Drew Altman, Ph.D., is president and CEO of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and a leading expert on national health policy. He is also founding publisher of KFF’s Kaiser Health News, which distributes coverage of health issues through major news outlets across the...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employers can help increase COVID-19 vaccine rates among employees by establishing supportive policies and practices. Overall, strong confidence in vaccines at the workplace lead to more people getting vaccinated, which results in fewer COVID-19 illnesses,...
Although fewer children have been infected with COVID-19 compared to adults, young people can get infected with the virus, become seriously ill and spread the virus to others. Effective May 12, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination for everyone over...
Efforts to roll-out COVID-19 vaccines are accelerating across the United States. President Biden has announced there will be enough supply to vaccinate every adult in the nation by the end of this May. While this is important progress, public health officials warn there could be...
In accordance with an Executive Order signed by President Biden on Jan. 21, 2021, the federal government has issued new guidance removing barriers to COVID-19 diagnostic testing and vaccinations, and strengthening requirements that plans and issuers cover diagnostic testing without cost sharing. Issued by the Centers...
Effective March 29, 2021, California’s most recent COVID-19 legislation (SB 95) requires all employers with 25 or more employees to provide up to 80 hours of COVID-19 sick leave. The law is similar to the statewide supplemental paid sick leave law that expired on Dec....
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults have been at greater risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death due to the virus. In mid-January, the federal government asked states to expand vaccine eligibility to people ages 65 and older. Although the pace of...
President Biden has signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which includes wide-ranging relief provisions to assist those who lost their company-sponsored health plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under existing federal and state COBRA laws, most employers who offer group health plans must...
Effective in January 2020, the California individual health care mandate requires all state residents to obtain minimum essential health coverage or face a penalty unless they obtain an exemption. In addition to maintaining their own health coverage, individuals must ensure their spouse or domestic partner...
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to stay away from visiting a doctor’s office, which means many children have fallen behind on routine vaccinations. If your child is not up-to-date on receiving their recommended immunizations, they and our entire community could be at risk....