What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

Join Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for 吃瓜不打烊, 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 吃瓜不打烊

    The Supreme Court vs. the Bureaucracy

    Episode 330

    The Supreme Court this week heard oral arguments in a case that could radically alter the way federal agencies 鈥 including the Department of Health and Human Services 鈥 administer laws passed by Congress. A decision in the case is expected this spring or summer. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is struggling over whether to ban menthol cigarettes 鈥 a move that could improve public health but also alienate Black voters, the biggest menthol users. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Darius Tahir, who reported and wrote the latest 吃瓜不打烊-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature about a lengthy fight over a bill for a quick telehealth visit.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    All About the (Government) Funding

    Episode 329

    With days to go until a large chunk of the federal government runs out of money needed to keep it operating, Congress is still struggling to find a compromise spending plan. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed to hear 鈥 this year 鈥 a case that pits federal requirements for emergency treatment against state abortion bans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Tami Luhby of CNN join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews American Medical Association President Jesse Ehrenfeld about the choppy waters facing the nation鈥檚 physicians in 2024.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    New Year, Same Abortion Debate

    Episode 328

    Some Supreme Court justices were wrong if they assumed overturning "Roe v. Wade" would settle the abortion issue before the high court. At least two cases are awaiting consideration, and more are in the legal pipeline. Meanwhile, Congress once again has only days until the next temporary spending bill runs out, with no budget deal in sight. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Victoria Knight of Axios join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, about how public health can regain public trust.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    2023 Is a Wrap

    Episode 327

    2023 was another busy year in health care. As the covid-19 pandemic waned, policymakers looked anew at long-standing obstacles to obtaining and paying for care in the nation鈥檚 health care system. Meanwhile, abortion has continued to be an issue in much of the nation, as states respond to the Supreme Court鈥檚 2022 decision overturning the constitutional right to the procedure. This week, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and wrap up the year in health. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Jordan Rau about his joint 吃瓜不打烊-New York Times series 鈥淒ying Broke.鈥

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    Abortion and SCOTUS, Together Again

    Episode 326

    The Supreme Court agreed this week to hear its first major case on abortion since overturning Roe v. Wade 鈥 one that could restrict the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone, even in states where abortion remains legal. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers in the House and Senate finally moved to renew health programs that expired in October 鈥 but it鈥檚 likely too late to finish the job in 2023. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Riley Griffin of Bloomberg News, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Jen Golbeck, a University of Maryland professor and social media superstar, about her new book, 鈥淭he Purest Bond,鈥 which lays out the science of the human-canine relationship.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    Democrats See Opportunity in GOP Threats to Repeal Health Law聽

    Episode 325

    Sensing that Republicans are walking into a political minefield by threatening once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Biden administration is looking to capitalize by rolling out a series of initiatives aimed at high drug prices and other consequences of 鈥渃orporate greed in health care.鈥 Meanwhile, the Supreme Court hears a case that could determine when and how much victims of the opioid crisis can collect from Purdue Pharma, the drug company that lied about how addictive its drug, OxyContin, really was. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rachana Pradhan of 吃瓜不打烊 join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann of 吃瓜不打烊鈥 sister podcast, 鈥淎n Arm and a Leg,鈥 about his investigation into hospitals suing their patients over unpaid bills.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    Trump Puts Obamacare Repeal Back on Agenda

    Episode 324

    Although Republicans have never united behind a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, 2024 GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump said this week he wants to put the issue back on the national agenda. That delights Democrats, who have won at least two elections partly by defending the now-popular health law. Meanwhile, the Texas Supreme Court takes up a case brought by women who say their pregnancy complications further endangered their health due to the vagueness of Texas鈥 near-total ban on abortions. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Victoria Knight of Axios News join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Rachana Pradhan, who reported and wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    Congress Kicks the (Budget) Can Down the Road. Again.

    Episode 323

    Congress narrowly avoided a federal government shutdown for the second time in six weeks, as Democrats came to the rescue of divided House Republicans over annual spending bills that were supposed to be finished by Oct. 1. But the brinksmanship is likely to repeat itself early in 2024, when the next temporary spending patches expire. Meanwhile, a pair of investigations unveiled this week demonstrate how difficult it still is for seniors to get needed long-term and rehabilitation care. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    A Very Good Night for Abortion Rights Backers

    Episode 322

    Abortion rights backers won major victories in at least five states in the 2023 off-year elections Nov. 7, proving the staying power of abortion as a political issue in the wake of the Supreme Court鈥檚 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health finally has a new director, after Democrats temporarily blocked President Joe Biden鈥檚 nominee over a mostly unrelated fight about prescription drug prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    For ACA Plans, It鈥檚 Time to Shop Around

    Episode 321

    It鈥檚 Obamacare open enrollment season, which means that, for people who rely on these plans for coverage, it鈥檚 time to shop around. With enhanced premium subsidies and cost-sharing assistance, consumers may find savings by switching plans. It is especially important for people who lost their coverage because of the Medicaid unwinding to investigate their options. Many qualify for assistance. Meanwhile, the countdown to Election Day is on, and Ohio鈥檚 State Issue 1 is grabbing headlines. The closely watched ballot initiative has become a testing ground for abortion-related messaging, which has been rife with misinformation. This week鈥檚 panelists are Mary Agnes Carey of 吃瓜不打烊, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachana Pradhan of 吃瓜不打烊.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    The New Speaker鈥檚 (Limited) Record on Health

    Episode 320

    The House finally has a new speaker: Mike Johnson (R-La). He鈥檚 a relative newcomer who鈥檚 been a lower-level member of the House GOP leadership. And while he鈥檚 an outspoken opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage, his record on other health issues is scant. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health appears on track to be getting a new director, and Georgia鈥檚 Medicaid work requirement experiment is off to a very slow start. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    The Open Enrollment Mixing Bowl

    Episode 319

    Open enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries with private health plans began Oct. 15, to be followed Nov. 1 by open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans. The selection for both is large 鈥 often too large to be navigated easily alone. And people who choose incorrectly can end up with unaffordable medical bills. Meanwhile, those on both sides of the abortion issue are looking to Ohio鈥檚 November ballot measure on abortion to see whether anti-abortion forces can break their losing streak in statewide ballot questions since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    Health Funding in Question in a Speaker-Less Congress

    Episode 318

    A bitterly divided Congress managed to keep the federal government running for several more weeks, while House Republicans struggle 鈥 again 鈥 to choose a leader. Meanwhile, many people removed from state Medicaid rolls are not finding their way to Affordable Care Act insurance, and a major investigation by The Washington Post attributes the decline in U.S. life expectancy to more than covid-19 and opioids. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews physician-author-playwright Samuel Shem about 鈥淥ur Hospital,鈥 his new novel about the health workforce in the age of covid.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    An Encore: 3 HHS Secretaries Reveal What the Job Is Really Like

    Episode 317

    In this special encore episode, 吃瓜不打烊鈥 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥 asks three people who have served as the nation鈥檚 top health official: What does a day in the life of the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services look like? And how much of their agenda is set by the White House? Taped in June before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, part of the Aspen Ideas Festival, in Aspen, Colorado, host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner leads a rare conversation with the current and two former HHS secretaries. Secretary Xavier Becerra and former secretaries Kathleen Sebelius and Alex Azar talk candidly about what it takes to run a department with more than 80,000 employees and a budget larger than those of many countries.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    More Medicaid Messiness

    Episode 316

    At least 30 states are reinstating coverage for children wrongly removed from the rolls under Medicaid redetermination, the federal government reported. It鈥檚 just the latest hiccup in the massive effort to review the eligibility of Medicaid beneficiaries now that the program鈥檚 pandemic-era expansion has expired. And federal oversight of the so-called unwinding would be further complicated by an impending government shutdown. Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Samantha Liss, who reported and wrote the latest 吃瓜不打烊-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about a hospital bill that followed a deceased patient鈥檚 family for more than a year.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    Countdown to Shutdown

    Episode 315

    Congress appears to be careening toward a government shutdown, as a small band of House conservatives vow to block any funding for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 unless they win deeper cuts to health and other domestic programs. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump continues to roil the GOP presidential primary field, this time with comments about abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Tami Luhby of CNN join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    Underinsured Is the New Uninsured

    Episode 314

    The percentage of working-age adults with health insurance went up and the uninsured rate dropped last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this week. There isn鈥檛 much suspense about which way the uninsured rate is now trending, as states continue efforts to strip ineligible beneficiaries from their Medicaid rolls. But is the focus on the uninsured obscuring the struggles of the underinsured? Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these issues and more.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    Welcome Back, Congress. Now Get to Work.聽

    Episode 313

    Congress returns from its summer recess with a long list of tasks and only a few work days to get them done. On top of the annual spending bills needed to keep the government operating, on the list are bills to renew the global HIV/AIDS program, PEPFAR, and the community health centers program. Meanwhile, over the recess, the Biden administration released the names of the first 10 drugs selected for the Medicare price negotiation program.

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  • What the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊

    A Not-So-Health-y GOP Debate

    Episode 311

    The first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 cycle took place without front-runner Donald Trump 鈥 and with hardly a mention of health issues save for abortion. Meanwhile, in Florida, patients dropped from the Medicaid program are suing the state for not giving them enough notice or a way to contest their being dropped from the program. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Victoria Knight of Axios join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

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