Category: CDC

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Hot Covid Summer

The summer that promised to let Americans resume a relatively normal life is turning into another summer of anxiety and face masks, as the delta variant drives covid caseloads up in all 50 states. Meanwhile, the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 35, and the Missouri Supreme Court orders the state to expand Medicaid after all. Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Samantha Young, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about an Olympic-level athlete with an Olympic-size medical bill.

Delta Variant Surges in Colorado as the Bands Play On

Mesa County is a breeding ground for the covid-19 delta variant, but few would guess with tens of thousands of people flocking to the state’s largest country music festival.

What It Means When Celebrities Stay Coy About Their Vaccine Status

St. Louis Blues leading scorer David Perron took 10 days to explain he had indeed been vaccinated before he caught covid-19, which knocked him from playing in the NHL playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche. His case and those of other public figures raise questions about the role of celebrity in enticing people to get covid vaccinations.

Not All Experts Are Ready to Vaccinate Kids Against Covid

Rare reports of minor heart damage have convinced some scientists that further study is needed before racing to extend covid shots to more children.

Being Vaccinated Doesn’t Mean You Must Go Maskless. Here’s Why.

It won’t hurt to remain cautious, even as California reopens for business in response to mass vaccinations and diminishing cases of covid.

Many New Moms Get Kicked Off Medicaid 2 Months After Giving Birth. Illinois Will Change That.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of new mothers lose Medicaid coverage after 60 days when their income exceeds limits. But deadly childbirth complications persist months longer.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Roe v. Wade on the Ropes

The newly conservative Supreme Court will hear a case that could overturn the nationwide right to abortion and cause political upheaval. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s abrupt announcement that vaccinated people can take off their masks in most places has caused upheaval of its own. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Stark Racial Disparities Persist in Vaccinations, State-Level CDC Data Shows

Black Americans’ vaccination rates still trail all other groups, while Hispanics show improvement. Native Americans show the strongest rates nationally.

Riding Herd on Mental Health in Colorado Ranching Country

Lack of access and infrastructure, stigma and isolation intensify a mental health crisis in agricultural communities.

Detecting Rare Blood Clots Was a Win, But US Vaccine Safety System Still Has Gaps

With some 100 million Americans fully vaccinated, the U.S. is relying on a patchwork network of vaccine monitoring systems that lack the breadth and depth of large, population-based programs, experts said.