The United States' excess deaths count per 100,00 people is higher this year than that for comparable countries, which is likely to increase the mortality gap between the U.S. and peer countries. Learn more in this Chart of the Week.

“Everybody’s Work” examines the hidden disease plaguing healthcare in the United States: systemic racism. Through the lens of fearless nurses, this documentary exposes the biases that result in worse healthcare outcomes for people of color.

Community health centers are a national network of safety net primary care providers and are a major source of care for many low-income populations and people of color. They have partnered with state and local governments, and more recently, the…

A new brief from the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker looks at how the pandemic affected the excess mortality rate in 2020 and estimates how many potential years of life were lost. “Excess deaths” represent the number of deaths beyond what is…

On March 19, 2021, the Biden Administration reached its goal of administering 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine since President Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021, by closing the day at 118,313,818. As of that day, over one-fifth…

Early data suggest significant racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations, with higher vaccination rates among White people compared to Hispanic and Black people as of early March, based on available state-reported data. The Biden administration has…

The final months of 2020 were the deadliest months of the pandemic for many residents and staff in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), with over 26,000 COVID-19 deaths in LTCFs reported between Thanksgiving weekend and December 31, 2020. The end of…

Individuals with certain medical conditions are at increased risk of severe illness if they become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and as such are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for…

As the COVID-19 vaccination program has rolled out nationwide, state data has continued to document that racial and ethnic disparities continue to exist between coronavirus cases and deaths in communities of color and the rate at which Black and…

In January 2021, the number of deaths from COVID-19 increased so rapidly that it has clearly become the number one cause of death in the U.S., with an average of more than 3,000 people per day dying of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of Jan. 26. That number…

In recent months, the US has experienced record-breaking numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths. A new KFF analysis finds long-term care facility (LTCF) cases and deaths were highest in the final two months of 2020 in many states, mirroring the…

A new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that the use of protective face masks varies depending on whether people view it as a personal choice or collective responsibility. Among those who say that wearing a mask is part of everyone’s responsibility, 85%…

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States recently surpassed 10 million, and nationwide deaths are nearing 250,000. As we move into the holiday season, cases are rapidly growing across the country, putting pressure on health…

During pandemics, epidemiologists use excess deaths as a measure to put official death counts in context. Excess deaths represent the number of deaths exceeding what is expected in a typical year. Excess deaths in 2020 serves as a good proxy for the…

The confirmation process for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald J. Trump’s appointment to fill the Supreme Court seat previously held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, began last week with the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) firmly at the…

This weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that five people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the latest international outbreak – coronavirus – which started in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to more than 10 other…

Note: The latest information and analysis about this case can be found here. On March 28, 2019, the D.C. federal district court set aside the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s approval of Medicaid waivers with work and reporting…

KHN recently published a story highlighting how a nurse with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis’ major concern are her medical bills. They’re wreaking financial havoc for her and her family. A big part of Carol Marley’s problem? Denied claims. An…

On Feb. 22, the Department of Health and Human Services released the final rule regarding use of Title X federal funds for family planning clinics, which serve approximately 4 million people nationwide. These final regulations, slated to be published…

President Trump announced a commitment last week in his second State of the Union speech to end HIV in the United States by 2030. While details are still forthcoming, materials distributed by the Department of Health and Human Services say the…