What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Culture Wars Take Center Stage
With lawmakers still mired over renewing enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, much of Washington has turned to culture war issues. Meanwhile, confusion remains the watchword at HHS as personnel and funding decisions continue to be made and unmade with little notice. 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 join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the latest Bill of the Month report.
Abortion as Homicide Debate in South Carolina Exposes GOP Rift as States Weigh New Restrictions
A proposed abortion ban in South Carolina would have allowed the criminal prosecution of women who obtain the procedure. Its unlikely to become law, but this bill and other proposals across the country show how some conservative lawmakers are embracing increasingly punitive abortion restrictions.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: New Year, Same Health Fight
Congress returned from its break facing a familiar question: whether to extend the expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans that expired at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke a promise to Bill Cassidy, the chairman of Senate health committee, by overhauling the federal governments childhood vaccine schedule to reduce the number of diseases for which vaccines will be recommended. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.
Iowa Doesn’t Have Enough OB-GYNs. The States Abortion Ban Might Be Making It Worse.
Abortion bans like Iowas have put OB-GYNs under increasing strain and surveillance, complicating the standard medical treatments for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature membrane rupture, and other pregnancy problems. As many rural areas face worsening maternity care deserts, some physicians fear these laws could drive much-needed doctors out of state and dissuade others from moving in and establishing a practice.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Times Up for Expanded ACA Tax Credits
A last-minute push from Democrats and four moderate Republicans will force a House vote on renewing enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, but not until January. That means millions will have to choose between paying dramatically more or dropping coverage next year. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially drops the federal recommendation for newborns to receive a hepatitis B shot. Tami Luhby of CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lizzy Lawrence of Stat join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Tony Leys, who wrote the latest Bill of the Month feature, and the panel discusses the years biggest developments in health policy.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Crunch Time for ACA Tax Credits
Dec. 15 is the deadline to sign up for Affordable Care Act plans that begin Jan. 1, and Congress remains at odds over letting expanded tax credits for the plans premiums expire and increasing the cost of insurance for millions of Americans. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to remake vaccine policy to reflect ideology rather than science. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown professor Linda Blumberg about the GOPs health plans.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Trump Almost Unveils a Health Plan
Just weeks before some tax credits for Affordable Care Act premiums expire, the Trump administration floated a plan to extend the enhanced aid but it was met with immediate GOP pushback. Meanwhile, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise its website to suggest childhood vaccines might be linked to autism. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Joanne Kenen and Joshua Sharfstein about their new book, Information Sick: How Journalisms Decline and Misinformations Rise Are Harming Our Health And What We Can Do About It.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: The Government Is Open
The record-long federal shutdown is over after a small group of Democrats agreed to a deal with most Republicans that funds the government through January but, notably, does not extend more generous Affordable Care Act tax credits. Plus, new details are emerging about how the Trump administration is using the Medicaid program to advance its policy goals. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Appleby, who wrote the latest Bill of the Month feature.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Happy Open Enrollment Eve!
A standoff in Congress is keeping much of the government shut down as open enrollment begins in most states for Affordable Care Act plans. Democrats are demanding Republicans agree to extend ACA tax credits, but there has been little negotiating even as customers are learning what theyll pay for coverage next year. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is telling states they cant pass their own laws to keep medical debt off consumers credit reports. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Schr繹dingers Government Shutdown
Democrats and Republicans remain stalled over funding the federal government as Republicans launch a new attack on the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is taking advantage of the shutdown to lay off workers from programs supported mostly by Democrats. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews health insurance analyst Louise Norris about Medicare open enrollment.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Starting To Feel the Shutdowns Bite
The government shutdown continues with no end in sight, and while it theoretically should not affect entitlement programs, the lapse of some related authorizations like for Medicare telehealth programs is leaving some doctors and patients high and dry. Meanwhile, the FDA quietly approved a new generic abortion pill. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Sarah Grusin of the National Health Law Program.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: On Capitol Hill, RFK Defends Firings at CDC
A combative Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the U.S. secretary of health and human services, appeared before a Senate committee Thursday, defending his firing of the newly confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as other changes that could limit the availability of vaccines. Meanwhile, Congress has only a few weeks to complete work on annual spending bills to avoid a possible government shutdown and to ward off potentially large increases in premiums for Affordable Care Act health plans. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Tony Leys, who discusses his Bill of the Month report about a womans unfortunate interaction with a bat and her even more unfortunate interaction with the bill for her rabies prevention treatment.
Planned Parenthood Bets on Redistricting To Push Back Against GOP Funding Cuts
Alarmed at Republicans deep cuts to health care and restrictions on reproductive rights, advocates are supporting Californias effort to counter a mid-decade gerrymander by the Texas GOP to pad their partys fragile U.S. House majority.
Maryland Taps Affordable Care Act Fund To Help Pay for Abortion Care
The state is using an old source of funding to pay for a new money crunch: assisting out-of-state patients with the costs associated with abortion.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Kennedy Cancels Vaccine Funding
The Health and Human Services secretary is winding down nearly $500 million in mRNA research funding, citing false claims that the technology is ineffective against respiratory illnesses and notching a victory for critics of the covid vaccines. And President Donald Trump is demanding drugmakers drop their prices, quickly, but its unclear how he could make them comply. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more.
A Brain-Dead Pregnant Woman Was Kept Alive in Georgia. It’s Unclear if State Law Required It.
The anti-abortion movement is rallying around new laws that establish fetal personhood. Doctors are scrambling to adjust, but even conservatives dont always agree on how such laws should be applied.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Here Come the ACA Premium Hikes
Medicaid may have monopolized Washingtons attention lately, but big changes are coming to the Affordable Care Act as well. Meanwhile, Americans are learning more about whats in Trumps big budget law, and polls suggest many dont like what they see. Julie Appleby of 窪蹋勛圖厙 News, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews historian Jonathan Oberlander to mark Medicares 60th anniversary.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Trumps Bill Reaches the Finish Line
The House on Thursday moved to approve the largest-ever cuts to federal safety net programs, the last step before the measure goes to President Donald Trumps desk. After the Senate very narrowly passed the bill, House GOP leaders ushered it past resistance from conservatives wary of adding trillions to the federal debt and moderates concerned about its cuts to Medicaid. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to pursue his anti-vaccine agenda, despite promising that he would not. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Journalists Break Down Reconciliation Bill, Vaccine Panel Meeting, and ‘Dobbs’ Anniversary
窪蹋勛圖厙 News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Heres a collection of their appearances.
Push To Move OB-GYN Exam Out of Texas Is Piece of AGs Broader Reproductive Rights Campaign
Following a petition from Democratic state attorneys general, the American Medical Association adopted a position that medical certification exams should not be required in person in states with restrictive abortion policies. The actions success was hailed as a win for Democrats trying to regain ground after the fall of Roe.
