342 episodes

Join Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF 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, D.C.
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KFF Health News' 'What the Health?‪'‬ KFF Health News

    • News
    • 4.7 • 421 Ratings

Join Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF 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, D.C.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All

    Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All

    Health care wasn’t expected to be a major theme for this year’s elections. But as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secured their respective party nominations this week, the future of both Medicare and the Affordable Care Act appears to be up for debate. Meanwhile, the cyberattack of the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare continues to do damage to the companies’ finances with no quick end in sight.
    Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies about a new, four-part documentary series on the history of public health, “The Invisible Shield.”
    Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
     
    Julie Rovner: The Washington Post’s “Navy Demoted Ronny Jackson After Probe Into White House Behavior,” by Dan Diamond and Alex Horton.
    Joanne Kenen: The Atlantic’s “Frigid Offices Might Be Killing Women’s Productivity,” by Olga Khazan.
    Margot Sanger-Katz: Stat’s “Rigid Rules at Methadone Clinics Are Jeopardizing Patients’ Path to Recover From Opioid Addiction,” by Lev Facher.
    Anna Edney: Scientific American’s “How Hospitals Are Going Green Under Biden’s Climate Legislation,” by Ariel Wittenberg and E&E News.
    Click here for a transcript of the episode.


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    • 46 min
    The State of the Union Is ... Busy

    The State of the Union Is ... Busy

    At last, Congress is getting half of its annual spending bills across the finish line, albeit five months after the start of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address, an over-the-counter birth control pill is (finally) available, and controversy erupts over new public health guidelines for covid-19 isolation.
    Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Neera Tanden, the White House domestic policy adviser, about Biden’s health agenda.
    Click here for a transcript of the episode.
    Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
    Julie Rovner: NPR’s “How States Giving Rights to Fetuses Could Set Up a National Case on Abortion,” by Regan McCarthy.
    Sarah Karlin-Smith: Stat’s “The War on Recovery,” by Lev Facher.
    Alice Miranda Ollstein: KFF Health News’ “Why Even Public Health Experts Have Limited Insight Into Stopping Gun Violence in America,” by Christine Spolar.
    Sandhya Raman: The Journal’s “‘My Son Is Not There Anymore’: How Young People With Psychosis Are Falling Through the Cracks,” by Órla Ryan.

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    • 37 min
    Alabama’s IVF Ruling Still Making Waves

    Alabama’s IVF Ruling Still Making Waves

    Lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures are scrambling to react to the ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos created for in vitro fertilization are legally children. Abortion opponents are divided among themselves, with some supporting full “personhood” for fertilized eggs, while others support IVF as a moral way to have children.
    Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Riley Griffin of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
    Also this week, Rovner interviews University of Pittsburgh law professor Greer Donley, who explains how a 150-year-old anti-vice law that’s still on the books could be used to ban abortion nationwide.
    Click here for a transcript of the episode.
    Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too. 
    Julie Rovner: ProPublica’s “Their States Banned Abortion. Doctors Now Say They Can’t Give Women Potential Lifesaving Care,” by Kavitha Surana.
    Rachel Cohrs: The New York Times’ “$1 Billion Donation Will Provide Free Tuition at a Bronx Medical School,” by Joseph Goldstein.
    Joanne Kenen: Axios’ “An Unexpected Finding Suggests Full Moons May Actually Be Tough on Hospitals,” by Tina Reed.
    Riley Griffin: Bloomberg News’ “US Seeks to Limit China’s Access to Americans’ Personal Data,” by Riley Griffin and Mackenzie Hawkins.



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    • 47 min
    Alabama Court Rules Embryos Are Children. What Now?

    Alabama Court Rules Embryos Are Children. What Now?

    In a first-of-its-kind ruling, the Alabama Supreme Court has determined that embryos created for in vitro fertilization procedures are legally people. The decision has touched off massive confusion about potential ramifications, and the University of Alabama-Birmingham has paused its IVF program. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to endorse a national 16-week abortion ban, while his former administration officials are planning further reproductive health restrictions for a possible second term.
    Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
    Click here for a transcript of the episode.
    Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
    Julie Rovner: Stat’s “New CMS Rules Will Throttle Access Researchers Need to Medicare, Medicaid Data,” by Rachel M. Werner.
    Lauren Weber: The Washington Post’s “They Take Kratom to Ease Pain or Anxiety. Sometimes, Death Follows,” by David Ovalle.
    Rachana Pradhan: Politico’s “Red States Hopeful for a 2nd Trump Term Prepare to Curtail Medicaid,” by Megan Messerly.
    Victoria Knight: ProPublica’s “The Year After a Denied Abortion,” by Stacy Kranitz and Kavitha Surana.



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    • 42 min
    Biden Wins Early Court Test for Medicare Drug Negotiations

    Biden Wins Early Court Test for Medicare Drug Negotiations

    A federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit attempting to invalidate the Biden administration’s Medicare prescription-drug price negotiation program. But the suit turned on a technicality, and several more court challenges are in the pipeline.
    Meanwhile, health policy pops up in Super Bowl ads, as Congress approaches yet another funding deadline.
    Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
    Click here for a transcript of the episode.
    Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
    Julie Rovner: Stateline’s “Government Can Erase Your Medical Debt for Pennies on the Dollar — And Some Are,” by Anna Claire Vollers.
    Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico’s “‘There Was a Lot of Anxiety’: Florida’s Immigration Crackdown Is Causing Patients to Skip Care,” by Arek Sarkissian.
    Rachel Cohrs: Stat’s “FTC Doubles Down in Welsh Carson Anesthesia Case to Limit Private Equity’s Physician Buyouts,” by Bob Herman. And Modern Healthcare’s “Private Equity Medicare Advantage Investment Slumps: Report,” by Nona Tepper.
    Lauren Weber: The Wall Street Journal’s “Climate Change Has Hit Home Insurance. Is Health Insurance Next?” by Yusuf Khan.


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    • 39 min
    To End School Shootings, Activists Consider a New Culprit: Parents

    To End School Shootings, Activists Consider a New Culprit: Parents

    For the first time, a jury has convicted a parent of a school shooter of charges related to the child’s crime, finding a mother in Michigan guilty of involuntary manslaughter and possibly opening a new legal avenue for gun control advocates. Meanwhile, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case challenging the FDA’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, a medical publisher has retracted some of the journal studies that lower-court judges relied on in their decisions.
    Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
    Click here for a transcript of the episode.
    Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
    Julie Rovner: The Alabama Daily News’ “Alabama Lawmakers Briefed on New ‘ALL Health’ Insurance Coverage Expansion Plan,” by Alexander Willis.
    Alice Miranda Ollstein: Stat’s “FDA Urged to Move Faster to Fix Pulse Oximeters for Darker-Skinned Patients,” by Usha Lee McFarling.
    Sarah Karlin-Smith: The Atlantic’s “GoFundMe Is a Health-Care Utility Now,” by Elisabeth Rosenthal.
    Rachana Pradhan: North Carolina Health News’ “Atrium Health: A Unit of ‘Local Government’ Like No Other,” by Michelle Crouch and Charlotte Ledger. 


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    • 35 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
421 Ratings

421 Ratings

Lmarinac ,

Love them

I love how knowledgeable and informed they are, the tone is comversational and clear but jam packed with information. Enjoyable to
Listen to yet high yield. Please keep up
The excellent work!

sage th ,

Facts don’t care about your feelings.

Felt like writing this review cause I love love love this podcast as a PH student. Keeps me in the loop with current events and the hosts have great podcast voices. I check out the profile and people are complaining about the bias in the podcast? And one woman’s review said RFK Jr.’s opinion on vaccines is more complex than what it seems… man I cackled.

Let me tell you something folks: there’s a liberal bias to reality. Facts don’t care about your feelings. Sure these ladies share their opinions… but they’re telling you what’s up and what’s going on. If you don’t like hearing about how conservative orgs and people are messing things up, vote to replace them with better ones.

ekacostae ,

The only health policy podcast doing it!

I’ve been listening from the start, you ladies are amazing. I’ve searched high and low for supplemental health law and policy podcasts but this is the only one and they do it right. Please give it a listen!

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