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Podcasts
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Medicare Is More Broken Than We Thought
Season 16, Episode 2At least 2 million seniors will receive notice this fall that their Medicare Advantage plans will disappear at year鈥檚 end, some without a comparable alternative. Here鈥檚 a look at this increasingly common problem with Medicare Advantage, and what it says about Medicare as a whole.
The Meltdown in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
Season 16, Episode 1Stat reporter Bob Herman joins 鈥淎n Arm and a Leg鈥 to discuss the impact of surging health insurance costs on businesses and their workers.
What鈥檚 Worrying Veteran Health Reporter Julie Rovner?
Season 15, Episode 10Host Dan Weissmann talks with Julie Rovner, 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent and host of the 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥 podcast, about how cuts to federal programs are reshaping American healthcare.
Try These Tips When You Can鈥檛 Afford Your Rx
Season 15, Episode 8What if you can鈥檛 afford your prescription? 鈥淎n Arm and a Leg鈥 listeners share some of their favorite tips and hacks.
The Supreme Court Case That Could Slow Generic Drugs
Season 15, Episode 6In 鈥淗ikma v. Amarin,鈥 the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision could affect how quickly generic versions of brand-name medicines come to market.
The Accidental Architect of America鈥檚 Drug Patent Problem
Season 15, Episode 5An Arm and a Leg launches its 鈥101鈥 series with the story of Alfred Engelberg, a lawyer who鈥檚 been crusading to improve access to generic drugs by fixing loopholes in a law he helped draft more than 40 years ago.
A New CDC Nominee, Again
Episode 442Abortion Pills, the Budget, and RFK Jr.
Episode 441This week, the Trump administration won a court battle to delay a ruling on access to the abortion pill mifepristone, angering its own anti-abortion allies. Meanwhile, the president鈥檚 budget arrived on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are unlikely to agree to its proposed cuts to Health and Human Services programs. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Maya Goldman of Axios join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
GOP Mulls More Health Cuts
Episode 440Despite public opposition to the cuts they made to federal health programs in 2025, Republicans reportedly are considering more cuts to help pay for the war in Iran. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado cannot ban 鈥渃onversion therapy鈥 for LGBTQ+ minors. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the last two 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 stories.
A Headless CDC
Episode 439The Trump administration faces the challenge of naming a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who can both satisfy the Make America Healthy Again movement and get confirmed by the Senate. Meanwhile, a new Senate bill to rescind the approval of the abortion pill mifepristone is again elevating the abortion debate, which some Republicans would prefer to stay on the back burner until after the midterms. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown University Law Center鈥檚 Katie Keith about the state of the Affordable Care Act on its 16th anniversary.
Steep Health Care Costs Steer Americans to Tough Decisions
Season 14, Episode 4Two Americans explain how the skyrocketing cost of health insurance influenced their decision to buy 鈥 or skip 鈥 health insurance in 2026.
RFK Jr.鈥檚 Vaccine Schedule Changes Blocked 鈥 For Now
Episode 438A federal judge in Massachusetts this week sided with public health groups to block changes to the federally recommended schedule of childhood vaccines, dealing at least a temporary setback to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 efforts to remake the schedule. Meanwhile, Congress has put its debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act on the back burner, but the issue of rising health care costs is still front and center for the voting public. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman to kick off a new series looking at health care solutions, called 鈥淗ow Would You Fix It?鈥
RFK Jr.鈥檚 Very Bad Week
Episode 437HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had another tough week. In addition to Kennedy having rotator cuff surgery, the nomination of his ally to become surgeon general is teetering, the controversial head of the FDA's vaccine center is resigning next month, and a new survey shows Americans trust government health officials less than they do former Biden official Anthony Fauci. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
40 Years of Health Policy
Episode 436This month is 40 years since host Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for 吃瓜不打烊, began reporting on health policy in Washington. To mark the anniversary, Rovner is joined by two longtime sources to discuss what has 鈥 and has not 鈥 changed since 1986.
What About the State of Health?
Episode 435Health care got barely a mention in President Trump鈥檚 State of the Union address. Ahead of the midterms, the Trump administration has presented few concrete plans to address what Americans say is the biggest problem with health care: its skyrocketing costs. Meanwhile, Trump鈥檚 pick for surgeon general, Casey Means, got her long-delayed nomination hearing in the Senate, where she faced skeptical questions from Democrats and Republicans alike. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.
Turnarounds and Shake-Ups
Episode 434The twists and turns continue at the nation鈥檚 health agency, where this week鈥檚 announcements included notice that the FDA will review Moderna鈥檚 new flu vaccine after all and that a handful of top agency officials are getting new jobs. Those developments and others can be traced to a White House looking to shake things up before the midterms 鈥 and win over voters on health care. Tami Luhby of CNN, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more.
Personal Finance Guru Faces Down an Insurance Denial
Season 15, Episode 2Ron Lieber, the 鈥淵our Money鈥 columnist for The New York Times, shares ideas about how insurance companies, doctors, and patients can better handle prior authorization denials.
New Flu Vax? FDA Says No Thanks
Episode 433It鈥檚 been a busy week at the FDA, with a political appointee overruling agency scientists to reject an application for a new flu vaccine. Meanwhile, anti-abortion Republicans on Capitol Hill complain the agency is dragging its feet on reviewing the abortion pill mifepristone. Jackie Forti茅r of 吃瓜不打烊, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
HHS Gets Funding, But How Will Trump Spend It?
Episode 432Congress 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 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss that story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Renuka Rayasam about a new reporting project, 鈥淧riced Out.鈥
The Hazards of ICE for Public Health
Episode 431The 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 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.