WinnDems News

Applauds Biden pledge for federal support WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) sent a letter to President Trump calling on him to fully restore federal funding for the National Guard’s COVID-19 response efforts which are set to expire at the end of the year and as the nation prepares for what may be one […] The post Bustos Urges Trump to Restore Federal Funding for National Guard COVID-19 Response Efforts as Expiration Looms and Nation Prepares for Deadly Winter appeared first on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. http://dlvr.it/RmlD1T

Four workers died at a facility with one of the largest U.S. outbreaks, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration never conducted an inspection. It’s a pattern that’s played out across the nation, a KHN investigation finds. http://dlvr.it/RmhJGb

Tests for the coronavirus are supposed to be free. And, usually, they are. But sometimes … things happen. Here’s how to avoid getting a surprise bill for a test. http://dlvr.it/RmhJGT

Across the nation, primary care practices that were already struggling are closing, victims of the pandemic’s financial fallout. And this is reducing access to health care, especially in rural and other regions already short on doctors. http://dlvr.it/RmhJGK

A Trump administration maneuver allows executives who are leading the federal effort to keep investments in drug companies that would benefit from the pandemic response. http://dlvr.it/RmhJCj

COVID-19 cases are surging across the U.S., and most workplaces are still open for business. As workers fear catching the disease while on the clock, why aren’t more companies footing the bill for testing employees? http://dlvr.it/RmNnnM

Small-business owners struggling to remain afloat are increasingly defying new shutdown orders, in some cases pointing to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s French Laundry dinner as a reason not to comply. http://dlvr.it/RmNnhy

The law will ban the manufacture and sale in California of personal care products that contain 24 toxics, including asbestos, formaldehyde and lead, and is expected to fill a gap in federal regulation as companies sell the new formulations nationwide. http://dlvr.it/RmFKJw

Referrals of children to urgent care clinics or emergency rooms have become so prevalent that the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with interim guidance on how practices can safely continue to see patients. The academy recommended that pediatricians strive "to provide care for the same variety of visits that they provided prior to the public health emergency." http://dlvr.it/RmFKJm

Some consumers who received tax credits to purchase insurance from Affordable Care Act marketplaces report they’ve received letters in error from the government saying they didn’t file the IRS forms to account for how much money they made and how much funding they received from the government. http://dlvr.it/RmFKJ9

Eight months after California Healthline’s Heidi de Marco photographed LA under lockdown, she returned to the same iconic spots. Vehicle and foot traffic are up — as are coronavirus cases. http://dlvr.it/RmFKGQ

Although President-elect Joe Biden is free to meet with people who will be vital to carry out his administration’s fight against COVID, he and his transition team are blocked from conferring with federal officials because the Trump administration refuses to acknowledge Biden won the election. That could have a critical impact on Biden's efforts to help fight the coronavirus. http://dlvr.it/RmFKB4

COVID-19 is spreading rapidly around the U.S. even before Thanksgiving promises to accelerate the trend. There are two promising vaccine candidates, but because President Donald Trump still refuses to concede the election and is holding up the official transition, President-Elect Joe Biden and his team cannot access plans for distributing those vaccines. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet 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. http://dlvr.it/Rm6Bwx

As coronavirus cases surge, state officials can’t afford to wait for a new president to take office before taking action. But some governors’ initiatives seem to be little more than policy tweaks or symbolic gestures. http://dlvr.it/Rm4QlF

As coronavirus cases take off across the U.S., airlines promote holiday deals and encourage travel. But are flyers throwing caution to the wind? http://dlvr.it/Rm4Ql6

The state’s hospital association in September picked Mary Mayhew to be its new CEO. While leading the state Medicaid office, she was a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion program. http://dlvr.it/Rm4Qkp

An investigation by KHN and The Guardian shows that 329 health care workers age 65 or older have reportedly died of COVID-19. http://dlvr.it/Rm4QfW

Anthony Fauci is one of the nation's most trusted voices during public health emergencies. As the head of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, Fauci has helped guide the nation through the HIV/AIDS epidemic and more recent outbreaks of Ebola and Zika. In this special episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” podcast, Fauci sits down with KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal to talk about how to navigate the next phase of the coronavirus pandemic and what the incoming Biden administration should do first. http://dlvr.it/Rm1Dx9

Contact tracers in many states are stretched thin. Colorado is among the latest states to launch an app that aims to help, based on the COVID contact-tracing tool built by Apple and Google. But there’s a chicken-and-egg problem: More people will use them if they prove to work, but the apps become effective only if more people use them. http://dlvr.it/Rm0cqK

States vary in how they define face coverings in their mandates. But a bandanna or neck gaiter isn't nearly as effective as a surgical or cloth mask. Public health experts say every state needs more standardization to protect against COVID-19. http://dlvr.it/Rm0clD

A provision the Trump administration tucked into its final rule on health plan price transparency requires telling consumers what they will pay out-of-pocket for drugs and showing them what the plan paid. http://dlvr.it/Rm0cd2

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and Congressman Jim Hagedorn (MN-01) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would lower greenhouse gas emissions and encourage low-carbon fuel production. The Streamlining Advanced Biofuels Registration Act would help biofuels plants cut through red tape in order to increase production of cellulosic biomass into renewable fuels. “Reducing greenhouse gases […] The post Bustos, Hagedorn Introduce Bill to Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Encourage Low-Carbon Fuel Production appeared first on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. http://dlvr.it/Rly301

Drugmakers will walk away with massive profits, but much of the pioneering work on mRNA vaccines was done with government money. http://dlvr.it/Rlx44X

California’s ping-ponging approach to managing the pandemic — twice reopening large portions of the service sector economy only to shut them again — has residents and business owners on edge. But experts say the push and pull on businesses may be what success looks like in much of the U.S. for months to come, given COVID-19’s pervasive spread. http://dlvr.it/RlwlbR

Doctors and nurses say order puts lives in danger, amid a COVID surge and a statewide shortage of health care workers. http://dlvr.it/RlwlS8

The tax was touted as a way to generate funding for treatment programs across the state. But to avoid paying, scores of manufacturers and wholesalers stopped selling opioids in New York. http://dlvr.it/Rlrwz9

Activists across the country are demanding that medical schools eliminate the use of race as a diagnostic tool, recognize how systemic racism harms patients and reckon with some of medicine’s racist history. http://dlvr.it/RlrqQx

The Republican-led states are trying to prove they were harmed by the 2010 health law — and thus have “legal standing” — because their Medicaid costs increased, even though Congress eliminated the penalty for not having health coverage in 2019. At least one justice was skeptical. http://dlvr.it/Rln33L

During the pandemic, shelters are having to change the way they do things to prevent the virus from spreading among the vulnerable homeless population. Now, as winter weather moves in, there’s less room at the shelters for those in need — threatening to leave many, literally, out in the cold. http://dlvr.it/Rln33H

Veteran self-defense teacher Lauren Taylor shares some of her top strategies and how she used them this year in her health insurance fight. http://dlvr.it/Rln336

As the coronavirus surges around the country, workers in nursing homes and assisted living centers are watching cases rise in long-term care facilities with a sense of dread. Many of these workers struggle with grief over the suffering they’ve witnessed. http://dlvr.it/Rln31W

With employees emotionally drained and residents suffering from loss, many nursing homes and assisted living centers are working with chaplains, social workers and mental health professionals to help people deal with the effects of the coronavirus. http://dlvr.it/RlcB1M

COVID-19 can cause symptoms that go well beyond the lungs, from strokes to organ failure. To explain these widespread injuries, researchers are studying how the virus affects the vascular system. http://dlvr.it/RlbZ1k

Former Vice President Joe Biden is now the president-elect nearly everywhere but inside the Trump administration, where the president refuses to concede and has ordered officials not to begin a formal transition. That is a particular problem for health care as the COVID-19 pandemic surges. Meanwhile, there’s good news on the vaccine front, but it’s unlikely one will arrive by winter. And the ACA was back before the Supreme Court — again. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Shefali Luthra of the 19th News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too. http://dlvr.it/RlYZSP

From the likelihood of achy, flu-like side effects to the need for two doses, weeks apart, consumers need to know now what to expect when vaccines to prevent COVID-19 roll out. http://dlvr.it/RlXBtp

The Trump administration hailed rapid tests as the way to halt COVID’s spread in nursing homes. A KHN analysis of federal data shows they’re not being used, as questions linger about accuracy and best practices. http://dlvr.it/RlWhLC

Crooked Media’s “America Dissected” explores the rural health crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Podcast guest KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal said: “I expect we’ll see a lot more rural hospital failures.” http://dlvr.it/RlWhFz

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) issued the following statement after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her nomination to serve as Co-Chair of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. “Throughout my career, I have sought to lift up voices from the middle of our country – families in our cities and towns, communities that […] The post Congresswoman Bustos Nominated to Co-Chair Steering and Policy Committee for 117th Congress appeared first on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. http://dlvr.it/RlVTC8

The drugmaker says its mRNA vaccine worked in 90% of patients in its trial, but some observers question how long immunity will last and who will benefit. http://dlvr.it/RlS8Lh

California has more at stake than any other state should the U.S. Supreme Court strike down the Affordable Care Act. Millions of people could lose their health coverage and the state could lose billions in federal money each year. http://dlvr.it/RlRqRH

In Fort Scott, Kansas, the Community Health Center’s big green-and-white sign replaced Mercy Hospital’s name on the front of the town’s massive medical building. In the final chapter of Season One: “No Mercy,” we have an appointment to see what’s inside. http://dlvr.it/RlMtxK

President-elect Joe Biden inherits a global health landscape changed by the Trump administration more than under any Republican president since Ronald Reagan. http://dlvr.it/RlMtwp

Disneyland can’t reopen until Orange County’s coronavirus infection rates improve — especially among its poorest and most vulnerable residents. Local officials are protesting the requirements, saying the economy will suffer, and residents’ health along with it. http://dlvr.it/RlMtsh

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that could overturn the Affordable Care Act. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is defending the law with the backing of more than 20 other states, told California Healthline that he predicts the justices will uphold it. http://dlvr.it/RlLXYg

Human clinical trials are scheduled for a drug that could prevent some of the 100,000-plus deaths from snakebites worldwide each year. The same drug may also help people suffering from COVID-related acute respiratory distress. http://dlvr.it/RlJ04x

It typically takes months to install new leadership, but with COVID deaths set to surge through the winter, many Democrats say Biden doesn’t have that sort of time. http://dlvr.it/RlFNwp

Democrats had hoped not only to defeat President Donald Trump but also to capture the Senate so they could make major policy changes, such as bolstering the Affordable Care Act and reducing the number of uninsured. http://dlvr.it/RlCCX2

Former Vice President Joe Biden remains on the cusp of being declared the winner of the presidential election, and which party will control the Senate next year remains in question. The outcomes of both the presidential and Senate elections will have dramatic effects on the health agenda. Meanwhile, should President Donald Trump eke out a win, his administration is still pushing some sweeping health changes. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. http://dlvr.it/Rl8QfZ

The Department of Veterans Affairs hopes to enroll 8,000 people in advanced-stage trials of four leading vaccine candidates. The Defense Department earlier announced plans to enlist 3,000 volunteers in trials. http://dlvr.it/Rl6XhP

Montana is seeking penalties against some businesses that violated its mask and social distancing directives, after months of reluctance to enforce COVID restrictions. Meanwhile, cities, counties and tribal nations still struggle to get people to mask up and avoid crowds. http://dlvr.it/Rl6XdN

Check out KHN’s video series — Behind The Byline: How the Story Got Made. Come along as journalists and producers offer an insider’s view of health care coverage that does not quit. http://dlvr.it/Rl2cfz