Latest 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Stories
窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?': RFK Jr. Upends Vaccine Policy, After Promising He Wouldnt
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week did something he had promised not to do: He fired every member of the scientific advisory committee that recommends which vaccines should be given to whom. And he replaced them, in some cases, with vaccine skeptics. Meanwhile, hundreds of employees of the National Institutes of Health sent an open letter to the agencys director, accusing the Trump administration of policies that undermine the NIH mission. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, 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.
Role Reversal: Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.
As state officials anticipate Medicaid funding cuts that could strip resources for those with disabilities and chronic health conditions, an army of unpaid caregivers waits in the wings: children. At least 5.4 million kids are estimated to be caring for family members at home, a number likely to rise if Medicaid cuts hit professional home-based services.
Trumps DOJ Accuses Medicare Advantage Insurers of Paying Kickbacks to Brokers
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窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?': Bill With Billions in Health Program Cuts Passes House
The House narrowly passed a budget reconciliation bill, including billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy along with billions of dollars in cuts to health program spending. But the Senate is expected to make major changes to the measure before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature. This weeks panelists are Julie Rovner of 窪蹋勛圖厙 News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.
Trumps DOJ Accuses Medicare Advantage Insurers of Paying Kickbacks for Primo Customers
The Department of Justice alleges that several major health insurers paid brokerages hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks to get agents to steer consumers into their Medicare Advantage plans, allegations the insurers strongly dispute.
In Bustling NYC Federal Building, HHS Offices Are Eerily Quiet
Public health experts and advocates say that Health and Human Services regional offices, like the one in New York City, form the connective tissue between the federal government and locally based services.
An Arm and a Leg: A Health Policy Veteran Puts 2025 in Perspective
Two stories from Washington, D.C., give listeners a sense of what changes the Trump administration has been making to health policy, with 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner and Arthur Allen.
At Social Security, These Are the Days of the Living Dead
In recent weeks, Social Security has been plagued by problems related to technology, system errors, and even the marking of living people as dead.
窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?': 100 Days of Health Policy Upheaval
Members of Congress are back in Washington, and Republicans are struggling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending without cutting benefits. Meanwhile, confusion continues to reign at the Department of Health and Human Services. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
When Hospitals Ditch Medicare Advantage Plans, Thousands of Members Get To Leave, Too
Breakups between health providers and Advantage plans are increasingly common. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has allowed whole groups of patients to leave their plans.
窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?': Can Congress Reconcile Trumps Wishes With Medicaids Needs?
When Congress returns next week, it will be writing a budget reconciliation bill thats expected to cut taxes but also make deep cuts to Medicaid. But at least some Republicans are concerned about cutting a program that aids so many of their constituents. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more. Also, Rovner interviews 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Rae Ellen Bichell about her story on how care for transgender minors is changing in Colorado.
窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?': On Autism, Its the Secretarys Word vs. the CDCs
Tensions between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are mounting, as he made a series of claims about autism this week contradicting his agencys findings. Plus, President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order to lower drug prices as his administration explores tariffs that could raise them. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Plus, 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner interviews two University of California-San Francisco researchers about an upcoming Supreme Court case that could have major ramifications for preventive care.
Some Rural Hospitals Ditch Medicare Advantage
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窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?': The Dismantling of HHS
A week into the reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services announced by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the scope of the staff cuts and program cutbacks is starting to become clear. Among the biggest targets for reductions were the nations premier public health agencies: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the […]
Rural Hospitals Question Whether They Can Afford Medicare Advantage Contracts
Some rural hospitals have canceled or are considering ending contracts with insurance companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans, saying the private policies jeopardize their finances and impede patient care.
Trump Says Hell Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk.
In his first term, President Donald Trump granted pardons or clemency to more than 60 convicted fraudsters, including health care executives who defrauded Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dollars, courts and juries found. Now, Trump says cracking down on fraud is a priority.
Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again
Health plans limit physical or occupational therapy sessions to as few as 20 a year, no matter the patients infirmities. The limits persist despite federal rules banning insurers from setting annual dollar limits on the care they will provide.
Montana Examines Ways To Ease Health Care Workforce Shortages
Bills before the legislature would license community health workers and make it easier for some other health professionals licensed in other states to do business in Montana.
I Am Going Through Hell: Job Loss, Mental Health, and the Fate of Federal Workers
Since the Trump administration began firing federal workers, they say they feel overwhelmed, have obtained or considered seeking psychiatric care and medication, and are anxious about paying their bills. And soon, their health insurance will run out.
窪蹋勛圖厙 News' 'What the Health?': Federal Health Work in Flux
Its the Trump administration vs. the federal courts, as the Department of Government Efficiency continues to try to cancel federal contracts and programs and fire workers. But in the haste to cut things, jobs and programs are being eliminated even if they align with the new administrations goal to Make America Healthy Again. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join 窪蹋勛圖厙 News Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
