Category: COVID-19

Judging the Abortion Pill

Any day now a conservative federal judge in Texas could upend the national abortion debate by requiring the FDA to rescind its approval of mifepristone, a drug approved in the U.S. more than 20 years ago that is now used in more than half of abortions nationwide. Meanwhile, a controversial study on masks gets a clarification, although it may be too late to change the public impression of what it found. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent 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.

Covid Aid Papered Over Colorado Hospital’s Financial Shortcomings

Financial pitfalls at the nation’s highest-elevation hospital serve as a cautionary tale as rural hospitals emerge from the pandemic on shaky ground.

March Medicaid Madness

With Medicare and Social Security apparently off the table for federal budget cuts, the focus has turned to Medicaid, the federal-state health program for those with low incomes. President Joe Biden has made it clear he wants to protect the program, along with the Affordable Care Act, but Republicans will likely propose cuts to both […]

Readers and Tweeters Urgently Plea for a Proper ‘Role’ Call in the ER

KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

California Says It Can No Longer Afford Aid for Covid Testing, Vaccinations for Migrants

Gov. Gavin Newsom is winding down state assistance for health care services to migrants seeking asylum. He’s lobbying the Biden administration to increase aid along the state’s southern border.

Era of ‘Free’ Covid Vaccines, Test Kits, and Treatments Is Ending. Who Will Pay the Tab Now?

Insurers, employers, and taxpayers will all be affected as drug manufacturers move these products to the commercial market.

Public Health Agencies Turn to Locals to Extend Reach Into Immigrant Communities

Local health departments combat disparities by funding immigrant and minority community groups and letting them decide how best to spend the money.

Congress Told HHS to Set Up a Health Data Network in 2006. The Agency Still Hasn’t.

Since 2006, federal officials have been charged with setting up a network to let various parts of the U.S. health system share information during emergencies. It still hasn’t been built or even planned, even after the communication and data-sharing failures put on display during the pandemic.

A Secret Weapon in Preventing the Next Pandemic: Fruit Bats

New research links habitat destruction with the spillover of viruses from animals to humans.

Au Revoir, Public Health Emergency

The public health emergency in effect since the start of the covid-19 pandemic will end on May 11, the Biden administration announced this week. The end of the so-called PHE will bring about a raft of policy changes affecting patients, health care providers, and states. But Republicans in Congress, along with some Democrats, have been […]