New KFF Resource Explains Key Provisions for Maternal Health Within the Build Back Better Act December 16, 2021 News Release If passed, the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) would include several provisions to improve maternal health, particularly for people of color. A new KFF Policy Watch explains the different provisions, their potential impact on parents and children, as well as the projected federal costs of these proposals. From expanding Medicaid…
“Breakthrough” COVID-19 Hospitalizations Among Fully Vaccinated Patients Occur Most Often among Older Adults and Involve People with Chronic Health Conditions December 15, 2021 News Release “Breakthrough” hospitalizations involving COVID-19 among people who are fully vaccinated against the disease most often affected older adults and people with other chronic health conditions, finds a new analysis of hospital data from June through September by KFF and Epic Research. More than two-thirds (69%) of breakthrough COVID-19 hospitalizations occurred…
New Analysis of Historical Rates of Medicaid Enrollment Churn Sheds Light on the Implications for the End of the Continuous Enrollment Requirement Tied to Pandemic Funding December 14, 2021 News Release For more than a year-and-a-half, the continuous enrollment requirement tied to enhanced Medicaid funding during the COVID-19 pandemic has all but halted enrollment “churn,” the temporary loss of coverage in which people disenroll from Medicaid and then re-enroll within a short period of time. Such disenrollments are expected to resume…
Health Employment Continues Slow Recovery Since the Beginning of the Pandemic December 10, 2021 News Release Unlike past recessions, the health sector saw a big drop in employment in early 2020 similar to other sectors as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the nation’s economy and remains below expected employment levels through November 2021, a new KFF chart collection shows. The chart collection takes a…
Donor Government Funding for International Family Planning Declines After Increasing the Previous Three Years December 10, 2021 News Release A new KFF analysis finds donor government support for global family planning efforts totaled US$1.40 billion in 2020, a decline of US$114 million compared to last year’s level of US$1.52 billion. This decline in donor funding was largely due to the decreased funding from the UK, family planning’s second largest…
The No Surprises Act Begins January 2022: This is What You Can Expect December 10, 2021 News Release The “No Surprises Act,” which establishes new federal protections against most surprise out-of-network medical bills when a patient receives out-of-network services during an emergency visit or from a provider at an in-network hospital without advance notice, will take effect next month. A new KFF brief outlines what to expect in…
How the Use of Race in Clinical Care Can Contribute to Health Care Disparities December 9, 2021 News Release A new KFF brief examines the use of racial classification in medical care and teaching and identifies how these practices can contribute to ongoing racial disparities in health and health care. There are growing efforts within the medical community to examine and revise the use of race in medical care…
Half of Parents of Adolescents 12-17 Say Their Child Has Gotten a COVID-19 Vaccine, though Uptake Has Slowed; 16% of Parents of 5-11 Year-olds Say Their Child Has Gotten a Vaccine December 9, 2021 News Release COVID-19 vaccine uptake among adolescents ages 12-17 has slowed after an initial wave of enthusiasm over the summer, with half (49%) of parents saying their adolescent has received at least one dose, a new KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor report reveals. The share is little changed since earlier in the fall.…
Following an Early Period of High Demand, Vaccination for Children Ages 5-11 Has Significantly Slowed December 8, 2021 News Release As of December 5, 16.7% of 5-11 year-olds had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose with 4.3% of children reaching full vaccination, according to a new KFF analysis. After a short period of high demand, the rate of new vaccinations slowed significantly leading into the Thanksgiving holiday and has…
KHN and Guardian US Win National Press Club Award for “Lost on the Frontline” December 8, 2021 News Release KFF’s Kaiser Health News (KHN) and Guardian US have won the National Press Club’s top award for online journalism for their “Lost on the Frontline” investigation. The year-long project documented the lives of more than 3,600 health care workers in the U.S. who died after contracting covid-19 on the job.…