Category: COVID-19

The ACA Marketplace Is Open Again for Insurance Sign-Ups. Here’s What You Need to Know.

On Monday, the federal insurance exchange reopened for an unusual midyear special enrollment period. People who are uninsured can buy a plan, and those who want to change their marketplace coverage can do so. Here are some answers about how it works.

Anti-Immigrant Vitriol Complicates Vaccine Rollout in Southern States

Inoculating the millions of undocumented workers who produce America’s agricultural bounty will be key to achieving herd immunity against covid-19. But garnering the trust of these workers is proving complicated, particularly in the South, where the last four years have been marked by workplace raids and anti-immigrant vitriol.

Anti-Immigrant Vitriol Complicates Vaccine Rollout in Southern States

Inoculating the millions of undocumented workers who produce America’s agricultural bounty will be key to achieving herd immunity against covid-19. But garnering the trust of these workers is proving complicated, particularly in the South, where the last four years have been marked by workplace raids and anti-immigrant vitriol.

S.D. Governor Gives State High Marks in Handling the Pandemic. Are They Deserved?

While South Dakota is excelling in vaccine distribution and in keeping its economy intact, some health measures show the state is also dealing with one of the highest per capita covid death rates in the country.

Counterfeit N95 Scam Widens as Senator Demands FTC Investigation

Authorities seized 1.7 million fake masks in New York and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell called for a national probe.

Lack of Covid Data on People with Intellectual Disabilities ‘Comes With a Body Count’

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are more likely to have medical conditions that make covid especially dangerous. But a lack of federal tracking means no one knows how many people in disability group housing have fallen ill or died from the virus.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: All About Budget Reconciliation

Even while the Senate is busy with Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, the House has gotten down to work on a covid relief bill using the budget reconciliation process. Meanwhile, the watchword for covid this week among the public is confusion — over masks, vaccines and just about everything else science-related. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, the panelists recommend their favorite “health policy valentines” along with their favorite health policy stories they think you should read, too.

Health Workers and Hospitals Grapple With Millions of Counterfeit N95 Masks

Masks imitating the real thing are flooding U.S. ports, and authorities can hardly keep pace.

Tech Companies Mobilize to Schedule Vaccine Appointments, But Often Fall Short

Techies and startups have thrown together vaccine appointment websites to address the chaotic rollout of covid shots. But software can’t replace vaccines, and for many people the sites are just another piece of the vaccination “Hunger Games.”

Pandemic-Fueled Alcohol Abuse Creates Wave of Hospitalizations for Liver Disease

Hospitals across the country are seeing rising admissions for alcoholic liver disease, which encompasses hepatitis, cirrhosis and other conditions.