Category: Kaiser Health News

Biden’s Straight-Talking CDC Director Has Long Used Data to Save Lives

Dr. Rochelle Walensky said scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were “muzzled” and “diminished” by the Trump team, especially during the pandemic. She aims to fix that.

With GOP Back at Helm, Montana Renews Push to Sniff Out Welfare Fraud

Montana is one of the latest states looking to aggressively check welfare eligibility to cut costs. Supporters of such steps say it’s about what’s fair — weeding out those who don’t qualify for assistance — while opponents say it will cut loose enrollees who actually need help.

Covid Vaccine Websites Violate Disability Laws, Create Inequity for the Blind

A KHN investigation found covid vaccine registration and information websites at the federal, state and local levels are flouting disability rights laws and limiting the ability of people who are blind or visually impaired to sign up for shots.

‘It’s a Minefield’: Biden Health Pick Must Tread Carefully on Abortion and Family Planning

President Biden vowed to reverse reproductive health restrictions enacted by President Trump. His pick to run HHS, Xavier Becerra, fought the Trump efforts but must now navigate a difficult legal and political landscape.

Lessons From California Prison Where Covid ‘Spread Like Wildfire’

One California county is home to the two worst clusters of covid in prisons in the country. Ninety-four percent of Avenal State Prison’s inmates contracted the virus. Physical distancing has proved impossible in a facility housing 50% more people than it should.

‘It Doesn’t Feel Worth It’: Covid Is Pushing New York’s EMTs to the Brink

Struggling with low pay and high stress, New York paramedics and EMTs are reaching a breaking point.

It’s Time to Get Back to Normal? Not According to Science.

With covid, and its newly emerging variants, still circulating throughout the nation and the world, experts say it is definitely not the time to abandon efforts to control the virus’s spread.

Calling All Vaccinators: Closing the Next Gap in Covid Supply and Demand

In the herculean effort to vaccinate America, the emphasis so far has been on trying to increase the number of vaccine doses available. Soon there could be a shortfall in people to administer the shots.

Covid Strikes Clergy as They Comfort Pandemic’s Sick and Dying

Spiritual leaders risk their own lives and health to tend to covid’s victims and their loved ones.

After Billions of Dollars and Dozens of Wartime Declarations, Why Are Vaccines Still in Short Supply?

The Trump and Biden administrations both imposed wartime production requirements. But industry experts say the vast quantities of raw materials and specialty equipment needed for billions of newfangled vaccines have required herculean logistical efforts.