What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

Join Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for 麻豆女优 Health 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.

Showing 241 - 260 of 460

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Abortion Politics Front and Center

    The polarizing abortion issue threatens to tie up Congress, the Supreme Court and the states for the coming year. Meanwhile, Congress kicks the can down the road to December on settling its spending priorities. Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Yasmeen Abutaleb of The Washington Post and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
    Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Aneri Pattani, who delivered the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 episode about a covid test that cost as much as a luxury car.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Health Agenda Still on Hold

    Negotiations continue on Capitol Hill over President Joe Biden鈥檚 health agenda 鈥 along with a long list of other items. With Republicans on the sidelines, liberal Democrats delayed a House vote on a Senate-passed infrastructure bill to extract moderates鈥 support for a social-spending bill that includes expansions of benefits for Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the Biden administration鈥檚 new rules to prevent 鈥渟urprise鈥 medical bills pleases some health stakeholders and angers others. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Kimberly Leonard of Insider join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews Anna Flagg of the Marshall Project about how a century-old report on medical education contributed to racial inequities that persist today.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Autumn of Democrats鈥 Discontent

    Congress is back in session with a short time to finish a long to-do list, including keeping the government operating and paying its bills. Hanging in the balance is President Joe Biden鈥檚 entire domestic agenda, including major changes proposed for Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the new Texas abortion law that bans the procedure early in pregnancy is prompting action in Washington. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb about his new book on the covid-19 pandemic.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Much Ado About Drug Prices

    Democrats have hit a snag in their effort to compile a $3.5 trillion social-spending bill this fall 鈥 moderates are resisting support for Medicare drug price negotiation provisions that would pay for many of the measure鈥檚 health benefit improvements. Meanwhile, the new abortion restrictions in Texas have moved the divisive issue back to the political front burner. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interview鈥檚 KHN鈥檚 Phil Galewitz about the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 installment, about two similar jaw surgeries with very different price tags.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Future of Public Health

    The covid pandemic has spotlighted the often-unseen role of public health in Americans鈥 daily lives. And the picture has not all been pretty. What is public health and why is it so important 鈥 and controversial? Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, explains the basics. Then, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Lauren Weber of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss what could happen next.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Vaccine Approval Moves the Needle on Covid

    The FDA鈥檚 formal approval of the first vaccine to prevent covid-19 may or may not prompt doubters to go out and get shots, but it has clearly prompted employers to make vaccination a work requirement. Meanwhile, moderates and liberals in the U.S. House put aside their differences long enough to keep a giant social-spending bill on track, at least for now. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Booster Time

    As the delta variant continues to spread around the U.S., the Biden administration is taking steps to authorize covid vaccine boosters, require nursing home workers to be vaccinated and protect school officials who want to require masks despite state laws banning those mandates. Meanwhile, the U.S. House is returning from its summer break early to start work on its giant budget bill, which includes a long list of health policy changes. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Senate Acts

    The U.S. Senate worked well into its scheduled August recess to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget blueprint that outlines a much larger bill 鈥 covering key health priorities 鈥 to be written this fall. Meanwhile, the latest surge of covid is making both employers and schools rethink their opening plans. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Yasmeen Abutaleb of The Washington Post join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Delta Blues

    Covid is back with a vengeance, with some people clamoring for booster shots while others harden their resistance to getting vaccinated at all. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration is pushing hard on drugmaker Pfizer鈥檚 request to upgrade the emergency authorization for its vaccine and give it final approval. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Hot Covid Summer

    The summer that promised to let Americans resume a relatively normal life is turning into another summer of anxiety and face masks, as the delta variant drives covid caseloads up in all 50 states. Meanwhile, the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 35, and the Missouri Supreme Court orders the state to expand Medicaid after all. Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Samantha Young, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 episode about an Olympic-level athlete with an Olympic-size medical bill.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Delta Changes the Covid Conversation

    With covid cases on the upswing again around the country, partisan division remains over how to address the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Biden administration proposes bigger penalties for hospitals that fail to make their prices public as required. Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Tami Luhby of CNN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest their favorite stories of the week they think you should read, too.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Here Comes Reconciliation

    Democrats in Congress reached a tentative agreement to press ahead on a partisan bill that would dramatically expand health benefits for people on Medicare, those who buy their own insurance and individuals who have been shut out of coverage in states that didn鈥檛 expand Medicaid. Meanwhile, controversy continues to rage over whether vaccinated Americans will need a booster to protect against covid-19 variants, and who will pay for a new drug to treat Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Rae Ellen Bichell, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 episode about a mother and daughter who fought an enormous emergency room bill.

  • Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra

    As Congress Wrestles With Plans to Expand Medicare, Becerra Says Any One Will Do

    In an interview for KHN鈥檚 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥 podcast, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra says the administration is eager for Congress to make changes to Medicare that will provide more benefits and make more older adults eligible for the program. He also said a priority will be making permanent the enhanced premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans.

    By Julie Rovner
  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Un-Trumping the ACA

    The Biden administration is moving to undo many of the changes the Trump administration made to the enrollment process for the Affordable Care Act to encourage more people to sign up for health insurance. Meanwhile, Congress is opening investigations into the controversial approval by the Food and Drug Administration of an expensive drug that might (or might not) slow the progression of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Insider and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews Marshall Allen of ProPublica about his new book, 鈥淣ever Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win.鈥

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: How to Expand Health Coverage

    Democrats in Congress and the states are devising strategies to expand health coverage 鈥 through the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid and a 鈥減ublic option.鈥 But progress remains halting, at best. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington may have to agree on how to control prescription drug prices if they wish to finance their coverage initiatives. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michelle Andrews, who reported and wrote last month鈥檚 KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 episode about a very expensive sleep study.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The ACA Lives

    In a surprisingly strong 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court turned back the latest constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act, likely heralding the end of GOP efforts to strike the law in its entirety through court action. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are looking for ways to expand health benefits. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews Andy Slavitt, who recently stepped down from the Biden administration鈥檚 covid response team, about his new book on the pandemic.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Our 200th Episode!

    The federal approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer鈥檚 disease has reignited the debate over drug prices and the way the Food and Drug Administration makes decisions. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden seeks to gain goodwill overseas as he announces the U.S. will provide 500 million doses of covid vaccine to international health efforts. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. And to mark the podcast鈥檚 200th episode, the panelists discuss what has surprised them most and least over the past four years.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Drug Price Dilemma

    Republicans, Democrats and the public at large agree that prices for prescription drugs are too high. But no one seems to know how to fix it. Vanderbilt University drug price researcher Stacie Dusetzina explains the basics of why drugs cost so much and why it鈥檚 hard to do something about it. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss the prospects for policy changes.

  • Podcast

    KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Return of the Public Option

    Lawmakers are working on fleshing out the concept of a 鈥減ublic option,鈥 a government-run or heavily regulated insurance plan that would compete with private insurance. But the details are complicated, both substantively and politically. Meanwhile, bioethicists are debating whether the U.S. should be vaccinating low-risk adolescents against covid-19 while high-risk adults in other countries are still waiting. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.