Category: Public Health

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Biden Hits the Road to Sell Democrats’ Record

With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, President Joe Biden has taken to the road to convince voters that he and congressional Democrats have delivered for them during two years in power. Among the health issues highlighted by the administration this week are pandemic preparedness and the availability of over-the-counter hearing aids. The president also promised to sign a bill codifying the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade if Democrats maintain control of the House and Senate — even though it’s a long shot that there will be enough votes for that. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Black Death survivors likely passed down gene that raises autoimmune disease risk: study

People who survived the bubonic plague in parts of Europe had mutations in their genes that likely offered protection against the disease, but those same mutations passed down to survivors’ descendants may increase the risk of autoimmune disease, resea…

New Ebola cases may indicate wider spread, health officials say: 4 updates

The eight most recent confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda’s outbreak are not tied to any known infected contacts, raising concern about wider spread, global health officials said during an Oct. 19 update. 

CDC panel recommends COVID-19 shot for routine child vaccinations

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the authorized COVID-19 shots for the Vaccines for Children program Oct. 19, which would waive the vaccine’s fee for uninsured children when federal funds run out. 

Family Caregivers Find Support on #dementia TikTok

The TikTok hashtag “dementia” has billions of views. Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias have been using the site to swap tips and share the burdens of life with dementia.

Blind to Problems: How VA’s Electronic Record System Shuts Out Visually Impaired Patients

Veterans Affairs’ electronic health records aren’t friendly to blind- and low-vision users, whether they’re patients or employees. It’s a microcosm of America’s health care system.

5 Things to Know About Montana’s ‘Born Alive’ Ballot Initiative

A ballot measure that seeks to protect infants following failed abortions would impose stiff penalties on health care providers in Montana.

A personal mission to get obese patients on GLP-1 agonists

Admittedly, this comes to you from a place of concussion-inducing-head-banging-against-brick-walls-level frustration. For the past year, I have made it a personal mission to get people suffering from obesity on GLP-1 agonists. These drugs are all in th…

The new era of COVID-19 surveillance

Alternate data sources — such as wastewater surveillance and population surveys — are emerging as the most effective ways to track local COVID-19 virus trends amid unreliable case data and a departure from daily reporting cadences, Betsy Ladyzhets wrot…

US unveils plan to boost pandemic preparedness: 4 key objectives

The White House on Oct. 18 unveiled a strategy to bolster the nation’s ability to respond to future pandemics and other biological threats, including an objective to manufacture enough of a new vaccine to protect the population within 130 days of a new…