Category: Public Health

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Congress Is Out. The Presidential Campaign Is In.

Congress is in recess until after Labor Day, and lawmakers won’t have much time when they return to get the government funded before the next fiscal year. Meanwhile, the Republican campaign for president has begun in earnest, and while repealing the Affordable Care Act is no longer the top promise, some candidates have lively ideas about what to do with federal health programs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Phil Galewitz, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month,” about how a bill that should never have been sent created headaches for one patient.

Best, worst case COVID-19 projections for virus season

COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by 12.1 percent week over week per the most recent CDC data, which was last updated July 31.

‘Conscience’ Bills Let Medical Providers Opt Out of Providing a Wide Range of Care

Opponents of the wave of state legislation say the measures place health providers’ preferences over patients’ rights.

Doctors Sound Alarm About Child Nicotine Poisoning as Vapes Flood the US Market

Popular e-cigarettes lack packaging that stops kids from consuming the hazardous nicotine inside.

EG.5 makes up 11% of US cases: 7 notes on the new subvariant

Health officials have recently started tracking EG.5, an omicron relative that accounts for an estimated 11.4 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases. 

The Real Costs of the New Alzheimer’s Drug, Most of Which Will Fall to Taxpayers

The annual cost of lecanemab treatment quadruples if the expense of brain scans to monitor for bleeds and other associated care is factored in. The full financial toll likely puts it beyond reach for low-income seniors at risk of Alzheimer’s, experts say.

5 states with the highest long COVID prevalence

Almost 6 percent of U.S. adults — about to 20.1 million people —  are experiencing long COVID, according to the CDC’s most recent data. 

For nearly 6 million women, US is a 'dangerous' place to deliver: Report

Access to maternity care in the U.S. is dwindling for millions of women, according to a newly released March of Dimes report. 

What health experts believe may help boost vaccine uptake this fall

Health experts anticipate confusion over risk levels, COVID-19 fatigue and a number of other factors to hinder uptake of new vaccines this fall. Something that could help? Health officials and providers sharing the message that COVID-19 shots, like the…

Leprosy may be endemic in Southeast, CDC says

Cases of leprosy are increasing in Central Florida, fueling a growing body of evidence that the condition has become endemic in the Southeastern U.S., according to the CDC.