Guest
Both Democrats and Republicans face potential political fallout in their ongoing standoff over federal funding. Republicans are likely to face a voter backlash if they refuse to agree to Democratic demands to extend additional tax breaks for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, since most of those facing premium increases live in GOP-dominated states. For their part, Democrats are concerned that Republicans will violate the terms of any potential spending agreement.
At the same time, the Trump administration is using the shutdown to try to lay off thousands of federal workers, including those in key public health roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This week's panelists include Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joan Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Lauren Weber of the Washington Post.
Among the takeaways from this week's episode:
- As the federal government shutdown drags on, there has been little progress on a deal on government spending or on expiring ACA marketplace subsidies that Democrats are fighting to renew. Potential compromises on subsidies could, for example, introduce a minimum premium instead of $0 premiums to reduce enrollment fraud, as Republicans want.
- A federal judge has halted the Trump administration's latest layoffs of federal workers amid questions about the legality of the layoffs. In particular, this round has seen the administration deal a heavy blow to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an agency that has been battered by staff cuts, policy changes and even violence.
- New reports show the Trump administration has explored the possibility of tracking abortion pill residues in wastewater, following claims by abortion opponents that the drugs could contaminate the water supply. However, advocates may have an ulterior motive: developing the ability to track the use of the pill to further suppress abortion.
- And President Donald Trump unveiled an agreement with a second drugmaker, AstraZeneca, that allows the company to avoid tariffs in exchange for building a new plant in the United States. But as with the first deal, it's unclear how much money the agreement will save patients.
Also this week, Rovner interviews health insurance analyst Louise Norris of Medicareresources.org about the Medicare open enrollment period, which began Oct. 15.
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: Politico”RFK Jr.'s advice for pregnant women. There is limited data to support this» Alice Miranda Olstein.
Anna Edney: “New York Times”The drug that took away more than just her appetite“, Maya Szalavitz.
Joanna From: Mother Jones”From Medicine to Mysticism: The Radicalization of Florida's Top Doctor» Kira Butler and Julianne McShane.
Lauren Weber: KFF health news”Senators press Deloitte and other contractors over mistakes in Medicaid eligibility systems» Rachana Pradhan and Samantha Liss.
Also mentioned in this week's podcast:
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