Conspiracy Theories Aside, Here’s What Contact Tracers Really Do
Recently, the idea has triggered a lot of conspiracy-theory talk. But it鈥檚 actually a tried-and-true public health tool being applied to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Public Health
1,961-1,980 of 3,726 results
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You Can See Friends and Relatives During the Pandemic Surge 鈥 But Do It Carefully
Even as most U.S. states and authorities reimpose many of the restrictions they had prematurely lifted, public health experts say you can still have a safe social life 鈥 just not the one you were used to before the pandemic hit.
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Listen: Colorado Cuts Back Health Care Programs Amid Dual Crises
KHN senior Colorado correspondent Markian Hawryluk joined KUNC鈥檚 Erin O鈥橳oole on 鈥淐olorado Edition鈥 to discuss his recent story on health care cuts that many states, including Colorado, are having to take amid the pandemic.
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Azar Says Federal Law Had Preexisting Conditions Covered Before ACA. Not So Much.
This appears to be an overstatement.
By Julie Rovner -
Next Showdown in Congress: Protecting Workers vs. Protecting Employers in the Pandemic
Democrats want to bind employers to follow a safety plan, while Republicans seek to shield employers and doctors from lawsuits.
By Christina Jewett and Melissa Bailey -
Families of Health Workers Killed by COVID Fight for Denied Workers鈥 Comp Benefits
Attorneys say some state workers鈥 compensation laws leave workers and families struggling for benefits after a COVID illness or death.
By Melissa Bailey and Christina Jewett -
States Allow In-Person Nursing Home Visits As Families Charge Residents Die 鈥極f Broken Hearts鈥
Half the states are rolling back strict policies that have kept family members out of nursing homes because of fears of spreading the coronavirus.
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Ex-West Virginia Health Chief Says Cuts Hurt Virus Response
The former West Virginia public health leader forced out by the governor says decades-old computer systems and cuts to staff over a period of years had made a challenging job even harder during a once-in-a-century pandemic.
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Must-Reads Of The Week
KHN executive editor Damon Darlin wades through mounds of health care policy stories 鈥 so you don鈥檛 have to.
By Damon Darlin -
Colorado, Like Other States, Trims Health Programs Amid Health Crisis
Across the country, the recession has cut state revenues at the same time the COVID-19 pandemic has increased costs, forcing state lawmakers into painful decisions about how to balance their budgets. Health care is one of the targets even in the midst of a health care crisis.
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As COVID Testing Soars, Wait Times For Results Jump To A Week 鈥 Or More
The delays can be excruciating, with some extreme cases running more than 20 days. People getting tested at urgent care centers, community health centers, pharmacies and state-run drive-thru or walk-up sites are often waiting a week or more to find out if they tested positive for the coronavirus.
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Amid Surge, Hospitals Hesitate To Cancel Nonemergency Surgeries
Unlike earlier in the year, most hospitals are not proactively canceling elective surgeries, even in some places seeing spikes in coronavirus patients.
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Shingles Vaccination Rate Soars But Leaves Many Behind
A federal study finds 35% of people 60 and older were vaccinated for shingles by 2018, up from 7% in 2008, but low-income people and those who are Black or Hispanic are far less likely to get vaccinated.
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High Court Allows Employers To Opt Out Of ACA鈥檚 Mandate On Birth Control Coverage
In a 7-2 ruling in a case involving the Little Sisters of the Poor, the court said employers with a 鈥渞eligious or moral objection鈥 to contraceptives should not be forced to insure women for those services.
By Julie Rovner -
Postcard from Houston
In Texas, Individual Freedoms Clash With Efforts To Slow The Surge Of COVID Cases
In Houston, now a hot spot for COVID cases, not everyone agrees on how to deal with the pandemic.
By Sandy West -
Analysis: How A COVID-19 Vaccine Could Cost Americans Dearly
The United States is the only developed nation unable to balance cost, efficacy and social good in setting prices.
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COVID Cuts A Lethal Path Through San Quentin鈥檚 Death Row
Executions have been on hold in California since 2006, stalled by a series of legal challenges. But COVID-19 is proving a lethal presence on San Quentin鈥檚 death row.
By Dan Morain -
COVID-Tracking Apps Proliferate, But Will They Really Help?
Public health authorities had hoped digital technology would supplement the work of contact tracers seeking to control the spread of COVID-19. But technical uncertainties and public health failures have dimmed the apps鈥 potential.
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鈥楶lease Tell Me My Life Is Worth A LITTLE Of Your Discomfort,鈥 Nurse Pleads
Health care workers on the front lines of the COVID crisis have spent exhausting months working and self-quarantining off-duty to keep from infecting others, including their families. Encountering people who indignantly refuse face coverings can feel like a slap in the face.
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Bill Of The Month
COVID Catch-22: They Got A Big ER Bill Because Hospitals Couldn鈥檛 Test For Virus
Americans who had coronavirus symptoms in March and April are getting big hospital bills 鈥 because they were not sick enough to get then-scarce COVID tests. Some insurers say they are trying to correct these bills, but patients may have to put up a fight.