Category: Kaiser Health News

Colorado Will Pay Hospitals to Close Expensive Free-Standing ERs

The state, concerned about the high cost of care at these stand-alone facilities, is offering hospitals more Medicaid money if they convert them to other uses, such as primary care or mental health centers.

As Pandemic Eases, Many Seniors Have Lost Strength, May Need Rehabilitative Services

A little-discussed, long-term toll of the pandemic is that large numbers of older adults have become physically and cognitively debilitated and less able to care for themselves after sheltering in place.

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.

Despite Pandemic, Newsom Declines to Boost Local Public Health Budgets — Again

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has, for the third consecutive year, rejected new state funding for local public health departments. Frustrated legislative leaders and public health officials are trying to change his mind.

Seed Money: Black Entrepreneurs Hope Pandemic Gardening Boom Will Grow Healthier Eating

Rapper DJ Cavem Moetavation is pushing beats and beets. A vegan, he’s selling seeds to encourage more people to eat healthier by growing their own food. His efforts are part of a national movement of Black-owned seed companies that merges pandemic-inspired gardening with efforts to expand healthier food options.

To the Bat Cave: In Search of Covid’s Origins, Scientists Reignite Polarizing Debate on Wuhan ‘Lab Leak’

Leading virologists, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, are demanding a deeper probe into China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology as they try to identify the source of the deadly coronavirus.

Why Your Dentist Might Seem Pushy

Dentists know how to maximize the profits in your mouth. But sometimes it’s outright fraud — to the tune of billions every year.

Racism Derails Black Men’s Health, Even as Education Levels Rise

Researchers who study health among various racial and ethnic groups, as well as the social factors that influence health outcomes, say the findings suggest that the power of discrimination to harm Black men’s health may be more resistant than previously understood.

Doctors Now Must Provide Patients Their Health Data, Online and On Demand

A new federal regulation makes it easy to get test results and see what your doctor is recording about your health. One downside: You might not understand what you read.