Shows / What the Health? From KFF Health News
What the Health? From KFF Health News
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.
Episodes
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsTrump Further Politicizes Science
President Donald Trump’s latest executive order about science and medicine seeks to take funding decisions out of the hands of career scientists and give them…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsKennedy Cancels Vaccine Funding
The Health and Human Services secretary is winding down nearly $500 million in mRNA research funding, citing false claims that the technology is ineffective…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsNext on Kennedy’s List? Preventive Care and Vaccine Harm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, is eyeing an overhaul of two more key entities as part of his ongoing effort to reshape…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHere Come the ACA Premium Hikes
Medicaid may have monopolized Washington’s attention lately, but big changes are coming to the Affordable Care Act as well. Meanwhile, Americans are learning…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Senate Saves PEPFAR Funding — For Now
The Senate narrowly approved the Trump administration’s request to claw back about $9 billion for humanitarian foreign aid projects and the Corporation for…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsDigesting Trump’s Big Budget Law
President Donald Trump’s big budget bill became his big budget law on July 4, codifying about $1 trillion in cuts to the Medicaid program. But the law includes…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsTrump’s Bill Reaches the Finish Line
The House on Thursday moved to approve the largest-ever cuts to federal safety net programs, the last step before the measure goes to President Donald Trump’s…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsLive From Aspen — Governors and an HHS Secretary Sound Off
In this special episode taped before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, three former governors — one of whom also served as secretary of the Department of…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsSupreme Court Upholds Bans on Gender-Affirming Care
The Supreme Court this week said Tennessee may continue to enforce its law banning most types of gender-affirming care for minors. The ruling is likely to…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsRFK Jr. Upends Vaccine Policy, After Promising He Wouldn’t
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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsTrump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Lands in the Senate. Our 400th Episode!
The House’s gigantic tax-and-spending budget reconciliation bill has landed with a thud in the Senate, where lawmakers are divided in their criticism over…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsLive From AHCJ: Shock and Awe in Federal Health Policy
This episode was taped live on Friday, May 30, at the annual conference of the Association of Health Care Journalists in Los Angeles. Host Julie Rovner…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsBill With Billions in Health Program Cuts Passes House
After an unusual all-night session, the House narrowly passed a budget reconciliation bill, including billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy, along…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsPresenting: ‘First Opinion Podcast’
Today we’re sharing something different with you: an episode of the “First Opinion Podcast” from our friends at Stat. In this episode, host and Stat opinion…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsGOP Poised To Cut Billions in Health Benefits
GOP-controlled House committees approved parts of President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” this week, including more than $700 billion in cuts to…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsCutting Medicaid Is Hard — Even for the GOP
Republicans on Capitol Hill are struggling to reach consensus on cutting the Medicaid program as they search for nearly a trillion dollars in savings over the…
What the Health? From KFF Health News100 Days of Health Policy Upheaval
Congress is back in Washington this week, and Republicans are struggling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending without cutting benefits, as the program has…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsCan Congress Reconcile Trump’s Wishes With Medicaid’s Needs?
When Congress returns from spring break next week, its first order of business will be writing a budget reconciliation bill that’s expected to cut taxes but…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsOn Autism, It’s the Secretary’s Word vs. CDC’s
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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Dismantling of HHS
A week after the announcement of the reorganization and staff cuts ordered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the scope of the…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsAmerican Health Gets a Pink Slip
The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Ax Falls at HHS
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a proposed reorganization for the department — which, counting those who already have…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsFederal Health Work in Flux
It’s the Trump administration vs. the federal courts, as the Department of Government Efficiency continues to try to cancel federal contracts and programs and…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Dr. Oz Show
The Senate Finance Committee got its chance March 14 to question Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the vast Centers for Medicare & Medicaid…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Cutting Continues
The Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal government continue, with both personnel and programs being cut at the Department of Health and…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe State of Federal Health Agencies Is Uncertain
The Supreme Court opined for the first time that Trump administration officials may be exceeding their authority to reshape the federal government by refusing…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHouse GOP Plan Targets Medicaid
The House passed a budget plan that likely would result in major cuts to the Medicaid program. But the plan now faces a battle in the Senate, where even…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsMedicaid in the Crosshairs, Maybe
President Donald Trump has said he won’t support major cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program for people with low incomes, but he has endorsed a House…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsCourts Try To Curb Health Cuts
Some of the Trump administration’s dramatic funding and policy shifts are facing major pushback for the first time — not from Congress, but from the courts…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsChaos Continues in Federal Health System
The Senate has yet to confirm a Health and Human Services secretary, but things around the department continue to change at a breakneck pace to comply with…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsRFK Jr. in the Hot Seat
President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the vast Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faced sharp questioning from senators this…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsCreating Chaos at HHS
President Donald Trump was sworn in Monday and by Wednesday had virtually stopped scientific policymaking at the Department of Health and Human Services. While…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHello, Trump. Bye-Bye, Biden.
With just days to go before the official launch of a new administration, the GOP-led Congress is putting together plans on how to enact incoming President…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsNew Year, New Congress, New Health Agenda
Health is unlikely to be a top priority for the new GOP-led 119th Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. But it’s likely to play a key supporting role…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsFrancis Collins on Supporting NIH and Finding Common Ground
Francis Collins led the National Institutes of Health for 12 years, under three presidents. During the Biden administration, he added White House science…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsEnd-of-Year Chaos on Capitol Hill
Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate successfully negotiated an enormous end-of-Congress health package, including bipartisan efforts to address…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsA Killing Touches Off Backlash Against Health Insurers
The shocking shooting death of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive in Midtown Manhattan prompted a public outcry about the problems with the nation’s health…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsA Colorful Cast Could Lead Key Health Agencies
President-elect Donald Trump has made his choices to fill some top jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. They include controversial figures who…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsPublic Health and the Dairy Cow in the Room
Public health, one of the more misunderstood concepts in the health world, is about the health of entire populations, rather than individuals. As a result…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsTrump’s Nontraditional Health Picks
Not only has President-elect Donald Trump chosen prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Trump…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsReadying for Republican Rule
With Republicans now set to control the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives starting in January, their health agenda remains unclear. What is…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsTrump 2.0
As Donald Trump readies for his return to the White House — with the backing of a GOP majority in the Senate and, possibly, the House — the entire health care…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Campaign’s Final Days
It’s the final days of the 2024 campaign, and Republicans are suddenly talking again about making changes to the Affordable Care Act if former President Donald…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsLess Than Two Weeks to Go
With Election Day rapidly approaching, abortion is gaining traction as a voting issue, according to public opinion polls. Meanwhile, states with abortion bans…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsLIVE From KFF: Health Care and the 2024 Election
The Affordable Care Act has not been a major issue in the 2024 campaign, but abortion and reproductive rights have been front and center. Those are just two of…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsYet Another Promise for Long-Term Care Coverage
As part of her presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris has rolled out a plan for Medicare to provide in-home long-term care services. The proposal…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Health of the Campaign
The 2024 presidential race is taking on a familiar tone — with Democrats accusing Republicans of wanting to ban abortion and repeal the Affordable Care Act and…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsCongress Punts to a Looming Lame-Duck Session
Congress left Washington for the campaign trail this week, but not before approving a spending bill that expires shortly before Christmas. Lawmakers will be…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsAmerican Health Under Trump — Past, Present, and Future
Dreaming of a Trump victory, Republicans have a wish list of health policy changes — including loosening Affordable Care Act regulations to make cheaper…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsTrump-Harris Debate Showcases Health Policy Differences
The much-anticipated presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted their policy differences not just…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsLive from Austin, Examining Health Equity
The term “health equity” means different things to different people. Beyond guaranteeing all Americans access to adequate, affordable medical care, the pursuit…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsLet the General Election Commence
Abortion and reproductive health issues headlined the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, as expected. But what Vice President Kamala Harris has in mind…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHappy 50th, ERISA
What does a law to protect worker pensions have to do with how health insurance is regulated? Far more than most people may think. The Employee Retirement…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Walz Record
Vice President Kamala Harris this week officially became the Democratic nominee for president and named Minnesota governor and former U.S. congressman Tim Walz…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsAbortion Heats Up Presidential Race
The elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the presumed Democratic presidential ticket is newly energizing the debate over abortion, while…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHarris in the Spotlight
For the 2024 campaign, Joe Biden is out, and Kamala Harris is in. As the vice president makes moves toward the top of the Democratic presidential ticket…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsAt GOP Convention, Health Policy Is Mostly MIA
After an assassination attempt last weekend sent former President Donald Trump to the hospital with minor injuries, the Republican National Convention went off…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsGOP Platform Muddies Abortion Waters
As Donald Trump prepares to be formally nominated as the GOP’s candidate for president next week, the platform he will run on is taking shape. And in line with…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsSCOTUS Term Wraps With a Bang
The Supreme Court has issued its final opinions for the 2023-24 term, including decisions affecting abortion access, the opioid epidemic, and how the federal…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsSCOTUS Ruling Strips Power From Federal Health Agencies
In what will certainly be remembered as a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has overruled a 40-year-old precedent that gave federal agencies, rather than…