Category: Public Health

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: An Encore: 3 HHS Secretaries Reveal What the Job Is Really Like

In this special encore episode, KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” asks three people who have served as the nation’s top health official: What does a day in the life of the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services look like? And how much of their agenda is set by the White House? Taped in June before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, part of the Aspen Ideas Festival, in Aspen, Colorado, host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner leads a rare conversation with the current and two former HHS secretaries. Secretary Xavier Becerra and former secretaries Kathleen Sebelius and Alex Azar talk candidly about what it takes to run a department with more than 80,000 employees and a budget larger than those of many countries.

Social Security Chief Orders Broad Review of Benefit Overpayments 

In the wake of an investigation by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group, the SSA acting commissioner said a special teaml will review “overpayment policies and procedures” and report directly back to her.

CDC taps Verily for wastewater surveillance

Verily, the healthcare unit of parent company Alphabet, has won its first CDC contract to support national wastewater monitoring, the company said Oct. 2. 

More Schools Stock Overdose Reversal Meds, but Others Worry About Stigma

Colorado is among several states that ensure schools have access to the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone for free or at reduced cost. But most districts hadn’t signed up by the start of the school year for a state distribution program amid stigma around the lifesaving treatment.

A flu lineage may have been eliminated: WHO

There have been no confirmed detections of infections caused by a family of flu viruses known as Influenza B/Yamagata since March 2020, suggesting it may have been eliminated. Based on that, the World Health Organization recommends leaving it out of fl…

COVID-19 metrics continue decline: 4 updates

COVID-19 hospitalizations have fallen for the second week after the U.S. noted a slight uptick every week since July, according to CDC data. 

Facing Criticism, Feds Award First Maternal Health Grant to a Predominantly Black Rural Area

Mississippi has the highest rate of Black maternal mortality and morbidity in the U.S. Now, it also has a federal grant to help in rural areas. The award could signal more flexibility from federal officials.

Unraveling the complex enigma of obesity [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! We sit down with Franchell Hamilton, a bariatric surgeon, to explore the intriguing link between genetics, brain function, and obesity. She shares her insights into why many patients don&#8…

Social Security Overpayments Draw Scrutiny and Outrage From Members of Congress

Lawmakers are faulting the Social Security Administration for issuing billions of dollars of payments that beneficiaries weren’t entitled to receive — and then demanding the money back — in the wake of an investigation by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group.

HHS unveils $104M project to combat antibiotic resistance

HHS is awarding up to $104 million to a project to combat the growing threat of drug-resistant bacteria, which account for nearly 3.8 million infections a year in the U.S.