The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination of White House physician Ronny Jackson to head the Department of Veterans Affairs after allegations surfaced about inappropriate handling of prescription drugs, issues with alcohol and difficulties working with other White House medical unit staffers. It is unclear whom the White House will turn to next to take over the helm at the VA.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate are working on legislation to address the nation鈥檚 opioid epidemic, although there are doubts about how effective the proposals might be and whether what is really needed is more money.
This week鈥檚 panelists for KHN鈥檚 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥� are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News.
Among the takeaways from this week鈥檚 podcast:
- The Department of Veterans Affairs is an enormous bureaucracy with hundreds of thousands of employees and the largest health system in the United States. Even before Jackson鈥檚 nomination collapsed under accusations related to his behavior, many senators from both parties questioned his lack of managerial experience. But the White House鈥檚 muddled handling of the situation may make even those well-qualified for the job reluctant to sign on.
- On the regulatory front, the comment period for the so-called skinny plan rule closed this week. It鈥檚 clear the Trump administration wants to expand the availability of short-term plans, but health insurers and other health industry stakeholders worry that healthy people will flock to cheaper, less comprehensive plans, leaving sicker consumers with ever-more-expensive alternatives.
- How states are viewing Medicaid expansion also continues to be a hot topic. In Ohio, a state with a Republican governor who embraced this aspect of the Affordable Care Act, the expansion continues to be a target among GOP gubernatorial candidates who want to succeed him. Meanwhile, sitting Gov. John Kasich is seeking a work requirement waiver that goes beyond many others that have been advanced so far. And a legal challenge to Kentucky鈥檚 Medicaid work requirement, which is expected to land in federal court in June, could shape how other red states decide to proceed.
Plus, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥� the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Julie Rovner: Politico, 鈥溾�� by Brett Norman
Sarah Kliff:聽Politico, 鈥�,鈥� by Rachana Pradhan
Alice Ollstein:聽Politico, 鈥�,鈥� by Dan Diamond
Anna Edney:聽NPR, 鈥�,鈥� by Alison Kodjak
To hear all our podcasts,听click here.
And subscribe to What the Health? on聽,听听辞谤听.