Category: NPR

The actors and their supporters say that the union is dropping nearly 12,000 people — many over the age of 65 — from its healthcare plan at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Compared to last spring, there’s more clinical knowledge about how to treat COVID-19, and bigger stockpiles of protective equipment. But nurses worry about staffing shortages as patient numbers grow.

Whether you’re looking for coverage online or through a broker, be sure to note the difference between a comprehensive health plan and a “junk” plan with limited benefits and coverage restrictions.

With a spike in COVID-19 infections, hospitals in California’s San Joaquin Valley are suffering from a staffing shortage. It’s made worse because hundreds of health care workers are quarantined.

Anyone with lingering effects of COVID-19 should be extra careful in picking a 2021 health plan, specialists say. You now have a “pre-existing condition” that could increase medical expenses in 2021.

Hospitals across the U.S. are struggling as workers contract the coronavirus. It’s especially tough for rural hospitals, where even one doctor out sick can upend the hospital’s patient capacity.

A federal advisory committee to the CDC votes Tuesday on guidelines for who should get COVID-19 vaccines first. The committee is expected to prioritize health care workers and nursing home residents.

Biotech company Moderna has new data reinforcing that its COVID-19 inoculation is safe and effective. The company is submitting an application to the FDA Monday requesting emergency use authorization.

Last spring, nurses and doctors traveled to New York and other COVID hot spots to help overwhelmed hospitals. But with the virus spreading everywhere, hospitals now have nowhere to turn for help.

NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Jasmyne Aseff, a travelling ICU nurse, about what it’s been like fighting the pandemic, from the initial outbreak in New York City to her current position in Missouri.