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 skilled on well being coverage points, Julie is the creator of the critically praised reference ebook “Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z,” now in its third version.
In a extremely uncommon White House information convention this week, President Donald Trump — with out proof — boldly blamed the painkiller Tylenol and a string of childhood vaccines for inflicting a latest rise in autism. That got here simply days after the newly reconstituted Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, now populated with vaccine skeptics and opponents, voted to vary long-standing suggestions.
Podcast host Julie Rovner interviews Demetre Daskalakis, who till final month was the pinnacle of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, concerning the response to those unprecedented actions.
Meanwhile, as the federal government approaches a possible shutdown, with Congress at a standoff over funding for the brand new fiscal 12 months that begins Oct. 1, the Trump administration is ordering federal businesses to not simply furlough employees however to fireside them if their jobs don’t align with the president’s priorities.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call.
Panelists
Anna Edney
Bloomberg News
Sandhya Raman
CQ Roll Call
Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:
The federal Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday evening despatched a memo to authorities businesses asking for contingency plans within the occasion of a authorities shutdown beginning Oct. 1. Such a memo isn’t uncommon in relation to pre-shutdown planning. This time round, it took an unprecedented flip in informing company personnel that they need to put together for mass firings of workers whose applications lack different funding sources or who’re engaged on a program whose mission doesn’t straight align with Trump’s priorities. Though federal RIFs, or reductions in power, and authorities shutdowns have every occurred earlier than, the mixed RIF/shutdown risk is a primary.
It appears we’re headed for a shutdown. Before adjourning till after the fiscal 12 months ends Sept. 30, the House authorized a stopgap funding measure. But, as a result of House members don’t plan to return to Washington till Oct. 6, that leaves the Senate in a jam. If senators change something within the invoice, it could require one other House vote, which, due to the House schedule, won’t occur earlier than the month ends.
There’s additionally interparty strife. Republicans say they need a clear invoice to offer short-term funding, whereas Democrats produce other concepts. Their prevailing perspective is that they went together with this method in March and bought burned. This week, Trump additionally canceled a gathering with Democratic leaders. The backside line is that either side are jockeying for a place that will enable them to forged shutdown blame throughout the aisle. Some name it a sport of three-dimensional chess, whereas others name it a sport of rooster. Either approach, there will probably be penalties.
Confusion and chaos have emerged as buzzwords to explain two latest occasions: final week’s assembly of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and this week’s White House press convention about autism. Both had been marked by combined messages. At the White House occasion, as an illustration, Trump warned pregnant girls to not take Tylenol. But the FDA info that shortly adopted downplayed the Tylenol danger.
The Trump administration’s new $100,000 payment for H-1B visas may have an effect on well being care. Such visas are sometimes utilized by graduating medical college students and different well being professionals who come to the U.S. for coaching, then keep to observe. That $100,000 payment is steep and generated an virtually quick backlash from hospitals and well being techniques, particularly these in rural areas — a response that caught administration officers off guard. Administration officers have urged that well being professionals would qualify for an exemption from this payment. What will not be but clear is what hoops the sponsoring hospitals must leap by to qualify for it.
Trump has given 17 drug firms a Sept. 29 deadline by which they should decide to adopting his “most favored nation” pricing coverage. It’s supposed to extend the price drugmakers cost in different nations whereas decreasing costs within the U.S. Talks between the administration and the drugmakers are ongoing. So far, indications are that Trump may find yourself with half a loaf. Some giant drugmakers have introduced they’ll elevate the costs of particular medicines in different nations however haven’t agreed to cut back costs within the U.S.
Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists counsel well being coverage tales they learn this week that they suppose it’s best to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: NBC News’ “RFK Jr. Has the Federal Vaccine Court in His Sights. Attacking It Could Threaten Vaccine Production in the U.S.,” by Liz Szabo.
Anna Edney: The Washington Post’s “Do State Abortion Laws Affect Women’s Recruiting? That’s Up to Athletes,” by Kevin B. Blackistone.
Sandhya Raman: ProPublica’s “Psychiatric Hospitals Turn Away Patients Who Need Urgent Care. The Facilities Face Few Consequences,” by Eli Cahan.
Also talked about on this week’s podcast:
Credits
Francis Ying
Audio producer
Stephanie Stapleton
Editor
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