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.
Medical Bills Can Be Vexing and Perplexing. Heres This Years Best Advice for Patients.
As the crowdsourced investigative series from 窪蹋勛圖厙 News approaches its eighth anniversary, Bill of the Month offers its top takeaways of 2025 to help patients manage, decipher, and even fight their medical bills.
Scorpion Peppers Caused Him Crippling Pain. Two Years Later, the ER Bill Stung Him Again.
Homemade hot sauce sent a Colorado man to the emergency room with what he called the worst pain of my life. But stomach cramps were only the beginning. Two years later, the bill came.
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: 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: Democrats Make This Shutdown About the ACA
The foreshadowed federal shutdown came after Congress failed to pass required spending bills, with Democrats demanding Republicans renew the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their votes. While a shutdown does not affect Medicare and Medicaid, it could eventually hinder activities from every corner of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, as Democrats and Republicans point fingers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pursues policies and personnel that would undermine vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Cara Anthony, who wrote a recent Bill of the Month feature about an out-of-network eye surgery that left one kindergartners family with a big bill.
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.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Lands in Senate. Our 400th Episode!
The Houses gigantic tax-and-spending budget reconciliation bill has landed with a thud in the Senate, where lawmakers are divided in their criticism over whether it increases the deficit too much or cuts Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act too deeply. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Offices estimate that the bill, if enacted, could increase the ranks of the uninsured by nearly 11 million people over a decade wont make it an easy sell. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post 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 Arielle Zionts, who reported and wrote the latest Bill of the Month feature, about a Medicaid patient who had an out-of-state emergency.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: Cutting Medicaid Is Hard Even for the GOP
Republicans on Capitol Hill are struggling to reach consensus on cutting the Medicaid program as they search for nearly a trillion dollars in savings over the next decade as many observers predicted. Meanwhile, turmoil continues at the Department of Health and Human Services, with more controversial cuts and personnel moves, including the sudden nomination of Casey Means, an ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s, to become surgeon general. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call 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 Lauren Sausser, who co-reported the latest Bill of the Month feature, about an unexpected bill for what seemed like preventive care.
What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News: American Health Gets a Pink Slip
The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of combined years of health and science expertise. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss this enormous breaking story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest Bill of the Month feature about a short-term health plan and a very expensive colonoscopy.
A Runner Was Hit by a Car, Then by a Surprise Ambulance Bill
A San Francisco man had friends drive him to the hospital after he was hit by a car. Doctors checked him out, then sent him by ambulance to a trauma center which released him with no further treatment. The ambulance bill? Almost $13,000.
