COVID vaccines appear safe and effective, but key questions remain
by Bernard J. Wolfson / California Healthline The recent rollout of two newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines is a bright ray of hope at the pandemic’s darkest hour. We now have a…
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More than 2,900 health care workers died this year — and the government barely kept track
By Christina Jewett, Robert Lewis and Melissa Bailey / Kaiser Health News More than 2,900 U.S. health care workers have died in the COVID-19 pandemic since March, a far higher…
High-poverty neighborhoods bear the brunt of COVID’s scourge
COVID-19 Disproportionately Affects the Poor COVID-19 infection rates are notably higher in communities with high poverty rates than in more affluent areas, according to an analysis of ZIP code and…
Where COVID-19 is on the menu: Failed contact tracing leaves diners in the dark
COVID-19 outbreaks have affected restaurants throughout Los Angeles County, from a Panda Express in Sun Valley to the University of California’s Bruin Cafe. If you live in Los Angeles, you…
For nurses feeling the strain of the pandemic, virus resurgence is ‘paralyzing’
FOR Christina Nester, the pandemic lull in Massachusetts lasted about three months through summer into early fall. In late June, St. Vincent Hospital had resumed elective surgeries, and the unit…
Were you notified about missing tax forms for your ACA subsidy? Blame COVID
by Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News The notice from the federal health insurance marketplace grabbed Andrew Schenker’s attention: ACT NOW: YOU’RE AT RISK OF LOSING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE STARTING JANUARY 1,…
Fear of flying is a COVID-era conundrum
THE holidays are approaching just as COVID-19 case rates nationwide are increasing at a record-breaking pace, leading to dire warnings from public health experts. The Centers for Disease Control and…
Scam alert: Things a COVID-19 contact tracer wouldn’t say
by Julie Appleby STATE officials and federal agencies warn there’s a new phone scam circulating: Some callers posing as COVID-19 contact tracers try to pry credit card or bank account…
Trust, fear and solidarity will determine the success of a COVID vaccine
by Arthur Allen Thousands of letters stuffed with money flooded Jonas Salk’s mailbox the week after his polio vaccine was declared safe and effective in 1955. Everybody wanted his vaccine….
Amid pandemic chaos, California legislators fight for major health care bills
by Rachel Bluth California lawmakers are barreling toward an end-of-month deadline to pass or kill bills amid the biggest public health crisis the state has faced in a century. Yet…
Hate unmasked in America
by Anna Almendrala “You are the most selfish f—ing people on the planet.” I jerked my head to the left, where I saw a neighbor glaring at us from his…
Tourists, beware: Foreign visitors’ travel health pandemics
by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez IT was evident that the fever, nausea and loss of appetite Vlastimil Gajdoš felt on his wedding day was not a mere case of cold feet….
Seniors with COVID-19 show unusual symptoms, doctors say
by Judith Graham Older adults with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, have several “atypical” symptoms, complicating efforts to ensure they get timely and appropriate treatment, according to physicians….
‘It’s not over until it’s over’: 5 things to know about hitting the COVID-19 peak
by Phil Galewitz As New York, California and other states begin to see their numbers of new COVID-19 cases level off or even slip, it might appear as if we’re…
‘Staying away from grandma’ isn’t an option in multigenerational homes
THE Walker family never thought having an age range of 3 to 96 under the same roof would be risky. That was before the coronavirus pandemic. Wilma Walker’s now nonagenarian…
After COVID-19: Doctors ponder best advice as patients recover from coronavirus
by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez WHEN David Vega fell ill with the novel coronavirus in mid-March, fever, chills and nausea left the 27-year-old Indiana medical student curled up in bed for…
Patients stuck with bills after insurers don’t pay as promised
by Lauren Weber THE more than $34,000 in medical bills that contributed to Darla and Andy Markley’s bankruptcy and loss of their home in Beloit, Wisconsin, grew out of what…
Response to nation’s 1st coronavirus case draws on lessons from measles outbreak
by Will Stone When the first U.S. case of a new coronavirus spreading throughout China was confirmed last week in Washington state, public health workers were well prepared to respond,…
What the 2020s have in store for aging boomers
WITHIN 10 years, all of the nation’s 74 million baby boomers will be 65 or older. The most senior among them will be on the cusp of 85. Even sooner,…
Fecal bacteria in California’s waterways increases with homeless crisis
By Anna Almendrala President Donald Trump, a self-described germophobe, has made no secret of his disgust with California’s growing homeless problem, which he has called a “disgrace” and “inappropriate” and…
Reports of patients’ deaths linked to heart devices lurk below radar
by Christina Jewett The Food and Drug Administration continues to file thousands of reports of patients’ deaths related to medical devices through a reporting system that keeps the safety data…
Federal appeals court strikes down portion of Obamacare
by Julie Rovner A FEDERAL appeals court panel in New Orleans dealt another blow to the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, December 18, agreeing with a lower-court judge that the…
Obamacare back at the high court — with billions for insurers on the line
by Phil Galewitz More than $12 billion is at stake for the nation’s health insurers Tuesday, December 10, when the Supreme Court hears another Affordable Care Act case. For the…
California Surprise-Billing Law protects patients but aggravates many doctors
MORE than two years after California’s surprise-billing law took effect, there’s one thing on which consumer advocates, doctors and insurers all agree: The law has been effective at protecting many…
Coping with (power) loss: California’s hospitals, clinics, patients face new reality
by Mark Kreidler WE all know that when the power goes out, refrigerators, heaters and air conditioners stop running. Homes go dark, and desktop computers shut down. But those are…
Medi-Cal to expand eligibility to young undocumented adults. But will they enroll?
by Ana B. Ibarra Starting in January, young adults can sign up for California’s Medicaid program regardless of immigration status. But a fundamental question looms: Will they? Some young people…
The startlingly high cost of the ‘free’ flu shot
by Phil Galewitz IN the Byzantine world of health care pricing, most people wouldn’t expect that the ubiquitous flu shot could be a prime example of how the system’s lack…
Nursing home safety violations put residents at risk, report finds
by Barbara Feder Ostrov AS huge swaths of California burned last fall, federal health officials descended on 20 California nursing homes to determine whether they were prepared to protect their…
Flavor bans multiply, but menthol continues to divide
by Ana B. Ibarra AS states and communities rush to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products linked to vaping, Carol McGruder races from town to town, urging officials to…
California fires illuminate trauma and resilience
by Anna Maria Barry-Jester SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Dorothy Hammack had planned to wash her thick, dark hair in the kitchen sink Friday morning. She couldn’t yet shower, due to…