About the public’s health
How coronavirus spreads through a population and how we can beat it: This excellent article with interactive graphics explains how a pandemic can spread given infectivity, contact rates and mortality. Even if you are a public health professional, it is worth a read.
Two major stories today chronicle Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is from The Wall Street Journal’s front page: Health Chief’s Early Missteps Set Back Coronavirus Response. The other is from Reuters: Special Report: Former Labradoodle breeder was tapped to lead U.S. pandemic task force. The reference is to Azar’s former chief of staff, Brian Harrison, whom Azar recruited to run the HHS pandemic task force before VP Pence took over. Harrison previously ran a dog-breeding business for six years.
‘Where are all our patients?’: Covid phobia is keeping people with serious heart symptoms away from ERs: “A survey of nine major hospitals earlier this month showed the number of severe heart attacks being treated in U.S hospitals had dropped by nearly 40% since the novel coronavirus took hold in March, leaving cardiologists worried about a second wave of deaths caused indirectly by Covid-19: patients so afraid to enter hospitals that they are dying at home or waiting so long to seek care that they’re going to suffer massive damage to their hearts or brains. Some call it ‘a virus of fear.’”
KFF Health Tracking Poll - Late April 2020: Coronavirus, Social Distancing, and Contact Tracing: “The latest KFF Health Tracking Poll conducted April 15-20th finds about half the public (51%) now saying that when it comes to the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., “the worst is yet to come.” This is down 23 percentage points from the share who said the same (74%) in the… poll conducted less than three weeks ago. Majorities of Democrats (64%) and independents (56%) continue to say ‘the worst is yet to come,’ but now twice as many Republicans say ‘the worst is behind us’ (53%) as say ‘the worst is yet to come’ (27%).
While an increasing share of the public now say the worst of the outbreak is behind us, most Americans (80%) say strict shelter-in-place measures are worth it…”
Tiny Drugmaker Joins 3M, J&J in $7.2 Billion U.S. Virus Windfall: Here are the top 20 companies contracted by the federal government to combat COVID-19. Most contracts are for ventilators, masks and vaccines (presumably development).
The race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine: 5 updates: A good summary of where we are on this development.
Two cats in New York are first pets known to have coronavirus in the US: “Two cats in New York have been infected with the novel coronavirus, federal officials announced Wednesday. Both had mild respiratory symptoms and are expected to make a full recovery.
’These are the first pets in the United States to test positive,’ the US Department of Agriculture said Wednesday in a joint statement with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agencies emphasized that there is no evidence pets play a role in spreading coronavirus in the United States. ‘There is no justification in taking measures against companion animals that may compromise their welfare,’ they said.”
California OKs resumption of elective procedures: “California hospitals will be allowed to resume nonemergency surgeries and procedures, including removing tumors, heart valve replacements and key preventive care services like colonoscopies. Purely cosmetic procedures are still banned.” Other states are also slowly rolling back restrictions for procedures on which hospitals are economically dependent.
Adding A Nylon Stocking Layer Could Boost Protection From Cloth Masks, Study Finds: The study has not been peer-reviewed but the recommendation makes sense.
Court allows Arkansas ban on surgical abortions due to virus: “A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dissolved a judge’s temporary restraining order that allowed surgical abortions to continue after the Arkansas Department of Health told the state’s only surgical abortion clinic to stop performing the procedure unless it was needed to protect the life or health of the mother.”
The Post-Pandemic Style: An interesting article on how architectural changes occurred to address public health issues.
About health insurance
2020 Annual Report of the Boards of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance [Medicare Part A] and Federal Supplementary Insurance [Medicare Part B] Trust Funds: Start on page 6 of the document for a summary. In short: “In 2019, HI expenditures exceeded income by $5.8 billion. The Trustees project deficits in all future years until the trust fund becomes depleted in 2026….The HI trust fund does not meet either the Trustees’ test of short-range financial adequacy or their test of long-range close actuarial balance.” The Medicare effect of COVID-19 infections is yet to be determined but will be a balance of the increased cost for acute care in the short run versus the reduced long term costs due to deaths.
Some providers facing issues getting paid for telehealth visits: The article is a good summary (with examples) of the problem in the headline.
However…
Coronavirus Fuels Explosive Growth In Telehealth ― And Concern About Fraud: This article explains the “other side” of facilitating telehealth payments.
Administration offers plan to cover COVID care for uninsured: “Under the approach detailed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, hospitals and doctors would submit their bills directly to the government and they would get paid at Medicare rates.
Uninsured people would not be liable for costs, and health care providers would not have to ask any questions about a patient’s immigration status, an issue that’s been cited as a barrier to care in communities with many foreign-born residents.
‘This says if you don’t have insurance, go get taken care of — we have you covered,’ Azar said in an interview.”
About healthcare quality
CMS Suspends Quality Reporting Measures Amid Pandemic: The suspended measures are the Qualified Health Plan Enrollee Survey, Quality Improvement Strategy, and Quality Rating System for plan year 2021.
Consumer Perspectives on Patient Experience in the U.S.: “Despite lower engagement in healthcare activities and the spread of COVID-19, consumers are more positive about overall healthcare quality (+13%) and their own care experiences (+7%) compared to January.
Cost remains the most important healthcare issue for consumers. The top 3 issues include affordable health insurance coverage, out-of-pocket costs, and the cost of health insurance premiums.”
About healthcare personnel
International Docs Held Back From COVID Front Lines: The article explains the precarious situation of International Medical Graduates, who are essential to meeting our country’s healthcare needs (even before the COVID-19 pandemic).