Florida Archives

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Washington’s Slow Churn

Stemming gun violence is back on the legislative agenda following three mass shootings in less than a month, but it’s hard to predict success when so many previous efforts have failed. Meanwhile, lawmakers must soon decide if they will extend current premium subsidies for those buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and the Biden administration acts, belatedly, on Medicare premiums. Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Michelle Andrews, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a too-common problem: denial of no-cost preventive care for a colonoscopy under the Affordable Care Act.

June 2, 2022

A digital illustration in bright ink and watercolor drawn in a cartoon style. Colorful children are visible through the windows of different hotel rooms, appearing tired or concerned and holding backpacks and stuffed animals. The exterior of the buildings are painted in dark, cool tones which contrasts with the vivid interiors.

‘Desperate Situation’: States Are Housing High-Needs Foster Kids in Offices and Hotels

Some foster children with complex mental, behavioral, and physical health needs without a foster placement are having to stay in hotel rooms and even office buildings, a practice called “hoteling.”

By Sam Whitehead

June 1, 2022

States Have Yet to Spend Hundreds of Millions of Federal Dollars to Tackle Covid Health Disparities

A year ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded states and local health departments $2.25 billion to help people of color and other populations at higher risk from covid. But a KHN review shows public health agencies across the country have been slow to spend it.

By Phil Galewitz, Lauren Weber, and Sam Whitehead

May 16, 2022

Travel Nurses See Swift Change of Fortunes as Covid Money Runs Dry

Travel nurse contracts that were plentiful and paid the temporary nurses far more than hospital staff nurses are vanishing. Hospitals nationwide are turning their energies to recruiting full-time people.

By Hannah Norman

May 10, 2022

As Overdoses Soar, More States Decriminalize Fentanyl Testing Strips

Georgia may soon join a growing list of states decriminalizing the use of fentanyl testing strips. Bans of the strips — on the books in about half of states, experts say — stem from laws criminalizing drug paraphernalia adopted decades ago. But the testing devices are now recommended to help prevent overdose deaths.

By Andy Miller

May 5, 2022

A surgical mask on the floor as many people walk past it.

COVID-19

Judge’s Ruling on the CDC Mask Mandate Highlights the Limits of the Agency’s Power

A recent court decision that overturns one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s few pandemic rules — masks required on public transportation — spotlights how little power remains in federal hands to enforce public health protections.

By Sam Whitehead and Julie Appleby

April 21, 2022

A group of family members surround Jean White's mother, who sits in a wheelchair. They are posing for a family photo.

COVID-19

New Laws Let Visitors See Loved Ones in Health Care Facilities, Even in an Outbreak

To contain the spread of covid, hospitals and nursing homes barred visits. The separation and isolation took a toll on patients and families. Florida is one of the latest states to ensure access for visitors.

By Stephanie Colombini, WUSF

April 8, 2022

Lise Hamlin looks to the left in front of an office window. A hearing aid is visible in her ear.

COVID-19

Pandemic Medical Innovations Leave Behind People With Disabilities

As the country enters Year 3 of the pandemic emergency, people with disabilities across the U.S. are still finding it difficult to use innovations in telemedicine, teleworking, and testing.

By Lauren Weber

March 11, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Congress Shelves Covid Funding for Now

The Biden administration’s request for billions more in funding to fight covid-19 hit a snag on Capitol Hill this week, as Democrats objected to Republican demands that money allocated to states but not yet spent be reclaimed. Meanwhile, the big annual spending bill about to cross the finish line addresses other health policy changes, such as giving the FDA authority to regulate “synthetic” nicotine. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Jessie Hellmann of Modern Healthcare join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

March 10, 2022

Two metal fences separate two sides of protesters standing in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Anti-abortion protesters on the right hold signs and wave banners with sayings like "DE for life." Pro-abortion advocates stand on the left. One holds a sign that reads, "Liberate abortion." A police officer stands between the two fences.

State Constitutions Vex Conservatives’ Strategies for a Post-Roe World

Conservative lawmakers may find their anti-abortion agendas complicated by state constitutions that explicitly grant citizens the right to privacy, regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court does.

By Nick Ehli

Feb. 17, 2022

Medical Boards Pressured to Let It Slide When Doctors Spread Covid Misinformation

State medical boards have an obligation to investigate complaints about doctors, including those who may spread false information about medical care. But in Florida, Tennessee, and other states, lawmakers are moving to protect physicians using unproven covid treatments or spreading misinformation.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

Feb. 15, 2022

Rows of at-home rapid covid tests are seen disappearing in this photo illustration.

COVID-19

States Were Sharing Covid Test Kits. Then Omicron Hit.

The omicron variant upended a system in which states shared rapid covid tests with those that needed them more. Cooperation has turned into competition as states run out of supplies, limit which organizations get them, or hold on to expired kits as a last resort.

By Katheryn Houghton

Jan. 31, 2022

Dr. Christian Ramers speaking with a colleague

COVID-19

Patient, Beware: Some States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments

The top 12 states using antibody therapies produced by Regeneron and Lilly — which research shows don’t work against the omicron variant — include several Southern states with some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, but also California, which ranks among the top 20 for fully vaccinated residents.

By JoNel Aleccia

Jan. 21, 2022

COVID-19

Incidental Cases and Staff Shortages Make Covid’s Next Act Tough for Hospitals

As omicron sweeps the country, many hospitals are dealing with a flood of people hospitalized with covid — including those primarily admitted for other reasons. While often milder cases, so-called incidental covid infections still drain the beleaguered health care workforce and can put them and other patients at higher risk for contracting covid.

By Lauren Weber, Phil Galewitz, and Andy Miller

Jan. 13, 2022

Record Number of Americans Sign Up for ACA Health Insurance

Nearly 14 million Americans have enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace health plans for next year — a record since the health law’s coverage expansion took effect in 2014. A boost in subsidies marketing and assistance in navigating the process increased the rolls of the insured.

By Phil Galewitz and Andy Miller

Dec. 23, 2021

Bill of the Month

NICU Bill Installment Plan: That’ll Be $45,843 a Month for 12 Months, Please

After baby Dorian Bennett arrived two months early and spent more than 50 days in the neonatal ICU, his parents received a bill of more than $550,000 — despite having insurance. The Florida hospital had a not-so-helpful suggestion: monthly payments of more than $45,000 for a year.

By Victoria Knight

Dec. 21, 2021

The Spinal Tap

Crash Course: Injured Patients Who Sign ‘Letters of Protection’ May Face Huge Medical Bills and Risks

The letters function as liens that “protect” spine surgery clinics while patients could be left with inflated medical bills and unexpected health risks.

By Fred Schulte

Dec. 21, 2021

KHN & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Florida Sen. Rick Scott Off Base in Claim That Rise in Medicare Premiums Is Due to Inflation

The Republican senator says President Joe Biden’s “inflation crisis” caused Medicare to raise monthly premiums, which will add hundreds of dollars to beneficiaries’ costs. But Medicare experts say inflation was not to blame and most beneficiaries will shoulder a much smaller increase than what Rick Scott claims.

By Phil Galewitz

Nov. 24, 2021

Live Performers Find Red State Rules a Tough Act to Follow

Theater companies and musical ensembles are restarting live performances after a crippling pandemic pause. In some conservative states, artists find creative ways to get around state laws that go against public health recommendations.

By Bruce Alpert

Nov. 15, 2021

As Overdose Deaths Soar, DEA-Wary Pharmacies Shy From Dispensing Addiction Medication

A West Virginia pharmacy cleared a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation. But it shut down anyway, highlighting how the agency’s policies reduce the availability of buprenorphine, an important tool for recovery from opioid addiction.

By Aneri Pattani

Nov. 9, 2021

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