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…
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…
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…
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…
KFF’s Kaiser Health News and “This American Life” Win Loeb Award For Story About the Threats and Menace Toward Local Public Health Officials During the Pandemic October 3, 2022 News Release KFF’s Kaiser Health News (KHN) and the radio program “This American Life” together have won a Loeb Award in the audio category for a deeply reported account of the threats and hate targeted at local public health officials during the covid-19 pandemic. KHN’s coverage of public health issues will remain…
Half of Public Has Heard Little or Nothing About the New COVID-19 Booster Aimed at Omicron; Many Don’t Know If the CDC Recommends That They Get the New Booster September 30, 2022 News Release Nearly 1 in 5 Parents of Children Under 5 Say Their Child Has Gotten a Vaccine, up from 7% in July, Though Half Say They Will “Definitely Not” Get Their Child Vaccinated Less than a month after the Food and Drug Administration authorized new COVID-19 booster shots that target both…
A Review of 62 Studies Finds Few Big Differences Between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage on a Variety of Measures September 16, 2022 News Release With the Medicare open enrollment period set to begin Oct. 15, a perennial decision faced by Medicare beneficiaries is whether to get their coverage through traditional Medicare or the private plans known as Medicare Advantage. A new KFF review of 62 studies published since 2016 that compares Medicare Advantage and…