What Might President Biden Do on Health Policy Without Congressional Action? December 8, 2020 News Release President-elect Joe Biden campaigned on major health reforms, including building on the Affordable Care Act, better managing the COVID-19 pandemic and lowering prescription drug costs, but a narrowly divided Congress could stifle efforts to enact such major legislation. The Biden administration instead may choose to move forward on a variety…
How Did the Coronavirus Pandemic Affect Health Care Provided by OBGYNs? December 2, 2020 News Release A new KFF survey of obstetrician-gynecologists (OBGYNs) offers insight into how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the provision of sexual and reproductive health care, including the growth of telehealth and the ongoing challenges and limitations of such medical visits. Key findings from the survey, which was conducted from July to…
For 3rd Year in a Row, More Insurers are Entering the ACA Marketplaces, Creating More Options for Consumers November 23, 2020 News Release For the third straight year, more insurers are entering the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces and expanding their service areas, creating more options for consumers seeking to buy their own insurance for 2021, a new KFF analysis finds. The analysis finds 30 insurers joining the marketplace across 20 states, and another…
What Do State Plans Reveal About Their Readiness to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines? November 18, 2020 News Release With hopes that a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccines will be proven safe and effective soon, state and local public health authorities will play a critical role in ensuring the efficient distribution and administration of the vaccine. To assess the readiness of these local governments to take on these responsibilities, KFF…
KHN and Associated Press Investigation of Inadequate U.S. Public Health Infrastructure During the Pandemic Wins Top Journalism Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science November 11, 2020 News Release The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded KFF’s Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press one of its top journalism prizes for a joint investigation that revealed the diminished state of the U.S. public health infrastructure in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The AAAS gave…
New Brief Examines COVID-19 Risks and Impacts for Health Care Workers by Race and Ethnicity November 11, 2020 News Release New coronavirus cases in the United States have hit daily records multiple times in the past week and hospitalizations are rising in several areas of the country. Health care workers face some of the greatest risk of exposure to the coronavirus and a new KFF brief examines the composition of…
Wide Variations in Flu Vaccination Rates Across States Highlight Challenges as State and Local Authorities Plan to Distribute a COVID-19 Vaccine November 2, 2020 News Release When a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, all or most people living in the country will need to get vaccinated in order to maximize its benefits and provide adequate immunity nationwide. That could present a daunting challenge for state and local health officials, as a new KFF analysis shows vaccination rates…
Updated Subsidy Calculator and 300+ FAQs Help Consumers Understand the ACA Marketplaces as Open Enrollment Begins October 30, 2020 News Release Ahead of the annual Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period, the time during which consumers can shop for health plans or renew existing coverage, KFF has updated its Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator and its searchable collection of more than 300 Frequently Asked Questions about open enrollment, the health insurance marketplaces and…
The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Taken a Higher Toll on Nursing Homes with Relatively High Shares of Black or Hispanic Residents October 27, 2020 News Release Nursing homes with a relatively high share of Black or Hispanic residents are more likely to have had a resident die of COVID-19 than homes with lower shares of such residents, finds a new KFF analysis. Nationwide, 63 percent of nursing homes with a relatively high share of Black residents…
Analysis: COVID-19 Ranks as a Top 3 Leading Cause of Death in the U.S., Higher than in Almost All Other Peer Countries October 22, 2020 News Release A new KFF analysis examines leading causes of death and mortality rates in the United States and comparable countries. The U.S. has a higher COVID-19 mortality rate than many of its peer countries, with COVID-19 ranking as the nation’s third-leading cause of death in 2020, behind only heart disease and…