What the Health? From KFF Health News Health Spending Is Moving in Congress
16 snips
Jan 22, 2026 
Ezekiel Emanuel, oncologist and bioethicist who wrote Eat Your Ice Cream, offers brief wellness rules. Paige Winfield Cunningham, Washington Post health policy reporter, breaks down congressional maneuvering. Sandhya Raman, CQ Roll Call health policy reporter, explains HHS budget stakes. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times political reporter, adds context on public health and research risks. They discuss HHS spending, bipartisan health fixes, vaccines, and policy shifts.
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Congress Eyes Full HHS Spending Bill
- Congress moved toward passing a full HHS appropriations bill with modest increases for NIH, SAMHSA, HRSA and cuts in immigration-related programs.
- The bill prohibits NIH forward funding, reflecting Democratic concerns about lump-sum grant distributions.
PBM Transparency Returns To The Floor
- A bipartisan PBM transparency deal resurfaced attached to the spending bill after a previous package was stripped last year.
- Lawmakers see this as a rare chance to pass PBM reforms absent the prior social media-driven derailment.
Trump's One-Page Health Plan Lacks Detail
- President Trump's one-page 'Great Health Care Plan' lacks granular policy detail and congressional buy-in.
- It primarily targets insurers and borrows ideas like steering money toward consumers rather than detailed reforms.
