Category: Kaiser Health News

Can Vaccination and Infection Rates Add Up to Reach Covid Herd Immunity?

A financial research firm offered its take on when states might be reaching the sought-after status of herd immunity. But some experts say the analysis is oversimplified.

Role Reversal: Covid Increases Ranks of Child Caregivers

Millions of teens and preteens help care for ill parents or grandparents. The pandemic has boosted their numbers while making it harder for them to get social and emotional support outside the home.

Doctors Debate Use of Blood Thinners to Prevent Clots in Women After C-Sections

One group of maternal health experts in 2016 urged doctors to give all women heparin shots after C-sections, barring specific medical risks for individual patients. But many physicians disagree, questioning whether wide use of the drug is effective, worth the cost and safe, since it carries the risk of bleeding.

Analysis: The Trump Health Care Policies That Deserve to Stick Around

President Joe Biden may want to continue the previous administration’s efforts to lower drug prices and make medical costs transparent.

How Covid Has Changed Our Movement, as Revealed by Your Cellphone

Californians are venturing out to shop, dine and work far more now than a year ago, when state officials issued the first sweeping stay-at-home order. But we’re still sticking to home way more than before the pandemic, according to mobile phone tracking data.

For Spring Season, Young Athletes Get Back in the Game Despite Covid Risk

With schools opening up classrooms, millions of young athletes are also getting out on fields and courts. But pandemic precautions and delays are spurring conflicts among parents, coaches and doctors.

‘Painless’ Glucose Monitors Pushed Despite Little Evidence They Help Most Diabetes Patients

The numbers of people wearing these monitors are soaring as prices have fallen and device-makers promote them to doctors and patients. But few studies show the devices lead to better outcomes for the nearly 25 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes who don’t inject insulin to regulate their blood sugar.

Covid Cases Plummet 83% Among Nursing Home Staffers Despite Vaccine Hesitancy

Federal records show a steep decline in staff covid cases since December, when health care workers at thousands of nursing homes began getting their shots. Still, many are reluctant to get vaccinated.

The Boom in Out-of-State Telehealth Threatens In-State Providers

Health provider conflicts, fraud and access disparity temper the covid telehealth revolution.

A Year Into the Pandemic, Three Huge Losses in One Family

The Aldaco family of Phoenix suffered more than most in this year of unfathomable losses. Three brothers perished in the pandemic: Jose in July, Heriberto in December and Gonzalo in February.