Kaiser Health News

Medscape News has partnered with Kaiser Health News (KHN) to provide timely, relevant health care policy news on Medscape. KHN is a nonprofit news organization committed to in-depth coverage of healthcare policy and politics. KHN's mission is to provide high-quality coverage of health policy issues and developments at the federal and state levels. In addition, KHN covers trends in the delivery of health care and in the marketplace.

• The Doctor Didn't Show Up, but the Hospital ED Still Charged $1012 A toddler burned his hand on the stove, and his mom took him to the ED on the advice of her pediatrician. He wasn't seen by a doctor, and the dressing on the wound wasn't changed. The bill was $1012.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Pharmacies Turning Away Immunocompromised Seeking 4th COVID Shot The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly changed its guidance to allow an extra shot in certain cases, but some pharmacy personnel are confused about who is eligible.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• With a Vaccine Mandate Looming, Nursing Homes Face More Staffing Problems The federal mandate for workers to get vaccinated — upheld by the US Supreme Court — reveals the problems that operators have hiring staff, keeping them, and providing decent care.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Vaccine Wars Ignite in California as Lawmakers Seek Stronger Laws Anti-vaccination activists say California's lawmakers are strengthening their movement nationally by pushing for tougher vaccine requirements. But a new pro-vaccine lobbying force is vowing to fight back.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Some States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments Many hospitals and clinics are still infusing the costly treatments — often charging hundreds of dollars a session — that public health officials now say are almost certainly useless.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Five Things You Should Know About 'Free' At-Home COVID Tests Telling insurance companies to pay for rapid COVID-19 tests is just the latest COVID-related cost the federal government expects them to bear. But who really ends up paying for it?
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Officials Struggle to Regulate Pop-Up Covid Testing Sites Officials in some states are sounding the alarm about dubious street testing operators that could put people’s personal data, their health, or wallets at risk.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• As Omicron Surges, Effort to Vaccinate Young Children Stalls Just 18% of 5- to 11-year-olds are vaccinated, with rates varying sharply across the US, a KHN analysis of federal data shows. Pediatricians say the slow pace and geographic disparities are alarming.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Uterine Cancer Patients Are Step Closer to 9/11 Benefits The World Trade Center Health Program is considering covering the most common form of uterine cancer, in what patient advocates say is a key acknowledgment of the women affected by the 9/11 fallout.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• COVID's Next Act Will Be Tough for Hospitals So-called incidental COVID-19 infections drain the beleaguered healthcare workforce and can put them and other patients at higher risk for contracting the coronavirus.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Fire Closes Hospital, Displaces Staff as Colorado Battles Omicron The most destructive fire in state history has knocked a hospital out of service and left health care workers homeless with Omicron driving new COVID hospitalizations.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Black-Owned Hospice Hopes to Ease Dying for Black Families National data show that Black Medicare patients and their families are not making the move to comfort care as often as White patients are.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Hospitals Recruit International Nurses to Fill Pandemic Shortages Montana's largest hospital recently signed employment contracts with two dozen foreign nurses. Nationwide, a backlog of 5000 international nurses await approval to enter the US.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• The War on Cancer at 50 After the National Cancer Act became law 50 years ago, cancer went from shameful taboo to one of the best-funded areas of medicine. Much of the credit for this transformation goes to one woman, Mary Lasker.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• California Pushes At-Home Tests for STIs California has become the first state to require health insurance to cover home tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as HIV, chlamydia, and syphilis.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• When Laws Shield Hospitals From COVID Liability Families who believe their loved ones contracted COVID-19 while hospitalized are finding they have little recourse following a wave of liability shield legislation pushed by business interests.
  Kaiser Health News, January 2022
• Patients Fell Ill With COVID in Hospitals, Oversight Fell Short A KHN investigation finds that hospitals with high rates of COVID patients who didn't have the diagnosis when they were admitted have rarely been held accountable due to multiple gaps in government oversight.
  Kaiser Health News, December 2021
• One Town Offers Groceries to Tired Hospital Staff to Say Thanks To help relieve the stress and time strains on employees at a Park City, Utah, hospital, community leaders created a pop-up grocery store, where workers can get complimentary meals and staples to take home.
  Kaiser Health News, December 2021
• Pandemic Poses Short- and Long-Term Risks to Babies, Notably Boys A mother's immune response to COVID can be a greater danger to the fetus than the virus itself.
  Kaiser Health News, December 2021
• Events In and Beyond Biden's Control Stymied Vaccine Progress There were variants, vaccine hesitancy and messaging mix-ups. Despite campaign promises, Biden and his administration at times took actions or made statements without waiting for scientific evidence.
  Kaiser Health News, December 2021

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