Coronavirus Puts a Spotlight on Paid Leave Policies December 14, 2020 Issue Brief As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health officials recommend that people who are sick should stay home. Benefits such as sick leave and family leave can help employees follow these guidelines; however, the U.S. does not have national standards on paid family or sick leave. The lack of a national policy means some employees are forced to take unpaid leave, or come to work when they are ill, which could have public health consequences.
As Open Enrollment Closes, Millions of Uninsured Americans are Still Eligible for Free ACA Health Insurance December 14, 2020 Slide There are still tens of millions of people without health coverage during the pandemic. Many of these uninsured people are eligible for free coverage or financial assistance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but they may not have much time left to sign up for coverage before Open Enrollment ends December 15.
How are States Prioritizing Who Will Get the COVID-19 Vaccine First? December 14, 2020 Blog This post reviews the latest information on state priorities for their initial COVID-19 vaccine allocations to assess which populations will get the vaccine first.
Who Didn’t Get a Second Shingrix Shot? Implications for Multidose COVID-19 Vaccines December 14, 2020 Issue Brief As the U.S. prepares for nationwide distribution of vaccines to combat COVID-19, some are asking whether people who get the first of two doses will return to complete the series. This analysis draws on Medicare Part D prescription drug claims data for the herpes zoster vaccine Shingrix, which also requires two doses, to shed light on this potential challenge of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
This Week in Coronavirus: December 4 to December 10 December 11, 2020 Blog During the 47th week since the first coronavirus case appeared in the United States, the U.S. surpassed 15.6 million total cases as an independent Food and Drug Administration panel of outside advisers supported emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Web Briefing: Racism and Discrimination in Health Care – Experiences Today and Actions to Address Going Forward December 11, 2020 Event Approaching the end of 2020, two of the most pressing concerns facing the country are the long-standing issue of racial discrimination and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The issues have merged with the pandemic taking a disproportionate health and economic toll on people of color. As vaccines become available, prioritizing racial…
Health System Dashboard December 11, 2020 Interactive The Peterson-KFF Health System Dashboard examines the U.S. health system’s performance in four areas: access and affordability, health and well-being, health spending, and quality of care. Users can explore trends over time, as well as disparities and differences across demographic groups.
New National and State Estimates for Recommended COVID-19 Vaccination Priority Population December 10, 2020 News Release This month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted a recommendation that health care workers and long-term care residents should be the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once it is authorized or approved by the FDA. A new KFF analysis estimates there are 15.5 million people working…
Estimates of the Initial Priority Population for COVID-19 Vaccination by State December 10, 2020 Issue Brief This analysis provides new national and state-level estimates of the number of health care workers and long-term care residents who are expected to be part of the group first in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to gain insight into how this initial priority population varies across states.
How Has the Pandemic Affected Health Coverage in the U.S.? December 9, 2020 Blog Findings from administrative data suggest that the decline in enrollment among employer-sponsored insurance was far less than overall declines in employment as of September, and that many who did lose their job-based coverage likely found a safety net in coverage through Medicaid or the ACA marketplaces.