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.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    HHS Gets Funding, But How Will Trump Spend It?

    Episode 432

    Congress has passed 鈥 and President Trump has signed 鈥 the annual spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services. But it鈥檚 unclear whether the administration will spend the money as Congress directed. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss that story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Renuka Rayasam about a new reporting project, 鈥淧riced Out.鈥

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    The Hazards of ICE for Public Health

    Episode 431

    The Trump administration鈥檚 immigration crackdown is not just roiling politics but also directly affecting the provision of health care, medical groups say. Meanwhile, in Washington, federal spending bills have been stalled by the fight over immigration enforcement funding after the shooting death of a second person in Minneapolis this month. Maya Goldman of Axios, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    Health Spending Is Moving in Congress

    Episode 430

    Lawmakers appear on the brink of passing a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services and a bipartisan health policy bill delayed for over a year. But the outlook is bleaker for the health care outline released by President Trump last week. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews oncologist and bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel to discuss his new book, 鈥淓at Your Ice Cream.鈥

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    Culture Wars Take Center Stage

    Episode 429

    With lawmakers still mired over renewing enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, much of Washington has turned to culture war issues. Meanwhile, 鈥渃onfusion鈥 remains the watchword at HHS as personnel and funding decisions continue to be made and unmade with little notice. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 report.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    New Year, Same Health Fight

    Episode 428

    Congress returned from its break facing a familiar question: whether to extend the expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans that expired at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke a promise to Bill Cassidy, the chairman of Senate health committee, by overhauling the federal government鈥檚 childhood vaccine schedule to reduce the number of diseases for which vaccines will be recommended. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    Time鈥檚 Up for Expanded ACA Tax Credits

    Episode 427

    A last-minute push from Democrats and four moderate Republicans will force a House vote on renewing enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, but not until January. That means millions will have to choose between paying dramatically more or dropping coverage next year. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially drops the federal recommendation for newborns to receive a hepatitis B shot. Tami Luhby of CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lizzy Lawrence of Stat join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Tony Leys, who wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, and the panel discusses the year鈥檚 biggest developments in health policy.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    Crunch Time for ACA Tax Credits

    Episode 426

    Dec. 15 is the deadline to sign up for Affordable Care Act plans that begin Jan. 1, and Congress remains at odds over letting expanded tax credits for the plans鈥 premiums expire and increasing the cost of insurance for millions of Americans. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to remake vaccine policy to reflect ideology rather than science. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown professor Linda Blumberg about the GOP鈥檚 health plans.

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  • Watch: What Do Republicans Really Want on Health Care?

    On 鈥淲hat the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News,鈥 distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and podcast host Julie Rovner sat down with Avik Roy, a GOP health policy adviser, to talk about how health care has evolved as a Republican Party issue.

    By Julie Rovner
  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    The GOP Still Can’t Agree on a Health Plan

    Episode 425

    Senate Democrats were promised a vote by mid-December on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, but Republicans still can鈥檛 decide whether they want to put forward their own alternative or what that might include. Meanwhile, the CDC and FDA are roiled by debates over vaccines. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Aneri Pattani about her project tracking opioid settlement payments.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    Trump Almost Unveils a Health Plan聽

    Episode 424

    Just weeks before some tax credits for Affordable Care Act premiums expire, the Trump administration floated a plan to extend the enhanced aid 鈥 but it was met with immediate GOP pushback. Meanwhile, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise its website to suggest childhood vaccines might be linked to autism. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Joanne Kenen and Joshua Sharfstein about their new book, 鈥淚nformation Sick: How Journalism鈥檚 Decline and Misinformation鈥檚 Rise Are Harming Our Health 鈥 And What We Can Do About It.鈥

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    The GOP Circles the Wagons on ACA

    Episode 423

    Republicans are solidifying their opposition to extending pandemic-era subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans and seem to be coalescing around giving money directly to consumers to spend on health care. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to leave his mark on the agency, with the CDC altering its website to suggest childhood vaccines could play a role in causing autism. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Avik Roy.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    The Government Is Open

    Episode 422

    The record-long federal shutdown is over after a small group of Democrats agreed to a deal with most Republicans that funds the government through January 鈥 but, notably, does not extend more generous Affordable Care Act tax credits. Plus, new details are emerging about how the Trump administration is using the Medicaid program to advance its policy goals. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Appleby, who wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    The State of the Affordable Care Act

    Episode 421

    Nov. 1 marked the start of open enrollment for 2026 health plans bought from Affordable Care Act marketplaces in most states. But this sign-up season is like no other in the health law鈥檚 15-year history. It remains unclear, even at this late date, whether expanded tax credits launched during the pandemic in 2021 will be continued or allowed to expire, exposing millions of Americans to much higher out-of-pocket costs. In this special episode of 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥 from 麻豆女优 Health News and WAMU, host Julie Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 vice president Cynthia Cox about the past, present, and possible future of the health law and how those who purchase ACA coverage should proceed during this time of uncertainty.

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  • What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News

    Happy Open Enrollment Eve!

    Episode 420

    A standoff in Congress is keeping much of the government shut down as open enrollment begins in most states for Affordable Care Act plans. Democrats are demanding Republicans agree to extend ACA tax credits, but there has been little negotiating 鈥 even as customers are learning what they鈥檒l pay for coverage next year. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is telling states they can鈥檛 pass their own laws to keep medical debt off consumers鈥 credit reports. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

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  • 麻豆女优 Health News' 'What the Health?'

    Nutrition Programs Face Their Own Shutdown

    Episode 419

    Two major nutrition programs 鈥 SNAP and WIC 鈥 are likely to exhaust their funding in November, and the furloughs and firings at the CDC have left the agency unable to perform some of its major functions. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump鈥檚 new IVF policy is being met with dissatisfaction from both sides. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Katheryn Houghton, who wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature.

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  • 麻豆女优 Health News' 'What the Health?'

    Schr枚dinger鈥檚 Government Shutdown

    Episode 418

    Democrats and Republicans remain stalled over funding the federal government as Republicans launch a new attack on the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is taking advantage of the shutdown to lay off workers from programs supported mostly by Democrats. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews health insurance analyst Louise Norris about Medicare open enrollment.

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  • 麻豆女优 Health News' 'What the Health?'

    Starting To Feel the Shutdown鈥檚 Bite

    Episode 417

    The government shutdown continues with no end in sight, and while it theoretically should not affect entitlement programs, the lapse of some related authorizations 鈥 like for Medicare telehealth programs 鈥 is leaving some doctors and patients high and dry. Meanwhile, the FDA quietly approved a new generic abortion pill. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Sarah Grusin of the National Health Law Program.

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  • 麻豆女优 Health News' 'What the Health?'

    Democrats Make This Shutdown About the ACA

    Episode 416

    The foreshadowed federal shutdown came after Congress failed to pass required spending bills, with Democrats demanding Republicans renew the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their votes. While a shutdown does not affect Medicare and Medicaid, it could eventually hinder activities from every corner of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, as Democrats and Republicans point fingers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pursues policies and personnel that would undermine vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Cara Anthony, who wrote a recent 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature about an out-of-network eye surgery that left one kindergartner鈥檚 family with a big bill.

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  • 麻豆女优 Health News' 'What the Health?'

    Public Health Further Politicized Under the Threat of More Firings

    Episode 415

    In a rambling news conference that shocked public health experts, President Donald Trump 鈥 without scientific evidence 鈥 blamed the over-the-counter drug acetaminophen, and too many childhood vaccines, for the increase in autism diagnoses in the U.S. That came days after a key immunization advisory panel, newly reconstituted with vaccine doubters, changed several long-standing recommendations. Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Demetre Daskalakis joins 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories. Meanwhile, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join Rovner with the rest of the news, including a threat by the Trump administration to fire rather than furlough federal workers if Congress fails to fund the government beyond the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year.

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