The Red/Blue Divide in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Continues: An Update January 19, 2022 Blog This analysis is an update to a previous analysis conducted in September 2021. Using county-level data, we analyzed trends in COVID-19 vaccination rates in counties that voted for President Trump in the 2020 election compared to counties that voted for President Biden. We find higher vaccination rates for counties that voted for Biden. However, rates among those fully vaccinated that have received a booster are similar between the two groups.
New Season of “American Diagnosis” Podcast to Explore the Resilience of Indigenous Peoples in the Face of Adversity, Social Inequity, and Health Injustice January 18, 2022 News Release The new season of the “American Diagnosis” podcast will explore the impact of hundreds of years of adversity on the health of Indigenous peoples in America, examining the resilience of the Navajo Nation during the covid-19 pandemic as an entry point into this history. Early in the coronavirus pandemic, the…
A Federal Covid Testing Plan Finally Ramps Up. Strings Are Attached. January 14, 2022 Perspective In this commentary for Barron’s, Cynthia Cox and Lindsey Dawson examine the cost and availability of at-home COVID-19 tests and how the new Biden administration policy requiring private insurances to cover their costs may work.
Assessing Online Availability of At-Home COVID-19 Tests Ahead of Private Insurance Reimbursement January 13, 2022 Issue Brief This data note explores findings from on an 8-day online search for at home COVID-19 tests at major retailers. The findings are described against the backdrop of the Biden Administration policy requiring plans to cover the cost of these tests. We find that these tests remain hard to find and that this limited availability could negatively affect the success of the reimbursement strategy.
State Delivery System and Payment Strategies Aimed at Improving Outcomes and Lowering Costs in Medicaid January 12, 2022 Issue Brief State Medicaid programs are using managed care and an array of other service delivery and payment system reforms, financial incentives, and managed care contracting requirements to help achieve better outcomes and lower costs. This brief examines what delivery system and payment reform initiatives are in place across states; how are states linking financial incentives and using transparency to improve quality and outcomes; and how are states leveraging managed care plan contracts to advance delivery system and payment reform initiatives.
Unvaccinated COVID patients cost the U.S. health system billions of dollars December 22, 2021 Issue Brief This updated analysis for the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker estimates that the preventable costs of treating unvaccinated patients in hospitals total $13.8 billion during the six-month period from June through November when the delta variant led to a surge in admissions.
A Year of Vaccine Inequity December 22, 2021 Slide Just 7% of low-income countries’ populations have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of December 20, well behind the 40% target for 2021.
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: Differences in Vaccine Attitudes Between Rural, Suburban, and Urban Areas December 22, 2021 Poll Finding This report examines the views and experiences of people in rural, urban and suburban areas related to the pandemic, and finds they hold very different views of the COVID-19 vaccines, particularly when it comes to children.
Omicron Variant Increases Worries and Gives Momentum to COVID-19 Booster Shots; May Motivate a Small Share of Unvaccinated Adults to Get an Initial Shot December 21, 2021 News Release The emergence of the omicron COVID-19 variant is encouraging many already vaccinated adults to get a recommended booster shot but is providing only a little motivation for unvaccinated adults to get an initial shot, a new KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor quick response survey finds. Fielded from Dec. 15-20 to provide…
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: Early Omicron Update December 21, 2021 Poll Finding This analysis from the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor explores the public’s response to the news about the omicron variant of coronavirus, and finds that while it may convince vaccinated adults to get their COVID-19 booster vaccine, unvaccinated adults are largely unmoved by the news.