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 NewsFDA Takes Center Stage
Congress is set to start its once-every-five-years review of the law that authorizes user fees to finance the hiring of personnel to speed the FDA review of…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsPaging the HHS Secretary
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is drawing criticism for his hands-off handling of the covid crisis even though the heads of the Centers for…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsRecord ACA Enrollment Puts Pressure on Congress
Temporary subsidies helped boost enrollment under the Affordable Care Act to a record 14.5 million, according to the Department of Health and Human Services…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsRoe v. Wade’s (Possibly Last) Anniversary
Jan. 22 marks the 49th — and very likely last — anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark abortion decision, Roe v. Wade. The court’s conservative…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsDealing With Drug Prices
Medicare officials tentatively plan to restrict the use of a controversial Alzheimer’s drug to only those patients participating in clinical trials, while the…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsContagion Confusion
It’s 2022 and the covid-19 pandemic is still with us, as are congressional efforts to pass President Joe Biden’s big health and social spending bill. But other…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsManchin Blows Up Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dealt a blow to congressional efforts to pass President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda bill, forcing Democrats to regroup starting in…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsOh, Oh, Omicron
Even before the omicron variant of covid starts to spread widely in the U.S., hospitals are filling up with post-holiday delta cases. Meanwhile, the Supreme…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsMuch Ado About (Vaccine) Mandates
The fight over covid vaccines continues to intensify, with Republicans on Capitol Hill pushing — with some success — to cancel President Joe Biden’s “test…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsRoe v. Wade on the Rocks
A Supreme Court majority appears ready to overturn nearly 50 years of abortion rights, at least judging by the latest round of oral arguments before the…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Big Biden Budget Bill Passes the House
President Joe Biden’s social spending budget is on its way to the U.S. Senate, where Democratic leaders are (optimistically) hoping to complete work by the end…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsBoosting Confusion
Federal health officials appear poised to extend a recommendation for covid boosters to all adults, following moves by some governors and mayors to broaden the…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsWhy Health Care Is So Expensive, Chapter $22K
Congress is making slow progress toward completing its ambitious social spending bill, although its Thanksgiving deadline looks optimistic. Meanwhile, a new…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsCompromise Is Coming — Maybe
Democratic negotiators on Capitol Hill appear to be nearing a compromise on President Joe Biden’s social spending agenda, spurred partly by Democratic losses…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsInterview with Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog
In this interview highlight with KHN's Julie Rovner, Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog breaks down the Supreme Court case over Texas’ controversial abortion law. Hosted…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsBiden Social-Spending ‘Framework’ Pulls Back on Key Health Pledges
President Joe Biden unveiled a compromise “Build Back Better” framework shortly before taking off for key meetings in Europe, but it’s unclear whether the…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsDems Agree to Agree, But Not on What to Agree on
Negotiations on the health parts of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda are getting serious but have yet to produce a deal every Democrat can support…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Politics of Vaccine Mandates
Like almost everything else associated with the covid-19 pandemic, partisans are taking sides over whether vaccines should be mandated. Meanwhile, Democrats on…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsAbortion 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Health Agenda Still on Hold
Negotiations continue on Capitol Hill over President Joe Biden’s health agenda — along with a long list of other items. With Republicans on the sidelines…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Autumn of Democrats’ 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsMuch Ado About Drug Prices
Democrats have hit a snag in their effort to compile a $3.5 trillion social-spending bill this fall — moderates are resisting support for Medicare drug price…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Future of Public Health
The covid pandemic has spotlighted the often-unseen role of public health in Americans’ daily lives. And the picture has not all been pretty. What is public…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsVaccine Approval Moves the Needle on Covid
The Food and Drug Administration’s 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsBooster 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe 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 —…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsDelta 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHot 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsDelta 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHere 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsBecerra Urges Congress to Expand Medicare, Address Rx Prices
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is the special guest for this bonus episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” podcast. He and host Julie Rovner…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsUn-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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHow to Expand Health Coverage
Democrats in Congress and the states are devising strategies to expand health coverage — through the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid and a “public…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsOur 200th Episode!
The federal approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease has reignited the debate over drug prices and the way the Food and Drug…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe 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…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Return of the Public Option
Lawmakers are working on fleshing out the concept of a “public option,” a government-run or heavily regulated insurance plan that would compete with private…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsRoe v. Wade on the Ropes
The newly conservative Supreme Court will hear a case that could overturn the nationwide right to abortion and cause political upheaval. Meanwhile, the Centers…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsDrug Price Effort Hits a Snag
Democratic leaders in Congress have vowed to pass legislation to address high prescription drug prices this year, but some moderates in their own party appear…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsSharing Vaccines With the World
The Biden administration is bucking the drug industry and backing a waiver of covid-19 vaccine patent protections to help the rest of the world vaccinate its…
What the Health? From KFF Health News100 Days of Health Policy
It’s 100 days into Joe Biden’s presidency and a surprisingly large number of health policies have been announced. But health is notably absent from the…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsPicking Up the Pace of Undoing Trump Policies
The Biden administration has started to speed efforts to reverse health policies forged under Donald Trump. Most recently, the administration overturned a ban…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsPause and Effect on Covid Vaccines
The U.S. — and global — covid-19 vaccine effort hit a bump this week with a pause in use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine while experts study its…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsHealth Care as Infrastructure
President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal includes items not traditionally considered “infrastructure,” including a $400 billion expansion of home and…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsPlanning for Round Two
The ink is barely dry on the recent covid relief bill, but Democrats in Congress and President Joe Biden are wasting no time gearing up for their next big…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsGetting Down to Work at HHS
After a bruising confirmation process, Xavier Becerra was sworn in as secretary of Health and Human Services this week. The Senate also confirmed the…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsACA Packs More Benefits — And More Confusion
The $1.9 trillion covid relief bill signed by President Joe Biden includes a long list of new health benefits for consumers. But many eligible people may have…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsExpanding the ACA in an Unpredicted Way
Beyond the billions of dollars aimed squarely at the pandemic, the covid relief bill cleared by Congress this week includes significant changes to health…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsGood and Not-So-Good News on Covid
The FDA approved a new one-shot vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson, which could help accelerate the pace of vaccinations to prevent covid-19. But after a…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsStaffing Up at HHS
More than a month into the Biden administration, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsOpen Enrollment, One More Time
Keeping a campaign promise, President Joe Biden has reopened enrollment for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act on healthcare.gov — and states that…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsAll About Budget Reconciliation
Even while the Senate is busy with Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, the House has gotten down to work on a covid relief bill using the budget reconciliation…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsCovid and Kids
Can schools safely reopen before all teachers and staffers are vaccinated against covid? And what’s the best way to communicate that science — and scientific…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Long Road to Unwinding Trump Health Policies
President Joe Biden signed a pair of health-related executive orders this week that would, among other things, reopen enrollment under the Affordable Care Act…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsThe Biden Health Agenda
President Joe Biden is wasting no time getting to work. On his first day in office, Biden signed a series of executive orders addressing the covid pandemic…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsOn Capitol Hill, Actions Have Consequences
Several large business groups, including health industry organizations, are cutting off contributions to Republicans who voted against the certification of Joe…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsGeorgia Turns the Senate Blue
Democratic victories in two runoff elections in Georgia will give Democrats control of the Senate starting Jan. 20, which means they will be in charge of both…
What the Health? From KFF Health News2020 in Review — It Wasn’t All COVID
The coronavirus pandemic colored just about everything in 2020. But there was other health policy news that you either never heard or might have forgotten…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsAll I Want for Christmas Is a COVID Relief Bill
Congress seems on the verge of finishing a long-delayed COVID-19 relief bill, which will reportedly include neither of the things each party wanted most — for…
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsVaccines Soon but COVID Relief Bill Still Stalled
Even as the Food and Drug Administration nears emergency authorization for the first vaccine to protect against COVID-19, Congress remains at loggerheads over…