Category: COVID-19

Doctors Tell How to Make the Most of Your Telehealth Visits

Public health restrictions put in place during the pandemic are loosening, meaning it’s OK to go back to your doctor’s office. But will virtual visits remain an option?

The ‘Grief Pandemic’ Will Torment Americans for Years

More than 5 million Americans lost a loved one to covid, and the ripple effects could lead to serious illness down the road.

Little-Known Illnesses Turning Up in Covid Long-Haulers

A significant number of post-covid patients suffer from syndromes that few doctors understand.

Mississippi’s Black Communities Turned Around Their Covid Rates. Next Up: Make Strides on Vaccines.

Covid-19 tore through Mississippi’s Black population in the pandemic’s early days, but community efforts slowed the rate. Now health officials and community leaders aim to replicate the success as they dole out vaccines.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Return of the Public Option

Lawmakers are working on fleshing out the concept of a “public option,” a government-run or heavily regulated insurance plan that would compete with private insurance. But the details are complicated, both substantively and politically. Meanwhile, bioethicists are debating whether the U.S. should be vaccinating low-risk adolescents against covid-19 while high-risk adults in other countries are still waiting. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Rachana Pradhan of KHN 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.

‘Better Than the Hospital’: Pandemic Boosts Care for Serious Illnesses at Home

Covid-19 and dozens of other illnesses now qualify for home treatment under a new federal effort aimed at freeing up hospital beds during public health emergencies.

Corporations Encourage Employee Vaccination but Stop Short of Mandates

Public health officials fear that requiring jabs on the job would create a noisy, counterproductive backlash.

Pandemic Leads Doctors to Rethink Unnecessary Treatment

Covid-caused delays in medical treatments and surgeries are producing data for health care providers to take another look at what’s needed and what isn’t.

No-Cancel Culture: How Telehealth Is Making It Easier to Keep That Therapy Session

No-shows for behavioral health appointments have been a long-standing problem, with up to 60% skipped. Now telehealth, fueled by the pandemic, makes it easier for people dealing with depression and other mental health issues to make it to their appointments at a time when such care is in high demand. But teletherapy creates other challenges.