Guest
Julie Rovner KFF Health News
@julirovner.bsky.social
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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.
Millions of people in Republican-dominated states are among those who see premiums under the Affordable Care Act soar in 2026 as expanded pandemic-era subsidies expire. Still, Republicans in the White House and on Capitol Hill are strengthening their opposition to extending these additional payments — at least for now.
Meanwhile, Democrats may not have achieved their shutdown goal of restoring subsidies, but they have put health care, one of the top issues they discussed with voters, back on the national agenda.
This week's panel features Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Joan Kenen of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th.
Panelists
Paige Winfield Cunningham The Washington Post
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Joan Kenen Johns Hopkins University and Politics
@joannekenen.bsky.social
Read Joanna's biography.
Shefali Luthra 19th
Read Shefali's stories.
Among the takeaways from this week's episode:
- Democrats' focus on insurance costs has brought health care back to the national spotlight. But lawmakers are far from a bipartisan compromise and remain divided on how to address the issue, with the ACA's expanded premium subsidies still set to expire and top Republicans mulling putting the money into health savings accounts instead.
- A new change to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website suggests a link between vaccines and autism, strengthening an unsubstantiated claim championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is facing backlash over a major report on transgender health that was written by critics of such care—and without peer review.
- And some Republicans are seeking to link ACA subsidies to abortion restrictions, providing just the latest example of how the issue regularly becomes entangled in battles over government spending. Democrats are unlikely to agree to such changes, especially if Republicans insist on directing subsidies to health savings accounts – theoretically meaning that any restrictions on abortion would target citizens' private funds.
Also this week, Rovner interviews Avik Roy, GOP health policy adviser and co-founder and chairman of the Equal Opportunity Research Foundation.
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: CNBC”Cheaper drugs, free trips to the beach: US health plans use prescriptions the feds say are illegal” by Scott Zamost, Paige Tortorelli and Melissa Lee.
Paige Winfield Cunningham: Wall Street Journal”Medicaid insurers promise a variety of doctors. Good luck meeting oneChristopher Weaver, Anna Wilde Matthews and Tom McGinty.
Joanna From: ProPublica”What the US government is hiding could trigger a bird flu pandemic“, Nat Lash.
Shefali Luthra: ProPublica”“Time bomb”: the pregnant mother is getting worse. She died after failing to get an abortion in Texas.Kavit Surana and Lizzie Presser.
Also mentioned in this week's podcast:
- Washington Post newspaperAbortion fight could jeopardize Congress' health plans» Riley Beggin and Theodoric Meyer.
- Wall Street Journal”RFK Jr. discussed limiting FDA chief's role after complaints about management style» Liz Essley White.
Loans
Frances Yin, Audio Producer, Emmarie Huettman, Editor
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