The Host
Julie Rovner
KFF Health News
Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly well being coverage information podcast, “What the Health?” A famous knowledgeable on well being coverage points, Julie is the writer of the critically praised reference e book “Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z,” now in its third version.
As he had needed, President Donald Trump signed his large price range invoice into an enormous price range regulation in a White House ceremony on July 4, cementing, amongst different issues, billions of {dollars} in cuts to well being packages corresponding to Medicaid. The new regulation may even reshape guidelines for the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and different well being packages.
Meanwhile, the specter of layoffs continues to hold over the heads of staff on the Department of Health and Human Services, and funding for health-related contracts and grants stays stalled.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Tami Luhby of CNN.
Panelists
Rachel Cohrs Zhang
Bloomberg News
Rachel Roubein
The Washington Post
Tami Luhby
CNN
Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:
As particulars of Trump’s tax and home coverage regulation come into focus, it’s clear that many immigrants within the nation legally stand to lose authorities advantages, particularly well being protection. While the GOP described the laws as focusing on “illegal immigrants,” the regulation as written bars many people residing right here with the federal government’s permission — together with refugees and victims of home abuse and trafficking — from signing up for Medicaid, receiving Affordable Care Act market subsidies, and extra.
Other points of Trump’s priority-laden regulation acquired additional consideration following its hastened passage. In an unusually political transfer, the Social Security Administration touted to beneficiaries the regulation’s cuts to taxes on Social Security advantages — which is neither what the regulation does nor what a federal company historically does when Congress passes a regulation.
This week, the Supreme Court issued a call from its shadow docket supporting the Trump administration’s skill to put off federal staff utilizing solely his govt authority. That opinion is the most recent curve on this yr’s employment curler coaster for presidency staff, suggesting many individuals might quickly lose their jobs.
In well being company information, public well being teams are suing the Trump administration over the withdrawn suggestions on covid-19 vaccines — as insurers and others within the well being business type out how one can deal with a federal shift in immunization suggestions. And HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled a gathering of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The abrupt cancellation suggests Kennedy might quickly remake the panel, as he did final month with the panel on vaccines.
Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported the most recent KFF Health News’ “Bill of the Month” characteristic, about some very costly childhood immunizations. If you might have a medical invoice that’s exorbitant, baffling, or complicated, send it to us here.
Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists recommend well being coverage tales they learn this week that they assume it’s best to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: The New England Journal of Medicine’s “The Corporatization of U.S. Health Care — A New Perspective Series,” by Debra Malina, et al.
Rachel Roubein: The Associated Press’ “RFK Jr. Promoted a Food Company He Says Will Make Americans Healthy. Their Meals Are Ultraprocessed,” by Amanda Seitz and JoNel Aleccia.
Rachel Cohrs Zhang: The Wall Street Journal’s “Prosecutors Question Doctors About UnitedHealth’s Medicare Billing Practices,” by Christopher Weaver and Anna Wilde Mathews.
Tami Luhby: The Washington Post’s “A New D.C. Hospital Grapples With Too Many Patients and Too Few Nurses,” by Jenna Portnoy.
Also talked about on this week’s podcast:
Credits
Francis Ying
Audio producer
Emmarie Huetteman
Editor
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