New Year, New Congress, New Health Agenda

Health is unlikely to be a top priority for the new GOP-led 119th Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. But it’s likely to play a key supporting role, with an abortion bill already scheduled for debate in the Senate. Meanwhile, it’s unclear when and how the new Congress will deal with the bipartisan bills jettisoned from the previous Congress’ year-end omnibus measure — including a major deal to rein in the power of pharmacy benefit managers.

In this “catch up on all the news you missed” episode, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. 

Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: 

Julie Rovner: The Wall Street Journal’s “UnitedHealth’s Army of Doctors Helped It Collect Billions More From Medicare,” by Christopher Weaver, Anna Wilde Mathews, and Tom McGinty.  

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times’ “Ozempic, Lego Bricks and Hearing Aids: What Trump’s Greenland Plan Could Hit,” by Ana Swanson and Jenny Gross.  

Shefali Luthra: Vox.com’s “Gigantic SUVs Are a Public Health Threat. Why Don’t We Treat Them Like One?” by David Zipper.  

Lauren Weber: The Washington Post’s “Laws Restrict U.S. Shipping of Vape Products. Many Companies Do It Anyway,” by David Ovalle and Rachel Roubein.

Visit our website for a transcript of the episode.

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