew was paying $950 a month for health insurance through her job at the Northwest Douglas County Chamber & Economic Development Corp. in the metro Denver area. Her company didn’t contribute anything toward the premium. Plus, LaRew and her husband had a… Read More »Trump Rule Gives Small Companies a New Tool to Help Workers Buy Health Coverage
April 16 was a big day for Moderna, a Massachusetts biotech company on the verge of becoming a front-runner in the U.S. government’s race for a coronavirus vaccine. It had received roughly half a billion dollars in federal funding to develop a COVID shot that… Read More »How Pharma Money Colors Operation Warp Speed’s Quest to Defeat COVID
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. President-elect Joe Biden is still being blocked from launching his official transition while President Donald Trump contests the outcome of the election. That could be particularly dangerous for public health as COVID-19 spreads around the… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Transition Troubles Mount as COVID Spreads
Not long after the world learned that President Donald Trump had lost his reelection bid, states began issuing a new round of crackdowns and emergency declarations against the surging coronavirus. Taking action this time were Republican governors who had resisted doing so during the spring… Read More »Trump’s Lame-Duck Status Leaves Governors to Wing It on COVID
Health insurance companies will have to give their customers estimated out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs and disclose to the public the negotiated prices they pay for drugs, under an unexpected new Trump administration rule. The administration said those requirements, part of a broader rule issued… Read More »Surprise Federal Drug Rule Directs Insurers to Reveal What They Pay for Prescription Drugs
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. Five days after the election was called for President-elect Joe Biden, President Donald Trump has not conceded — and instead ordered his administration not to begin the transition of power. That could have serious… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Transition Interrupted
Sacramento.- Cuando la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos esté escuchando el martes 10 un caso que podría decidir el destino de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA), California liderará la defensa de la ley federal que impacta en casi todos… Read More »Fiscal general de California: los jueces deben ver que ACA es “indispensable”
In Ethiopia, health clinics for teenagers once supported by U.S. foreign aid closed down. In Kenya, a decades-long effort to integrate HIV testing and family planning unraveled. And in Nepal, intrepid government workers who once traversed the Himalayas to spread information about reproductive health were… Read More »Trump’s Anti-Abortion Zeal Shook Fragile Health Systems Around the World
SACRAMENTO — When the U.S. Supreme Court hears a case Tuesday that could decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act, California will be leading the defense to uphold the federal law that touches nearly every aspect of the country’s health care system. It’s usually… Read More »Justices Bound to See ACA as ‘Indispensable,’ Says Californian Leading Defense
Sin un ganador y sin saber todavía qué partido controlará el Senado, el futuro del sistema de salud de la nación también sigue siendo incierto. Lo que está en juego es si el gobierno federal desempeñará un papel más importante en el financiamiento y el… Read More »Sin presidente todavía, el futuro de la salud también sigue siendo incierto
With the winner of the presidency and party control of the Senate still unclear the morning after Election Day, the future of the nation’s health system remains uncertain. At stake is whether the federal government will play a stronger role in financing and setting the… Read More »No Winner for President Yet and Health Care Hangs in the Balance
SACRAMENTO — For deep blue California, where first-in-the-nation health care proposals regularly flood the Democratic agenda, there could not be more at stake in the presidential race. If Republican President Donald Trump prevails, Democratic state lawmakers worry, they’ll be forced to scale back their ambitious… Read More »California’s Progressive — and Expensive — Health Care Ambitions Rely on Biden Win
At the top of Dr. Hiral Tipirneni’s to-do list if she wins her congressional race: work with other elected officials to encourage mask mandates and to beef up COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Those choices are backed up by science, said Tipirneni, an emergency room… Read More »‘It’s Science, Stupid’: A School Subject Emerges as a Hot-Button Political Issue
If they’ve been listening to President Donald Trump, seniors may be expecting a $200 debit card in the mail any day now to help them pay for prescription drugs. He promised as much this month, saying his administration soon will mail the drug cards to… Read More »A $200 Debit Card Won’t Do Much for Seniors’ Drug Costs
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said this week that “we’re not going to control the pandemic,” effectively conceding that the administration has pivoted from prevention to treatment. But COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: As Cases Spike, White House Declares Pandemic Over
“Because our family couldn’t afford health insurance, Obama/Biden penalized us about $10,000, then took that $10,000 and used it to pay for others’ free Obamacare. Trump ended that theft.” In a Facebook post, Oct. 20, 2020 A viral Facebook post claims that former President Barack… Read More »A $10,000 Obamacare Penalty? Doubtful.
President Donald Trump entered office seeking a massive overhaul of the Medicaid program, which had just experienced the biggest growth spurt in its 50-year history. His administration supported repealing the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, which has added millions of adults to the federal-state health… Read More »The Trump Medicaid Record: Big Goals, Yet Few Successes
If President Donald Trump wins reelection next week, it seems unlikely he will unveil the health plan he’s been promising since before his election in 2016. Still, other aspects of health care could be featured in his second-term agenda. Not having a replacement plan for… Read More »If Trump Wins, Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for That ACA Replacement Plan
Florida’s plan to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada — designed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and endorsed by President Donald Trump — has tasted its first bitter pill. No private firms bid on Florida’s $30 million contract to set up and operate a drug importation… Read More »Florida Fails to Attract Bidders for Canada Drug Importation Program
Colorado voters are deciding a ballot question that seeks to limit how far into pregnancy an abortion can be legally performed. While the measure would change the law only in Colorado, it would resonate throughout the Rocky Mountain states and Midwest amid an intensifying national… Read More »Colorado Initiative Would Further Limit Access in Middle America’s ‘Abortion Desert’
It’s a tried-and-true campaign strategy. Candidates go on the attack, claiming their opponent will do harm to Medicare. After all, people 65 and older are good about making it to the polls on Election Day. These voters are also generally motivated to protect the federal… Read More »Arguing to Undo the ACA. Harming Medicare. Do They Go Hand in Hand?
In the second and final debate of the 2020 presidential race, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden sparred over Trump’s handling of the pandemic and Biden’s plan to reform health care. In stark contrast to the first debate, there was more policy… Read More »In Tamer Debate, Trump and Biden Clash (Again) on President’s Pandemic Response
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. For the first time in a long time, there is some good news about the coronavirus pandemic: Although cases continue to climb, fewer people seem to be dying. And there are fewer cases than expected… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A Little Good News and Some Bad on COVID-19
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed to have saved 2 million lives from COVID-19 through his actions to combat the disease. Recently, he made the assertion during the NBC News town hall on Oct. 15 that replaced the second presidential debate. “But we were expected… Read More »Trump Says He Saved 2 Million Lives From COVID. Really?
On Monday, President Donald Trump claimed that the World Health Organization (WHO) “admitted” he was correct that using lockdowns to control the spread of COVID-19 was more damaging than the illness. In a post on Twitter, Trump wrote: “The World Health Organization just admitted that… Read More »No, the WHO Didn’t Change Its Lockdown Stance or ‘Admit’ Trump Was Right
Los gigantes farmacéuticos Regeneron y Gilead Sciences obtuvieron el tipo de publicidad que el dinero no puede comprar luego que el presidente Donald Trump tomara sus medicamentos experimentales para tratar su infección por coronavirus, y se declarara completamente recuperado después de dejar el hospital. “Fue… Read More »COVID-19: las farmacéuticas elogiadas por Trump mandan dinero a Biden
Pharmaceutical giants Regeneron and Gilead Sciences got the kind of publicity money can’t buy this week after President Donald Trump took their experimental drugs for his coronavirus infection, left the hospital and pronounced himself fully recovered. “It was, like, unbelievable. I felt good immediately,” Trump… Read More »As Trump Touts His ‘Great’ COVID Drugs, the Pharma Cash Flows to Biden, Not Him
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis — and that of two dozen or more other officials in the White House and Capitol Hill — has scrambled an already confusing autumn. The president’s illness has thrown into… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Trump vs. COVID
The Trump administration’s pandemic response: decisive action that saved lives, or the greatest failure of any presidential administration? During Wednesday’s vice presidential debate, Vice President Mike Pence and the Democratic challenger, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, offered drastically different takes — from behind plexiglass screens… Read More »In Debate, Pence and Harris Offer Conflicting Views of Nation’s Reality
Within one day, President Donald Trump announced his COVID diagnosis and was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment. The flurry of events was stunning, confusing and triggered many questions. What was his prognosis? When was he last tested for COVID-19? What… Read More »Does the Federal Health Information Privacy Law Protect President Trump?
As trust in the Food and Drug Administration wavers, several states have vowed to conduct independent reviews of any COVID-19 vaccine the federal agency authorizes. But top health experts say such vetting may be misguided, even if it reflects a well-founded lack of confidence in… Read More »Distrusting Trump, States Plan to Vet COVID Vaccines Themselves. Bad Idea, Say Experts.
President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis is raising fresh questions about the White House’s strategy for testing and containing the virus for a president whose cavalier attitude about the coronavirus has persisted since it landed on American shores. The president has said others are tested before… Read More »The Mysterious White House Testing Scheme That Did Not Protect Trump
El diagnóstico de COVID-19 del presidente Donald Trump está generando nuevas preguntas sobre la estrategia de la Casa Blanca para realizar pruebas y contener la propagación del virus, con un presidente que ha tenido una actitud arrogante desde que el coronavirus aterrizó en suelo estadounidense.… Read More »El sistema de pruebas para COVID de la Casa Blanca no protegió al presidente
Nils Hase, a retiree who lives in Tarpon Springs, Florida, is wearing a mask and loading his Home Depot haul into his car on a recent weekday afternoon. In the store, because Home Depot insists customers and staff across the country wear masks, most faces… Read More »Wear a Mask. If Only It Were That Simple.
In a wide-ranging executive order, President Donald Trump this month outlined some of the efforts he has made to affect health care since taking office. One involved uninsured people and the current pandemic. The administration, Trump said, set up a program to provide them “access… Read More »Trump’s COVID Program for Uninsured People: It Exists, but Falls Short
The first minutes of Tuesday’s presidential debate immediately turned to how President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg could undo the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with preexisting conditions. “There’s 100 million people that have preexisting conditions,”… Read More »Biden’s in the Ballpark on How Many People Have Preexisting Conditions
President Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president in a 70-minute speech from the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday night. Speaking to a friendly crowd that didn’t appear to be observing social distancing conventions, and with few participants wearing masks,… Read More »Republican Convention, Day 4: Fireworks … and Shining a Light on Trump’s Claims
President Donald Trump told the American people this week that convalescent plasma is a potential new treatment for COVID-19. His announcement followed the Food and Drug Administration’s decision Sunday to grant fast-track authorization for its emergency use as a treatment for hospitalized COVID patients. This… Read More »5 Things to Know About Convalescent Blood Plasma
Vice President Mike Pence portrayed his boss, President Donald Trump, as a leader who has reached out across the aisle to help during the coronavirus pandemic. “President Trump marshaled the full resources of the federal government and directed us to forge a seamless partnership with… Read More »Pence Praises Trump’s ‘Seamless’ COVID Response, Leaves Out His State Feuds
In accepting the Republican Party nomination Wednesday night, Vice President Mike Pence accurately recounted the history of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry, and how a failed British bombardment in 1814 helped inspire Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Pence’s claims about the Trump administration as well… Read More »Republican Convention, Day 3: Revisionist History
The Republican National Convention offered Americans a picture Tuesday night of a compassionate White House in action. But not a lot was said about the biggest health crisis in a century that has killed more than 170,000 people in this country. First lady Melania Trump… Read More »Republican Convention, Day 2: Pomp, the Pandemic and Planned Parenthood
President Donald Trump has long considered lowering the high cost of prescription drugs to be one of his signature issues, and it is likely to be a talking point he relies on throughout the upcoming campaign. During his afternoon speech Monday ― delivered on the… Read More »Trump Again Claims He’s Bringing Down Drug Prices, But Details of How Are Skimpy
Experts raise concern over compound that has not been proven safe but could reach public as dietary supplement Allies of Donald Trump have promoted a plant extract called oleandrin to people seeking to ward off Covid-19. The plant the extract is derived from, oleander, is… Read More »Oleandrin: Trump allies pitch extract from poisonous plant to fight Covid
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. Democrats have shown a remarkably united front, including on health care, in their socially distant, made-for-TV convention this week. That’s likely due, at least in part, to the physical separation of party members who disagree… Read More »KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Democrats in Array (For Now)
The second night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention featured a 17-person keynote speech, past presidents, a roll call vote that doubled as a virtual tour of the United States and an emphasis on health care and national security issues. Ady Barkan, a health care… Read More »Democratic Convention, Night 2: Defending the ACA and Attacking Trump on Pandemic
On the first night of the Democrats’ 2020 national convention, one thing was clear. This time would be different. No crowds, buttons, placards or party swag. The coronavirus pandemic was an ever-present theme. Still, there was a virtual National Anthem and everyday people offering their… Read More »Democratic Convention, Night 1: Hitting Trump Team on Pandemic Preparedness
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. California Sen. Kamala Harris, the newly named running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, doesn’t have a lot of background in health policy. But that’s unlikely to prevent Republicans from using her on-again,… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Kamala Harris on Health
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 the 3½ years since he set up shop in the Oval Office,… Read More »Back to the Future: Trump’s History of Promising a Health Plan That Never Comes
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. President Donald Trump keeps promising to unveil a comprehensive plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, but it keeps not appearing. However, this week he did order an expansion of telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries and… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Still Waiting for That Trump Health Plan
In a heated exchange late last month on CNN’s State of the Union, host Jake Tapper pressed Adm. Brett Giroir, the Health and Human Services assistant secretary who oversees COVID testing efforts for the Trump administration, on why the government isn’t requiring commercial labs to… Read More »Could Labs That Test Livestock Ease COVID Testing Backlog for People? Well … Maybe.
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. President Donald Trump’s pivot to a more serious view of the coronavirus pandemic didn’t last long. This week, he was again touting hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug that has not been shown to work against the… Read More »KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Republicans in COVID Disarray
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 your health news needs. Why yes, you’re right — a pandemic is… Read More »Must-Reads of the Week From Lauren Olsen
President Donald Trump came into office vowing to repeal and replace Obamacare. While he successfully neutralized the health care law’s requirement that everyone carry insurance, the law remains in effect. When Fox News host Chris Wallace noted that Trump has yet to put forward a replacement… Read More »With DACA Ruling, Did Supreme Court Grant Trump New Powers To Reshape Health Care?
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. President Donald Trump — who has spent the past six months trying to play down the coronavirus pandemic — seems to have pivoted. In back-to-back briefings on July 21 and 22, Trump cautioned that the… Read More »KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Trump Twists on Virus Response
In advance of an upcoming road trip with her elderly parents, Wendy Epstein’s physician agreed it would be “prudent” for her and her kids to get tested for COVID-19. Seeing the tests as a “medical need,” the doctor said insurance would likely pay for them,… Read More »For COVID Tests, the Question of Who Pays Comes Down to Interpretation
The Friday Breeze Want to read the best and most provocative stories from the week? Welcome to the Friday Breeze, where we compile them all — so you’re set with your weekend reading. While you, loyal reader, wait for a wonderful new permanent Friday Breeze… Read More »Must-Reads of the Week
What The Health? · The Trump Administration’s War on Fauci Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. Julie Rovner Kaiser Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s Stories Erin Mershon STAT @eemershon Read Erin’s Stories Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico @AliceOllstein Read Alice’s Stories Paige… Read More »KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Trump Administration’s War on Fauci
Julie Rovner, KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, on Wednesday joined Rob Ferrett, host of “Central Time” on Wisconsin Public Radio, to discuss the Trump administration’s announcement that hospital data on coronavirus cases will no longer be routed to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention… Read More »Listen: A Bureaucratic Shuffle for Hospital COVID Data
The Friday Breeze Want to read the best and most provocative stories from the week? Welcome to the Friday Breeze, where we compile them all — so you’re set with your weekend reading. Another week has gone by, and the biggest news remains that COVID… Read More »Must-Reads Of The Week
No other country will be able to buy remdesivir, which can help recovery from Covid-19, for next three months at least Coronavirus – latest US updates Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The US has bought up virtually all the stocks for… Read More »US secures world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir