Category: COVID-19

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: A Not-So-Health-y GOP Debate

The first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 cycle took place without front-runner Donald Trump — and with hardly a mention of health issues save for abortion. Meanwhile, in Florida, patients dropped from the Medicaid program are suing the state for not giving them enough notice or a way to contest their being dropped from the program. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

Timing and Cost of New Vaccines Vary by Virus and Health Insurance Status

Flu. Covid. RSV. When and how to get vaccinated against them can be confusing. Here are some of the most important things to know.

The Painful Pandemic Lessons Mandy Cohen Carries to the CDC

Mandy Cohen, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, earned praise for her leadership and communication as the face of North Carolina’s response to covid-19. People in the state’s most vulnerable communities tell a more complicated story.

Few Firm Beliefs and Low Trust: Americans Not Sure What’s True in Age of Health Misinformation

A new poll from KFF shows many Americans aren’t willing to embrace misinformation — but aren’t willing to reject it either. And they don’t know whom to trust.

The CDC Works to Overhaul Lab Operations After Covid Test Flop

In early 2020, U.S. public health labs received covid-19 tests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that were flawed, as a result of poor design and contamination. Now the CDC is overhauling its lab operations, but efforts to be better prepared for future threats won’t be easy, observers say.

How a Combination of Covid Lawsuits and Media Coverage Keeps Misinformation Churning

Even as the covid-19 pandemic wanes, litigation — whether about vaccines, masks, or a range of other public health policies made during the pandemic — isn’t about to end.

The DEA Relaxed Online Prescribing Rules During Covid. Now It Wants to Rein Them In.

Supporters say the proposed rules would balance the goals of increasing access to health care and helping prevent medication misuse. Opponents say the rules would make it difficult for some patients — especially those in rural areas — to get care.

Live from Aspen: Three HHS Secretaries on What the Job Is Really Like

In this special episode of KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner leads a rare conversation with the current and two former secretaries of Health and Human Services. Taped before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, part of the Aspen Ideas Festival, in Aspen, Colorado, Secretary Xavier Becerra […]

Doctor Lands in the Doghouse After Giving Covid Vaccine Waivers Too Freely

Richard Coble issued vaccine waivers to patients in at least three states without examining them. He was exposed by a Nashville TV station that bought a waiver for a Labrador retriever named Charlie.

Tech Luminaries Give RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Message a Boost

The views of the leader of a broad anti-vaccine movement who is now running for president are unchallenged in public forums run by several prominent Silicon Valley figures.