Why Medicare Doesn’t Pay for Rapid At-Home Covid Tests
[Update on KHN impact: On Feb. 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the Biden administration would cover over-the-counter covid tests at no cost to beneficiaries of original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Each person can receive eight free tests a month. “This is the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter […]
¿Por qué Medicare no paga por las pruebas caseras para covid?
¿Qué grupo es especialmente vulnerable a los estragos de covid, incluso si está vacunado por completo y con sus refuerzos? Los adultos mayores. Sin embargo, ¿quién tendrá más dificultades para obtener pruebas caseras gratuitas para covid según el plan de la administración Biden? Sí, los adultos mayores. Desde el 15 de enero, las personas con […]
Patient, Beware: Some States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments
As the omicron variant completes its sweep across the U.S., states with scarce supplies of monoclonal antibody therapies continue to use two treatments that federal health officials warn no longer work against the highly contagious version of the virus that causes covid-19. The antibody treatment now most recommended is sotrovimab from GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology, […]
Estados exigen prueba negativa de covid para visitas a hogares de adultos mayores. Familias se quejan
A medida que los casos de covid-19 vuelven a aumentar en los hogares de adultos mayores, algunos estados han empezado a exigir a los visitantes pruebas negativas antes de entrar en las instalaciones, lo que ha reavivado la frustración y la inquietud entre los familiares. Autoridades de California, Nueva York y Rhode Island afirman que […]
Families Complain as States Require Covid Testing for Nursing Home Visits
As covid-19 cases rise again in nursing homes, a few states have begun requiring visitors to present proof that they’re not infected before entering facilities, stoking frustration and dismay among family members. Officials in California, New York, and Rhode Island say new covid testing requirements are necessary to protect residents — an enormously vulnerable population […]
‘Heart’ of Little Shell: Newest Federally Recognized Tribe to Open First Clinic
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Louella Fredrickson has long created workarounds to fill gaps in the spotty medical care available to her as a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. The 86-year-old uses dollar-store reading glasses to improve her blurry vision because she’s worried about the cost of an eye appointment. […]
Wildfires and Omicron Prompt a Special Health Insurance Enrollment Period in Colorado
A wildfire displaced thousands of Coloradans just as the omicron surge began sweeping through the state, so health insurance was likely not on many people’s minds when the regular enrollment period for the state’s health insurance marketplace ended Jan. 15. But now, because of those twin emergencies, everyone in the state will get another chance […]
Colorado abre período especial para tener seguro de salud por omicron y un incendio forestal
Un incendio forestal desplazó a miles de habitantes de Colorado justo cuando la oleada de omicron arrasaba al estado, por lo que inscribirse para tener cobertura médica no estaba en la mente de muchas personas cuando cerró el mercado de seguros de salud el 15 de enero. Pero ahora, por estas dos emergencias, todos tendrán […]
El plan de Biden para entregar pruebas gratis para covid no llega fácilmente a los más vulnerables
La administración Biden acaba de lanzar dos programas que tienen como objetivo poner pruebas rápidas de covid en manos de todos los estadounidenses. Pero el diseño de ambos esfuerzos pone en desventaja a las personas que ya enfrentan las mayores barreras para obtenerlas. Desde el límite establecido en los pedidos de prueba hasta los idiomas […]
Biden Administration’s Rapid-Test Rollout Doesn’t Easily Reach Those Who Need It Most
In the past week, the Biden administration launched two programs that aim to get rapid covid tests into the hands of every American. But the design of both efforts disadvantages people who already face the greatest barriers to testing. From the limit placed on test orders to the languages available on websites, the programs stand […]