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 professional on well being coverage points, Julie is the writer of the critically praised reference ebook “Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z,” now in its third version.
Congress returned from its vacation break to the identical query it confronted in December: whether or not to increase covid-era premium subsidies for well being plans offered below the Affordable Care Act. The expanded subsidies expired on the finish of 2025, leaving greater than 20 million Americans dealing with dramatically increased out-of-pocket prices for insurance coverage.
Meanwhile, the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led Department of Health and Human Services introduced an overhaul of the federal vaccine schedule for kids, lowering the variety of ailments for which vaccines are really helpful from 17 to 11.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post.
Panelists
Sarah Karlin-Smith
Pink Sheet
@sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social
Alice Miranda Ollstein
Politico
Lauren Weber
The Washington Post
Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:
The conservative motion to finish abortion entry nationwide has ensnared a last-ditch effort in Congress to assist tens of millions afford their well being plans. As lawmakers think about a compromise to revive enhanced federal tax credit for ACA plans, some Republicans are arguing that the tax credit must be barred from subsidizing any plan that covers abortion care — though the federal {dollars} wouldn’t be used to pay for abortions anyway. That change would pressure some states to decide on between dropping their necessities for insurance coverage protection for abortion care or forgoing that federal help.
President Donald Trump this week urged Republicans in Congress to be “flexible” about abortion restrictions. Meanwhile, his well being insurance policies to date are usually not yielding notable advantages for Americans, with many of the financial savings from his high-profile pharmaceutical offers going to the federal and state Medicaid applications. And the $50 billion federal funding enhance for rural well being — supposed to counterbalance almost $1 trillion in anticipated Medicaid spending cuts — is unlikely to make a significant dent, in no small half as a result of rural services are barred from utilizing the cash for common bills.
While Kennedy introduced an overhaul of federal suggestions for childhood vaccines, the motion’s affect on vaccination charges and insurance coverage protection will rely largely on how numerous states react, since states are those that impose mandates — akin to for varsity enrollment — and regulate some insurers. Nonetheless, it’s prone to end in a patchwork of state insurance policies, which is problematic for public well being efforts.
Federal well being officers additionally unveiled new dietary tips, turning the decades-old meals pyramid the other way up. Some of the suggestions adhere to scientific findings, akin to chopping added sugar from one’s eating regimen. Others are extra controversial, significantly the suggestion that Americans ought to eat extra pink meat and the softening of tips on saturated fat.
Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists recommend well being coverage tales they learn (or wrote) this week that they suppose it is best to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: KFF Health News’ “Advertisements Promising Patients a ‘Dream Body’ With Minimal Risk Get Little Scrutiny,” by Fred Schulte.
Alice Miranda Ollstein: SFGate’s “A Calif. Teen Trusted ChatGPT for Drug Advice. He Died From an Overdose,” by Lester Black and Stephen Council.
Sarah Karlin-Smith: ProfessionalPublica’s “The End of Aid: Trump Destroyed USAID. What Happens Now?” by Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy.
Lauren Weber: The Washington Post’s “How RFK Jr. Upended the Public Health System,” by Rachel Roubein, Lena H. Sun, and Lauren Weber.
Also talked about on this week’s podcast:
Credits
Zach Dyer
Audio producer
Emmarie Huetteman
Editor
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