Latest Morning Briefing Stories
‘Nine Months Into It, the Adrenaline Is Gone and It’s Just Exhausting’
A UCSF emergency room physician reflects on California’s response to COVID-19 and on lessons learned — or not — as the coronavirus makes its second devastating surge.
With Few Takers for COVID Vaccine, DC Hospital CEO Takes ‘One for the Team’
Howard University Hospital officials are eager to get their 1,900 employees vaccinated, but so far few are showing up.
Many US Health Experts Underestimated the Coronavirus … Until It Was Too Late
Scientists learned the wrong lesson from past outbreaks, but Dr. Anthony Fauci doesn’t cast blame.
Análisis: expertos desestimaron al coronavirus, hasta que fue demasiado tarde
Muchos de los principales especialistas en enfermedades infecciosas subestimaron el veloz brote en sus primeras semanas y meses, asumiendo que Estados Unidos, otra vez, saldría ileso.
No More ICU Beds at the Main Public Hospital in the Nation’s Largest County as COVID Surges
As some patients linger near death, staffers at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center seek ways to expand capacity for a surge of cases that isn’t letting up.
Ski Resorts Work to Stay Open as COVID Cases Snowball
Colorado’s Telluride is a case study in the challenges ski resorts across the U.S. face in staying open as COVID-19 surges.
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Pandemic-Related Paid Sick Days and Leave to Expire Dec. 31 — With No Extension in Sight
Enacted in March, an emergency measure covers about half of full-time workers nationwide, permitting 10 days of paid sick leave for all who fall ill or need to quarantine, and 50 more days of extended leave for parents who need to care for a child at home due to COVID-related school or day care closures.
More Americans — Of All Political Persuasions — Are Donning Masks
Half the public believes the worst of the pandemic is yet to come, but most are prepared to continue to take measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 until vaccines are distributed.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: All I Want for Christmas Is a COVID Relief Bill
Congress seems on the verge of finishing a long-delayed COVID-19 relief bill, which will reportedly include neither of the things each party wanted most — for Republicans, liability protections; for Democrats, funding for states and localities. That bill is likely to be tied to a package to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year and, possibly, include a fix for “surprise” medical bills that patients receive when they inadvertently receive care outside their insurance network. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner talks to Elizabeth Mitchell, president and CEO of the Pacific Business Group on Health, about the future of employer-provided health insurance.