Category: states

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Politics of Vaccine Mandates

Like almost everything else associated with the covid-19 pandemic, partisans are taking sides over whether vaccines should be mandated. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are still struggling to find compromise in their effort to expand health insurance and other social programs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews best-selling author Beth Macy about her book “Dopesick,” and the new Hulu miniseries based on it.

Covid Testing, Turnaround Times Are Still Uneven This Far Into Pandemic

The availability of covid testing and turnaround times for results still vary widely around the country, some 19 months since the pandemic was declared a national crisis. A jumbled testing system, technician burnout and squirrely spikes in demand are all part of the problem.

Q&A: How Will California’s New 988 Mental Health Line Actually Work?

California Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored legislation to create and fund the state’s new 988 phone line for mental health emergencies, spoke with KHN about the effort and what more will be needed to create a full-fledged response network for people experiencing mental health crises.

Reluctant Localities Are Being Dragged Into Court to Fix Sidewalks for People With Disabilities

Hundreds of towns, cities and states across the U.S. have ignored part of the Americans With Disabilities Act, and now it’s costing them billions of dollars to comply.

Community Clinics Shouldered Much of the Vaccine Rollout. Many Haven’t Been Paid.

Federally qualified health centers from California to Michigan are mired in a bureaucratic mess over how they should be paid under Medicaid for each dose of covid vaccine given. In California alone, clinics await reimbursement for at least 1 million shots, causing a “massive cash flow problem.”

‘Are You Going to Keep Me Safe?’ Hospital Workers Sound Alarm on Rising Violence

Health care workers already bore the brunt of workplace violence in the U.S. Now, tensions from an exhausting pandemic are spilling over into hospitals.

Organ Centers to Transplant Patients: Get a Covid Shot or Move Down on Waitlist

At issue is whether transplant patients who refuse the shots are not only putting themselves at greater risk for serious illness and death from covid-19, but also squandering scarce organs that could benefit others.

NY Reaches Agreement With DOJ Over Vaccine Access for Blind People

Following a February KHN investigation into covid vaccine accessibility, the Department of Justice reached an agreement with five New York government agencies to make their websites accessible to people who are visually impaired.

Covid Immunity Through Infection or Vaccination: Are They Equal?

As scientists argue whether a previous bout of covid offers the same amount of protection as vaccinations, people turn to the courts to decide.

From Sewers to Golf Courses, Cities See Green With New Federal Covid Relief Dollars

The American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress in March, provides $130 billion to cities, counties and tribes — with few restrictions on how the money can be spent.