HE news that drew views, Oct. 19–23

Several large hospital systems in Southern California appear to have been dodging their duties to uninsured COVID patients.

The largest pharmacy chain in the U.S. is staffing up for fall and winter. It’s also calling for regulation that would allow pharmacy technicians to administer vaccinations in all states.  

Almost half of individuals employed in healthcare expect to keep their noses to the grindstone into their late 60s if not beyond. 

U.S. physicians favor the idea of a two-tiered healthcare system, one in which a single-payer option peacefully coexists with private coverage. Their least favorite model? Single-payer Medicare for All.

Even after receiving $7.5 billion in federal COVID relief and billions more from the Paycheck Protection Program, nursing homes are still hurting financially. Should the field’s for-profit players have their hands out with the rest?

Along with the unprecedented challenges COVID-19 has brought to U.S. hospitals in 2020 are some older sore spots that the pandemic has only inflamed.

Hawaii is the state with the best overall access to healthcare, achieving high scores for percentages of residents with a personal physician and children with a medical home while minimizing unmet needs for mental healthcare and doctor avoidance due to cost.

With their broad reach across all demographic categories, social media platforms are connecting healthcare influencers and stakeholders across every area of activity in which one might hold a stake. Of course, that’s a good thing and a bad thing.