Category: Public Health

Social Security Overpays Billions to People, Many on Disability. Then It Asks for the Money Back.

Beneficiaries in five states described what happened when they received demands to return overpayments that reached up to tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Rural Nursing Home Supporters Fear Proposed Staffing Standards Will Trigger More Closures

The Biden administration says a recently proposed minimum staffing standard would help ensure quality care, but nursing home leaders predict many rural facilities would struggle to meet it.

A New Covid Booster Is Here. Will Those at Greatest Risk Get It?

The CDC says everyone over 6 months old should get the new covid booster. But the emergency response mechanisms that supported earlier vaccine campaigns are gone. As one expert wonders: How to get boosters to people beyond Democrats, college graduates, and those with high incomes?

HHS launches program providing free COVID shots to the uninsured

The HHS has officially launched its Bridge Access Program to support access to free COVID-19 vaccines for uninsured Americans, according to a Sept. 14 news release.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Underinsured Is the New Uninsured

The annual U.S. Census Bureau report this week revealed a drop in the uninsured rate last year as more working-age people obtained employer coverage. However, this year’s end of pandemic-era protections — which allowed many people to stay on Medicaid — is likely to have changed that picture quite a bit since. Meanwhile, reports show […]

Where COVID admissions are highest, rising fastest

There were nearly 19,000 new COVID-19 admissions in U.S. hospitals for the week ending Sept. 2, according to the latest data from the CDC. 

Abortion Bans Fuel a Rise in High-Risk Patients Heading to Illinois Hospitals

High-risk patients from states that heavily restrict abortion are coming to hospitals in states such as Illinois that protect abortion rights. The journey can mean more medical risks and higher bills.

Triple set of vaccines coming: What to know

Vaccines for the three most closely watched viruses — COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus — will soon be available just before the respiratory virus season is in full swing.

BA.2.86 prevalence, by state

The omicron subvariant BA.2.86 has been identified in at least seven states as of Sept. 13, according to outbreak.info, a platform that tracks data on COVID-19 variants and is supported by the CDC and other national research groups.

Why the CDC Has Recommended New Covid Boosters for All

As covid-19 hospitalizations tick upward with fall approaching, the CDC says it’s time for new boosters — and not only for those at highest risk of serious disease. Here are seven things you need to know.