Guest
Julie Rovner KFF Health News
@julirovner.bsky.social
Read Julia's stories.
Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News' weekly health policy podcast, “What the Health?” A renowned health policy expert, Julie is the author of the highly acclaimed A to Z of Health Policy and Politics, now in its third edition.
Congress has little time to prevent huge increases in health insurance premiums for the millions of Americans who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces. Dec. 15 is the deadline to sign up for coverage that begins Jan. 1, and some consumers are waiting to see if credits will be extended, allowing them to afford coverage next year.
Meanwhile, a federal vaccine advisory panel selected by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted last week to rescind the universal recommendation for a dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth. This is just the beginning of what is expected to be a major change in overall childhood vaccination recommendations.
This week's panelists include Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times.
Panelists
Anna Edney Bloomberg News
@annaedney.bsky.social
Read Anna's stories.
Maya Goldman Axios
@maya-goldman.bsky.social
Read Maya's stories.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg The New York Times
Read Cheryl's stories.
Among the takeaways from this week's episode:
- As of Thursday morning, the Senate was preparing to vote on competing health care proposals, none of which were expected to pass: one from Democrats that would extend the ACA's expanded premium tax breaks and a second from Republicans that would instead add money to health savings accounts for some ACA enrollees. As credits expire and time runs out to sign up for plans, it is likely that coverage will be unaffordable for some Americans, leaving them uninsured.
- The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' decision to stop recommending newborn immunization against hepatitis B is a significant development in the federal government's shift away from vaccine promotion. While a panel of experts has coalesced around the idea that infants most often acquire hepatitis B from their mothers, the reality is that the virus can live on household items, posing a threat of chronic disease and death to unvaccinated children.
- In reproductive health news, House Speaker Mike Johnson removed fertility treatment coverage for military personnel from the National Defense Authorization Act ahead of passage of the law, and anti-abortion groups are calling for the ouster of Food and Drug Administration chief Marty Macari over reports that he is slow to change policy on medication abortion.
Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown University professor Linda Bloomberg about what the GOP's health care plans have in common.
Also, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest stories about health care policy that they read (or wrote) this week that they think you should read, too:
Julie Rovner: Washington Post newspaperRural America relies on foreign doctors. Trump visa fee shuts them down“, David Ovalle.
Anna Edney: Bloomberg News”Abbott fired a warning shot on baby food, then launched a lobbying campaign» Anna Edney.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg: “New York Times”Married scientists separated by Covid bioweapons theory» Kathy J. M. Baker.
Maya Goldman: ProPublica”These health centers are supposed to make health care accessible. One Sues Patients Over Just $59 in Unpaid Bills» Aliya Swabi.
Also mentioned in this week's podcast:
Loans
Taylor Cook Audio Producer Emmarie Huettman Editor
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