Guest
Health care programs are feeling the pressure of the ongoing government shutdown. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Food Program will likely run out in November, and cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are preventing the agency from carrying out some of its core public health functions.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration is also having health consequences, and the Department of Homeland Security is trying to bolster its medical staff to cope with the large number of people in its custody.
This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Alice Miranda Allstein of Politico and Rachel Rubein of The Washington Post.
Among the takeaways from this week's episode:
- As the federal shutdown continues, some are facing the startling possibility that their SNAP and WIC benefits will soon be cut short. Lawmakers remain deadlocked over extending expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, and the estimated 24 million people with such plans — about 90% of whom benefit from the subsidies — are starting to learn how much they'll owe next year without them.
- With the government's key weekly report on morbidity and mortality halted due to lockdowns, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy announced they would team up to publish a public health alert. While others are stepping in to fill the gap left by the Trump administration's abandonment of public health, the federal government's data and its ability to access information cannot be easily replaced.
- It is unclear whether the Trump administration's plan to increase the availability of in vitro fertilization will lead to significant improvements in access to fertility treatments. Some employers are already offering additional IVF benefits, and there are few details yet, such as how generous Trump's offer will be.
Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News' Katherine Houghton, who wrote the latest Bill of the Month article about a broken elbow and a nearly six-figure bill.
Also, for “extra credit,” the panelists offer stories about health care policy that they read this week that they think you should read, too:
Julie Rovner: ProPublica”Shadow President“, Andy Kroll.
Shefali Luthra: 19th”More and more people are freezing eggs, but most never eat them.» Shalini Kathuria Narang, Rewire News Group.
Alice Miranda Olstein: Brown University”New Study: AI Chatbots Systematically Violate Mental Health Ethics Standards“
Rachel Ruben: Washington Post newspaperErrors in new Medicare plan portal mislead seniors about coverage“, Dan Diamond and Akilah Johnson.
Also mentioned in this week's podcast:
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