What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

Join Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for 窪蹋勛圖厙 News, along with top health policy reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico and other media outlets to discuss the latest news and explain what the health is going on here in Washington.

Listen and Subscribe on | |  | |

If you have a question for the podcast, you can send it to whatthehealth@kff.org.

Showing 1 - 20 of 464

  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    The Politics of Health at Midyear

    Episode 454

    Just a few months before the midterm elections, Democrats appear to be doubling down on healthcare as a campaign issue as costs rise and insurance coverage declines. Meanwhile, Congress is taking aim at nonprofit hospitals. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Victoria Knight of Bloomberg Government, and Rachel Roubein 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 Samantha Liss, who wrote the latest Bill of the Month.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    Supreme Court Makes Health Policy

    Episode 453

    The Supreme Court handed down its last decisions of its 2025-26 term this week, including in an immigration case that could result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of workers in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Amanda Seitz of 窪蹋勛圖厙 News join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    Trump Officials Still Delaying Funds

    Episode 452

    With the fiscal year mostly over, hundreds of millions of dollars in health-related grants approved by Congress still have not reached their designated recipients, with the Trump administration again delaying distribution. Meanwhile, on the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that allowed states to ban abortion, the number of abortions in the U.S. is actually rising. Maya Goldman of Axios, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Rachana Pradhan of 窪蹋勛圖厙 News join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    Democrats Keep Healthcare at the Fore

    Episode 451

    Senate Democrats hope to highlight health costs by forcing a vote on the Trump administrations changes to the Affordable Care Act before the midterm elections. Meanwhile, Alabama is the latest state to try to cut off access to medication abortion via telehealth. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute and Liz Fowler of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to discuss the employer health insurance tax exclusion.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    The Drip, Drip, Drip of Declining Coverage

    Episode 450

    As predicted, the expiration of enhanced tax subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans is causing many people to lose coverage for failing to make premium payments. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded angrily to a New York Times article suggesting hes not actively engaged in the work of his sprawling department. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFFs Tricia Neuman, who is retiring this month as a senior vice president and the executive director of the Program on Medicare Policy.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    Medicaid Work Rules Surprise States

    Episode 449

    Adult Medicaid enrollees with serious health conditions may not be automatically exempt from new work rules, according to a new regulation from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the administration is also proposing to give political appointees even more power over who gets health and science grant funding. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Liz Essley Whyte of The Wall Street Journal 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 wrote the latest Bill of the Month.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    More Kids Without Coverage

    Episode 448

    When Republicans passed their big budget bill in 2025, they thought the effects of cuts to health programs wouldnt show up until after the 2026 midterms. They were wrong. Meanwhile, the party is trumpeting its efforts to lower drug prices. Maya Goldman of Axios, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, 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 discusses Ebola with 窪蹋勛圖厙 News C矇line Gounder.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    Sen. Cassidy Unleashed

    Episode 447

    In the days after losing his reelection bid in Louisiana, Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy is already signaling that his loyalty to President Trump has waned. But how much Cassidy will try to accomplish toward his health agenda in his last months in office remains to be seen. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews health policy professor Miranda Yaver, the author of a new book about health insurance denials.

    Listen Now
  • The logo for "What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News" beside headshots of Julie Rovner and Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
    What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    Watch: The Tug-of-War Over Taxpayer Dollars

    Podcast host Julie Rovner chats with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a top Democrat on health issues, about President Donald Trumps stewardship of federal spending and the effectiveness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

    By Julie Rovner and Hannah Norman
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    In Search of a New FDA Commissioner

    Episode 446

    As widely expected, Marty Makary stepped down as head of the FDA this week. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court weighs blocking telehealth prescriptions for the abortion pill mifepristone. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, 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 Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    Abortion Pill Politics

    Episode 445

    A federal courts decision to restrict availability of the abortion pill mifepristone has launched abortion back into the national spotlight. Its also raised new questions about the job security of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Andrew Jones, who wrote the latest Bill of the Month."

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    The Peculiar Politics of Hospitals

    Episode 444

    Democrats and Republicans on a House panel that oversees Medicare had strong words about high hospital pricing at a hearing this week, but it remains unclear whether reality will match the rhetoric when it comes to reining in those prices. Meanwhile, a study found the 988 suicide prevention hotline reduced suicides significantly in its first two years. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachel Roubein 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 these stories and more.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    RFK Jr. vs. Congress

    Episode 443

    HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. completed his tour of House and Senate committees this week, ostensibly to promote President Donald Trumps budget proposal for his department but also to answer for some of his more controversial positions, particularly on vaccines. Meanwhile, Trump signed an order to facilitate the use of hallucinogens to treat mental health conditions. Victoria Knight of Bloomberg Government, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, as part of our How Would You Fix It? series, Rovner interviews Harvard public health professor David Blumenthal.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    Abortion Pills, the Budget, and RFK Jr.

    Episode 441

    This week, the Trump administration won a court battle to delay a ruling on access to the abortion pill mifepristone, angering its own anti-abortion allies. Meanwhile, the presidents budget arrived on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are unlikely to agree to its proposed cuts to Health and Human Services programs. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Maya Goldman of Axios join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    GOP Mulls More Health Cuts

    Episode 440

    Despite public opposition to the cuts they made to federal health programs in 2025, Republicans reportedly are considering more cuts to help pay for the war in Iran. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado cannot ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law 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 Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the last two Bill of the Month stories.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    A Headless CDC

    Episode 439

    The Trump administration faces the challenge of naming a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who can both satisfy the Make America Healthy Again movement and get confirmed by the Senate. Meanwhile, a new Senate bill to rescind the approval of the abortion pill mifepristone is again elevating the abortion debate, which some Republicans would prefer to stay on the back burner until after the midterms. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, 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 Georgetown University Law Centers Katie Keith about the state of the Affordable Care Act on its 16th anniversary.

    Listen Now
  • What the Health? From 窪蹋勛圖厙 News

    RFK Jr.s Vaccine Schedule Changes Blocked For Now

    Episode 438

    A federal judge in Massachusetts this week sided with public health groups to block changes to the federally recommended schedule of childhood vaccines, dealing at least a temporary setback to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s efforts to remake the schedule. Meanwhile, Congress has put its debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act on the back burner, but the issue of rising health care costs is still front and center for the voting public. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, 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 KFF President and CEO Drew Altman to kick off a new series looking at health care solutions, called How Would You Fix It?

    Listen Now