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.

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

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    Another Try for Mental Health Parity

    Episode 307

    President Joe Biden is kicking off his reelection campaign in part by trying to finish a decades-long effort to establish parity in insurance benefits between mental and physical health. Meanwhile, House Republicans are working to add abortion and other contentious amendments to must-pass spending bills. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News C矇line Gounder about her podcast Epidemic. The new season focuses on the successful public health effort to eradicate smallpox.

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  • Lets Talk About the Weather

    Episode 306

    Its been the summer of broken weather records around the world for heat, rain, and wildfire smoke advertising the risks of climate change in a big way. But, apparently, its not enough to break the logjam in Washington over how to address the growing climate crisis. Meanwhile, in Texas, women who were unable to get care for pregnancy complications took their stories to court, and Congress gears up to maybe do something about prescription drug prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join Julie Rovner, 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Meena Seshamani, the top administrator for the federal Medicare program.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    The Long Road to Reining In Short-Term Plans

    Episode 305

    President Biden made good on a campaign promise this week with a proposal that would limit short-term health insurance plans that boast low premiums but also few benefits. Meanwhile, the Supreme Courts decision to outlaw affirmative action programs could set back efforts to diversify the nations medical workforce. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Bram Sable-Smith, who reported the latest 窪蹋勛圖厙 News-NPR Bill of the Month about how a hospital couldnt track down a patient, but a debt collector could.

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  • Podcast

    A Year Without Roe

    Episode 304

    Its been a year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and, with it, the nationwide right to abortion. The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization set off widespread uncertainty in government and the courts about the legality or illegality of the procedure. But the decision has had other consequences too, including affecting where health professionals choose to locate. In this special episode of 窪蹋勛圖厙 News What the Health? Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFFs Alina Salganicoff about the organizations research and other work on womens health policy over the past year.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    Live From Aspen: Three HHS Secretaries on What the Job Is Really Like

    Episode 303

    What does a day in the life of the nations top health official really look like? And how much of their agenda is set by the White House? In this special episode of 窪蹋勛圖厙 News What the Health? taped before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, part of the Aspen Ideas Festival, in Aspen, Colorado host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner leads a rare conversation with the current and two former U.S. secretaries of Health and Human Services. Secretary Xavier Becerra and former secretaries Kathleen Sebelius and Alex Azar talk candidly about what it takes to run a department with more than 80,000 employees and a budget larger than those of many countries.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    Slow Your Disenroll

    Episode 302

    More than a million Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended. The Biden administration is asking states to slow disenrollment, but that does not mean states must listen. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court decision gives Medicaid beneficiaries the right to sue over their care, and a new deal preserves coverage of preventive services nationwide as a Texas court case continues. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner interviews Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health, a new unit of JPMorgan Chase, about employers role in insurance coverage.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact

    Episode 301

    The bipartisan deal to extend the U.S. governments borrowing authority includes future cuts to federal health agencies, but they are smaller than many expected and do not touch Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. becomes the first drugmaker to sue Medicare officials over the federal health insurance programs new authority to negotiate drug prices. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble, who reported the latest 窪蹋勛圖厙 News-NPR Bill of the Month feature, about the perils of visiting the U.S. with European health insurance.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    Our 300th Episode!

    Episode 300

    When 窪蹋勛圖厙 News What the Health? podcast launched in 2017, Republicans in Washington were engaged in an (ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The next six years would see a pandemic, increasingly unaffordable care, and a health care workforce experiencing unprecedented burnout. In the podcasts 300th episode, host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explores the past and possible future of the U.S. health care system with three prominent big thinkers in health policy: Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania, Jeff Goldsmith of Health Futures, and Farzad Mostashari of Aledade.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    When an Anti-Vaccine Activist Runs for President

    Episode 299

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s official entry into the presidential race poses a thorny challenge for journalists: how to cover a candidate whos opposed to vaccines without amplifying misinformation. And South Carolina becomes the latest state in the South to ban abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani about her project to track the billions of dollars coming from opioid makers to settle lawsuits.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    The Abortion Pill Goes Back to Court

    Episode 298

    A three-judge appeals court panel heard testimony this week about revoking the FDAs 22-year-old approval of a key pill used in medication abortion and miscarriage management. The judges all have track records of siding with abortion foes. Meanwhile, as the standoff over raising the federal debt ceiling continues in Washington, a major sticking point is whether to impose work requirements on recipients of Medicaid coverage. Victoria Knight of Axios, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    The Crisis Is Officially Ending, but Covid Confusion Lives On

    Episode 297

    The public health emergency declaration for covid-19 ends May 11, ushering in major changes in how Americans can access and pay for the vaccines, treatments, and tests particular to the culprit coronavirus. But not everyone will experience the same changes, creating a confusing patchwork of coverage not unlike health coverage for other diseases. Meanwhile, outside advisers to the FDA formally recommended allowing a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription. If the FDA follows the recommendation, it would represent the first over-the-counter form of hormonal contraception. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus for extra credit the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    Health Programs Are at Risk as Debt Ceiling Cave-In Looms

    Episode 296

    A warning from the Treasury Department that the U.S. could default on its debt as soon as June 1 has galvanized lawmakers to intervene. But there is still no obvious way to reconcile Republican demands to slash federal spending with President Joe Bidens demand to raise the debt ceiling and save the spending fight for a later date. Meanwhile, efforts to pass abortion bans in conservative states are starting to stall as some Republicans rebel against the most severe bans. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    Dancing Under the Debt Ceiling

    Episode 295

    House Republicans passed their plan to raise the nations debt ceiling, along with major cuts to health (and other domestic) programs. Unlikely to become law, it calls for new work requirements for adults on Medicaid. Meanwhile, state efforts targeting trans people bear a striking resemblance to the fight against abortion rights. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Renuka Rayasam, who reported the latest 窪蹋勛圖厙 News-NPR Bill of the Month feature, about a specialists demand to be paid as much as $15,000 before treating a womans serious pregnancy complication.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    Will They or Wont They (Block the Abortion Pill)?

    Episode 294

    The Supreme Court is considering the future of the abortion pill mifepristone, after GenBioPro sued the FDA over limitations that effectively block generic production of the drug, a major part of the market. Congress is considering proposals that would impose Medicaid work requirements, crack down on pharmacy benefit managers, and more. And President Joe Biden moved to expand health coverage to young immigrants known as Dreamers. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more.

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  • 窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?'

    The Confusing Fate of the Abortion Pill

    Episode 293

    The legality and availability of the abortion pill mifepristone is in question after a federal judge in Texas canceled the FDAs approval of the first drug used in the two-drug medication abortion regimen. A 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel overruled that decision in part, saying the pill should remain available, but only under the onerous restrictions in place before 2016. Meanwhile, another federal judge in Washington state issued a ruling in a separate case that conflicts with the Texas decision, ordering the FDA not to roll back any of its restrictions on the drug. Victoria Knight of Axios, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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  • KHN's 'What the Health?'

    The Unwinding’ of Medicaid

    Episode 292

    As of April 1, states were allowed to begin reevaluating Medicaid eligibility for millions of Americans who qualified for the program during the covid-19 pandemic but may no longer meet the income or other requirements. As many as 15 million people could lose health coverage as a result. Meanwhile, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to stay solvent until 2031, its trustees reported, taking some pressure off of lawmakers to finally fix that programs underlying financial weaknesses. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post join KHNs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Daniel Chang, who reported the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month feature about a child not yet old enough for kindergarten whose medical bill landed him in collections.

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  • KHN's 'What the Health?'

    A Judicial Body Blow to the ACA

    Episode 291

    A federal judge in Texas has dealt a big setback to the Affordable Care Act. The same judge who tried in 2018 to declare the entire ACA unconstitutional has now ruled that the laws main provisions for preventive care are unconstitutional and, therefore, unenforceable nationwide. Also this week, North Carolina became the 40th state to expand Medicaid under the ACA. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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  • KHN's 'What the Health?'

    The Policy, and Politics, of Medicare Advantage

    Episode 290

    Medicare Advantage, the private plan alternative to traditional Medicare, is embroiled in a growing controversy over whether insurers are being overpaid and what it would mean to reduce those payments. Meanwhile, even as maternal mortality in the U.S. continues to rise, providers of care to pregnant women say theyre leaving states with abortion bans that prevent them from treating pregnancy complications. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHNs chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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  • KHN's 'What the Health?'

    Judging the Abortion Pill

    Episode 289

    Any day now a conservative federal judge in Texas could upend the national abortion debate by requiring the FDA to rescind its approval of mifepristone, a drug approved in the U.S. more than 20 years ago that is now used in more than half of abortions nationwide. Meanwhile, a controversial study on masks gets a clarification, although it may be too late to change the public impression of what it found. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

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  • KHN's 'What the Health?'

    Biden Budget Touches All the Bases

    Episode 288

    Very little in the proposed budget released by the Biden administration is likely to become law, particularly with Republicans in charge of the U.S. House. Still, the document is an important statement of the presidents policy priorities, and its clear health programs are among those he feels are important. Meanwhile, five women who were denied abortions when their pregnancies threatened their lives are suing Texas. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KHNs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the two latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month features. Both were about families facing unexpected bills following childbirth.

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