What the Health? From KFF Health News

The 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 midterm elections. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown University Law Center’s Katie Keith about the state of the Affordable Care Act on its 16th anniversary. Visit our website for a transcript of this 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 “The Potential Loophole in Trump’s Plan To Get Other Countries To Pay More for Drugs,” by John Wilkerson. Shefali Luthra: NPR’s “Yep. A Mom’s COVID Shot During Pregnancy Protects Her Baby, a Large Study Finds,” by Tara Haelle. Lizzy Lawrence: The Atlantic’s “The Meme-Washing of RFK Jr.,” by Nicholas Florko. Rachel Cohrs Zhang: The Boston Globe’s “‘We’re on the Inside Now’: Meet the Man Building a Political Empire Behind RFK Jr.” by Tal Kopan. 

Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico health reporter on vaccine policy and reproductive health. Lauren Weber, Washington Post reporter covering vaccination rates and health care costs. Margot Sanger-Katz, New York Times health policy analyst on NIH funding and national vaccine issues. Drew Altman, KFF CEO discussing fixes for the U.S. health system. They debate a blocked change to the childhood vaccine schedule, falling vaccination coverage, NIH funding shifts, and rising health care costs.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had another tough week. In addition to Kennedy having surgery on a torn rotator cuff, the nomination of his ally to become surgeon general is teetering in the Senate, the controversial head of the Food and Drug Administration'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. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's fraud crackdown is reaching private Medicare insurance plans. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News' Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Andy Schneider of Georgetown University about the Trump administration's crackdown on Medicaid fraud in Democratic-led states.  Visit our website for a transcript of this 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 Marshall Project's "The Harrowing Journey Home for Families Leaving Immigration Detention," by Shannon Heffernan, Jesse Bogan, and Anna Flagg.  Anna Edney: The Wall Street Journal's "The Boom in Autism Therapy Is Medicaid's Fastest-Growing Jackpot," by Christopher Weaver, Tom McGinty, and Anna Wilde Mathews.  Shefali Luthra: The New York Times' "States Move To Limit Access to H.I.V. Treatment," by Apoorva Mandavilli.  Joanne Kenen: The Idaho Capital Sun's "988 Ended His Call. Now an Idaho Teen Is Pushing for a Fix to State's Parental Consent Law," by Laura Guido.  

This month is 40 years since host Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News, began reporting on health policy in Washington. To mark the anniversary, Rovner is joined by two longtime sources to discuss what has — and has not — changed since 1986.This week’s special guests are Chip Kahn, a former GOP House and Senate staffer and former head of the Federation of American Hospitals and the Health Insurance Association of America, and Chris Jennings, a former Democratic Senate staffer and a health policy adviser to Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode.

Health care got barely a mention in President Donald Trump’s record-long State of the Union address this week. 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’s pick to become U.S. surgeon general, Casey Means, got her long-delayed nomination hearing in the Senate, where she faced some skeptical questions from Democrats and Republicans alike. Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Visit our website for a transcript of this episode.Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read (or wrote) this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: KFF Health News’ “When It Comes to Health Insurance, Federal Dollars Support More Than ACA Plans,” by Julie Appleby.  Sheryl Gay Stolberg: ProPublica’s “South Carolina Hospitals Aren’t Required To Disclose Measles-Related Admissions. That Leaves Doctors in the Dark,” by Jennifer Berry Hawes.  Lauren Weber: The Washington Post’s “Inside RFK Jr.’s Push Against the Flu Vaccine That He Links to His Voice Condition,” by Lauren Weber, Lena H. Sun, and Caitlin Gilbert.  Alice Miranda Ollstein: Stat’s “Pharma Lobbyists Focus on a Surprising New Target: The FDA,” by Daniel Payne and Lizzy Lawrence.  

Shefali Luthra, reporter covering public health and abortion policy. Tami Luhby, CNN health reporter focusing on regulatory actions and labor stories. Lauren Weber, Washington Post health policy reporter on federal agency shifts. They dig into FDA reversals on a Moderna flu review, HHS leadership shakeups ahead of midterms, vaccine industry uncertainty, ACA subsidy politics, and upcoming healthcare rulemaking.

It’s been a busy week at the Food and Drug Administration, with a political appointee overruling agency scientists to reject an application for a new flu vaccine, a decision that’s reverberating through the drug industry. Meanwhile, anti-abortion Republicans on Capitol Hill complain the agency is dragging its feet on reviewing the abortion pill mifepristone. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Jackie Fortiér of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner. Visit our website 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 “The Children of Dilley,” by Mica Rosenberg.  Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico’s “Why Washington’s All-In on Smart Rings,” by Amanda Chu.  Lizzy Lawrence: KFF Health News’ “US Cancer Institute Studying Ivermectin’s ‘Ability To Kill Cancer Cells,’” by Rachana Pradhan.  Jackie Fortiér: Stat’s “The New Childhood Vaccine Guidelines Have a Paid Leave Problem,” by Ariana Hendrix.  

Congress has passed — and President Donald Trump has signed — the annual spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services. But it’s unclear whether the administration will spend the money as Congress directed.In 2025, billions of dollars were stalled, disrupting patient care and scientific research, until federal judges ordered funding resumed. 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 KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Renuka Rayasam about a new reporting project, “Priced Out.”Visit our website for a transcript of this episode.Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: Politico’s “DeSantis’ Canadian Drug Import Plan in Florida Goes From Campaign Trail to Tough Realities,” by Arek Sarkissian.  Sandhya Raman: The Washington Post’s “Free HIV Drugs Save Lives. Why One State Is Restricting Access for Thousands,” by David Ovalle.  Anna Edney: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Associated Press’s “Forever Stained: Inside America’s Carpet Capital: An Empire and its Toxic Legacy,” by Dylan Jackson, Jason Dearan, and Justin Price.  Joanne Kenen: Inside Climate News’ “‘Toxic Colonialism’ on the Bay of Bengal,” by Johnny Sturgeon. 

Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico health policy reporter who tracks federal regulation and political influence. Maya Goldman, Axios health reporter who explains how federal actions affect care delivery. They discuss how immigration enforcement is disrupting hospitals and patient access. They cover stalled spending fights tied to enforcement funding. They flag federal moves that pause grants, restrict research funding, and ripple through public health.

Ezekiel Emanuel, oncologist and bioethicist who wrote Eat Your Ice Cream, offers brief wellness rules. Paige Winfield Cunningham, Washington Post health policy reporter, breaks down congressional maneuvering. Sandhya Raman, CQ Roll Call health policy reporter, explains HHS budget stakes. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times political reporter, adds context on public health and research risks. They discuss HHS spending, bipartisan health fixes, vaccines, and policy shifts.