Health & Veritas Julie Rovner: On the Health Policy Beat
Jan 8, 2026
Julie Rovner, KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent with decades covering the ACA and federal health agencies. She walks through the odds and political pressure points around ACA subsidies. She discusses Medicaid changes, why price regulation matters, and how government communication with journalists has shifted. She closes with personal anecdotes and a preview of an intense healthcare showdown ahead.
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Triple-Agonist Drug Achieves Surgery-Level Weight Loss
- Retatrutide produced nearly 30% average weight loss in a Phase 3 trial, comparable to bariatric surgery outcomes over ~70 weeks.
- Participants with knee osteoarthritis also saw pain and function improvements alongside cardiometabolic gains.
New Modalities Could Reengineer Obesity Care
- New obesity approaches include gene-silencing therapies that selectively reduce visceral and liver fat and oral GLP-1 pills like Wegovy.
- Oral options and different modalities could change access, cost, and patient preference dynamics.
Subsidy Extension Still Likely, Timing Uncertain
- Julie Rovner gives ~60/40 odds that Congress will extend ACA subsidies between now and midyear after senators heard constituent pressure.
- She notes extensions could be delayed but still enacted later, forcing exchanges to recalibrate.
