What the Health? From KFF Health News

A federal court’s decision to override the FDA and restrict availability of the abortion pill mifepristone has launched abortion back into the national spotlight. It’s also raised new questions about the job security of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Andrew Jones, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month,” about an emergency room bill for a visit that wasn’t an emergency — but could have been.  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: KFF Health News’ “HHS’ Healthy Food Agenda Puts Hospitals on Notice About Patients’ Meals,” by Stephanie Armour.  Shefali Luthra: ProPublica’s “Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth,” by Duaa Eldeib.  Sandhya Raman: The Cut’s “Pediatricians Didn’t Sign Up for This,” by Juno DeMelo.  Jessie Hellmann: Nature’s “Key US Science Panels Are Being Axed — And Others Are Becoming Less Open,” by Max Kozlov, Alexandra Witze, and Dan Garisto.  

Rachel Roubein, Washington Post health reporter covering health policy. Shefali Luthra, investigative health reporter at The 19th and KFF contributor. Joanne Kenen, senior health policy journalist and public health analyst. They debate high hospital prices and why hospitals are politically protected. They unpack site-neutral payments, consolidation, GLP-1 access and safety, and new evidence that the 988 hotline cut suicides.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. completed his whirlwind tour of House and Senate committees this week, ostensibly to promote President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for his department but also to answer for some of his more controversial positions, particularly on vaccines. Meanwhile, Trump signed an executive order to facilitate the use of hallucinogens to treat mental health conditions and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended a decades-old policy requiring members of the military to get annual flu shots. Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Victoria Knight of Bloomberg Government join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, in the latest installment of our “How Would You Fix It?” series, Rovner interviews doctor, author, and Harvard public health professor David Blumenthal about his ideas for making the health system work better.  Visit our website for a transcript of this episode.Plus for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: The Washington Post’s “KitKat, Gatorade or granola bars? What’s banned under new SNAP rules is mixed,” by Rachel Roubein.  Sheryl Gay Stolberg: Politico’s “Trump’s surgeon general pick faces mounting GOP opposition,” by Amanda Friedman and Alice Miranda Ollstein.  Alice Miranda Ollstein: The Washington Post’s “Where U.S. science has been hit hardest after Trump’s first year,” by Carolyn Y. Johnson, Lydia Sidhom and Susan Svrluga.  Victoria Knight: The New York Times’s “A $440,000 Breast Reduction: How Doctors Cashed In on a Consumer Protection Law,” by Sarah Kliff and Margot Sanger-Katz. 

Michelle Canero, Miami immigration attorney and board member of Immigrants List, explains how immigration policy shapes the U.S. medical workforce. Joanne Kenen, senior fellow and policy journalist, brings public health and government context. Anna Edney, Bloomberg health reporter, analyzes federal health policy and drug market trends. They discuss the new CDC nominee, leadership shifts, Kennedy’s Hill appearances, immigration impacts on staffing, and key health stories to watch.

This 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’s 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 KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.Visit our website to read 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 Atlantic’s “HHS Officials’ Year in Purgatory Is Ending,” by Katherine J. Wu.Maya Goldman: KFF Health News’ “Trump’s Personnel Agency Is Asking for Federal Workers’ Medical Records,” by Amanda Seitz and Maia Rosenfeld.Lauren Weber: CNN’s “These Common Drug Tests Lead to Tens of Thousands of Wrongful Arrests a Year, Experts Say. One State Is Fighting Back,” by Holly Yan.Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico’s “A Slowdown in US Visa Processing Is Wreaking Havoc on Foreign Doctors’ Lives,” by Simon J. Levien.

Despite public opposition to the cuts they made to federal health programs in 2025, Republicans reportedly are considering still more cuts to help pay for the war in Iran. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado cannot ban mental health professionals from using “conversion therapy” on LGBTQ+ minors. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the last two “Bill of the Month” stories. 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: New York Magazine’s “The Dog Owners Taking Their Injured Corgis and Doodles to Tijuana: Mexico Is to Pet MRIs What Turkey Has Become for Hair Transplants,” by Helaine Olen.  Jessie Hellmann: The Texas Tribune’s “‘Don’t Take Me to the Hospital’: Undocumented Immigrants in Texas Are Delaying Medical Care,” by Colleen DeGuzman, Stephen Simpson, Terri Langford, and Dan Keemahill. Sandhya Raman: Science’s “Supporters Push To Revive Moribund Agency Studying Patient Care,” by Jocelyn Kaiser.  Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times’ “Cuban Patients Are Dying Because of U.S. Blockade, Doctors Say,” by Ed Augustin and Jack Nicas.  

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.