Latest Kaiser Health News Stories
Public Health Experts Fear a Hasty FDA Signoff on Vaccine
The FDA must approve any coronavirus vaccine before it’s widely distributed, but political pressure could cloud the decision.
Must-Reads of the Week From Lauren Olsen
Newsletter editor Lauren Olsen wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
A Coronavirus Vaccine: Where Does It Stand?
Under ordinary circumstances, these phases of vaccine development can take years to complete. But now, during the age of coronavirus, the timeline is being shortened. Here’s an inventory of where things stand.
2021 Health Plans Granted Leeway To Limit Consumers’ Benefit From Drug Coupons
A rule finalized this spring by the Trump administration permits employers and insurers not to apply drug company copayment assistance toward enrollees’ deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums for any drug.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: SCOTUS, Trump Collide Over Transgender Rights
The Trump administration rolled back protections for transgender patients just days before the Supreme Court cemented LGBTQ rights under the Civil Rights Act. So, what now? Meanwhile, coronavirus politics reaches beyond health care settings. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Tami Luhby of CNN and Shefali Luthra of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.
KHN executive editor Damon Darlin wades through mounds of health care policy stories — so you don’t have to.
A Senator From Arizona Emerges As A Pharma Favorite
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has received almost $100,000 from drug companies in the current election cycle, a KHN analysis shows, one of the largest cash hauls in Congress. And it’s only her first term.
A Kaiser Health News database tracks campaign donations from drugmakers over the past 10 years.
Analysis: Get Ready For The Vaccine — They’re Never Simple
Trials are an immense undertaking involving tens of thousands of participants. They’re likely to start this summer — but don’t expect quick results. And what’s a successful result, anyway?
Drugmakers Tout COVID-19 Vaccines To Refurbish Their Public Image
Vaccines and antivirals have long been an afterthought but Johnson & Johnson and other firms are widely publicizing how they might stop COVID 19.
Chasing The Elusive Dream Of A COVID Cure
Thousands of researchers worldwide are looking for a treatment that will go beyond what remdesivir can do for COVID patients.
Listen: A New Hope In The Battle Against COVID-19
KHN’s Julie Rovner joins a panel of journalists on “1A” to talk about promising results in a study of the drug remdesivir and other developments in the battle against the coronavirus.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: SCOTUS Decides An ACA Case. No, Not THAT Case.
The Supreme Court this week, in an 8-1 decision, ruled that insurers are due the roughly $12 billion that Congress several years ago tried to cut off in payments under the Affordable Care Act’s “risk corridors” provision. And while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage in many places around the country, states are starting to reopen their economies at the urging of President Donald Trump and over objections of public health officials. Caitlin Owens of Axios and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment about COVID testing that should have been free but was not.
Amid Pandemic, FDA Seizes Cheaper Drugs From Canada
Many Americans order drugs from Canada and other countries because they are cheaper, but U.S. authorities appear to be cracking down on the practice.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: How Will We Reopen The Economy?
The politics of COVID-19 are pretty polarized, but health experts across the ideological spectrum agree: The U.S. will need more robust testing before it’s safe to relax social-distancing requirements. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, Congress and the nation’s governors continue to spar over who should be responsible for what. Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider, Tami Luhby of CNN and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
With Federal Nod, Consumers Could Lose The Boost They Get From Drug ‘Coupons’
The proposal being weighed by federal officials would allow employers and insurers to decide that drug companies’ assistance doesn’t count toward their members’ deductible or out-of-pocket maximum spending limits. If plans opted for that approach, only payments made by patients themselves would be included in the calculation toward reaching those limits.
‘You Pray That You Got The Drug.’ Ailing Couple Gambles On Trial For COVID-19 Cure
Josie and George Taylor of Everett, Washington, are two of the first people in the U.S. to recover from novel coronavirus infections after joining a clinical trial for the antiviral drug remdesivir.
Why Hoarding Of Hydroxychloroquine Needs To Stop
Six states — Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas — have taken steps to limit inappropriate prescriptions for the medicine and preserve supplies for patients who take it for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Senators Who Led Pharma-Friendly Patent Reform Also Prime Targets For Pharma Cash
Three senators on a revived subcommittee received more than $100,000 each from drugmakers.
