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 e-book “Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z,” now in its third version.
Millions of Americans are dealing with dramatically larger medical health insurance premium funds because of the Jan. 1 expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. But a lot of Washington seems extra for the time being in tradition struggle points, together with abortion and gender-affirming care.
Meanwhile, on the Department of Health and Human Services, personnel proceed to be fired and rehired, and grants terminated and reinstated, leaving everybody who touches the company unsure about what comes subsequent.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.
Panelists
Anna Edney
Bloomberg News
Joanne Kenen
Johns Hopkins University and Politico
Alice Miranda Ollstein
Politico
Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:
Congress stays undecided on a deal to resume enhanced ACA premium subsidies, as it’s on spending plans to maintain the federal authorities operating when the prevailing, short-term plan expires on the finish of the month. While a few of the greater appropriations hang-ups are associated to immigration and overseas affairs, there are additionally hurdles to passing spending for HHS.
ACA plan enrollment is down about 1.5 million in contrast with final 12 months, with states reporting that many individuals are switching to cheaper plans or dropping protection. Enrollment numbers are more likely to drop additional within the coming months as more-expensive premium funds come due and a few understand they’ll not afford the plans they’re enrolled in.
A key Senate well being committee on Wednesday hosted a listening to on the abortion capsule mifepristone, centered on the protection considerations posed by abortion foes — although these considerations are unsupported by scientific analysis and a long time of expertise with the drug. Many abortion opponents are annoyed that the Trump administration has not taken aggressive motion to limit entry to the abortion capsule.
As the Trump administration moved this week to rehire laid-off staff and abruptly cancel, then restore, addiction-related grants, total authorities spending is up, regardless of the administration’s acknowledged aim of saving cash by slicing the federal authorities’s measurement and actions. It seems the churn inside the administration is costing taxpayers extra. And new information, revealing that extra federal employees left on their very own than had been laid off final 12 months, exhibits that quite a lot of institutional reminiscence was additionally misplaced.
Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Elisabeth Rosenthal, who created the “Bill of the Month” collection and wrote the latest installment, a few scorpion pepper, an ER go to, and a ghost invoice. If you may have a baffling, infuriating, or exorbitant invoice you’d prefer to share with us, you can do that here.
Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists counsel well being coverage tales they learn this week that they suppose you must learn, too:
Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution,” by Maxine Joselow.
Alice Miranda Ollstein: ProfessionalPublica’s “After Sowing Distrust in Fluoridated Water, Kennedy and Skeptics Turn to Obstructing Other Fluoride Sources,” by Anna Clark.
Joanne Kenen: The New Yorker’s “What ‘The Pitt’ Taught Me About Being a Doctor,” by Dhruv Khullar.
Anna Edney: MedPage Today’s “Worried About Liability After CDC Vaccine Changes? You Shouldn’t Be,” by Joedy McCreary.
Also talked about on this week’s podcast:
The Washington Post’s “A Majority in Name Only? House Republicans Are Barely Hanging On,” by Paul Kane.
HealthAffairs’ “National Health Care Spending Increased 7.2 percent in 2024 as Utilization Remained Elevated,” by Mica Hartman, Anne B. Martin, David Lassman, and Aaron Catlin.
Politico’s “Lawsuit Dismissed After Trump Admin Quietly Restored Tens of Millions to Planned Parenthood,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein.
JAMA’s “The US Food and Drug Administration’s Regulation of Mifepristone,” by Sophie Dilek, Joanne Rosen, Anna Levashkevich, Joshua M. Sharfstein, and G. Caleb Alexander.
Credits
Francis Ying
Audio producer
Emmarie Huetteman
Editor
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