What the Health? From KFF Health News

This past year marked the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, the twin government programs that have shaped the health care system into what it is today. In this special episode, re-aired for the holidays, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two experts on the history, significance, and future of these perennially popular programs. First up, Medicare historian and University of North Carolina health policy professor Jonathan Oberlander talks about Medicare. He’s followed by Sara Rosenbaum of the George Washington University, who has not only studied Medicaid since nearly its beginning but has helped shape Medicaid policy over the past four decades.Visit our website for a transcript of this episode.

Tami Luhby, a senior health reporter at CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein from Politico, and Lizzy Lawrence of Stat News engage in a critical discussion on the looming expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, highlighting the potential impact on millions of Americans. They explore the CDC's controversial decision to drop the hepatitis B recommendation for newborns and dissect the political complexities surrounding abortion policies affecting health care subsidies. The panel also shares insights on future health policy themes, including the resurgence of infectious diseases and the politicization of science.

In this lively discussion, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, Anna Edney from Bloomberg, Maya Goldman of Axios, and health policy expert Linda Blumberg delve into the impending ACA tax credit deadline. They warn about potential coverage losses and rising premiums as Congress debates subsidy extensions. The guests also tackle the implications of shifting vaccine policies influenced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and dissect the Republican health proposals, emphasizing how segmented risk pools can harm access and affordability for those in need.

In this insightful discussion, Alice Miranda Ollstein, a politics and health reporter, dives into the Republican struggle over ACA subsidy extensions. Joanne Kenen, a public health journalist, highlights the tension between public health recommendations and individual freedoms regarding vaccines. Paige Winfield Cunningham shares insights on GOP proposals related to health savings accounts. The episode also features Aneri Pattani, who discusses tracking $50 billion from opioid settlements and its implications for communities. The panel wraps up with crucial health policy reading recommendations.

Alice Miranda Ollstein, a political journalist at Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith, health policy expert for The Pink Sheet, join forces to dissect the latest in health controversies. They dive into Trump’s questionable health plan, the GOP's swift backlash, and the fallout over new CDC vaccine language advocating links to autism. Additionally, Joanne Kenen and Joshua Sharfstein discuss their book on how misinformation undermines public health, tackling both the erosion of quality journalism and the societal need for credible communication in health.

Led by President Donald Trump, Republicans in Congress are solidifying their opposition to extending pandemic-era subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans and seem to be coalescing around giving money directly to consumers to spend on health care. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to leave his mark on the agency, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention altering its website to suggest childhood vaccines could play a role in causing autism. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Avik Roy, a GOP health policy adviser and co-founder and chair of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode.Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: CNBC’s “Cheaper Medicines, Free Beach Trips: U.S. Health Plans Tap Prescriptions That Feds Say Are Illegal,” by Scott Zamost, Paige Tortorelli, and Melissa Lee.  Paige Winfield Cunningham: The Wall Street Journal’s “Medicaid Insurers Promise Lots of Doctors. Good Luck Seeing One,” by Christopher Weaver, Anna Wilde Mathews, and Tom McGinty.  Joanne Kenen: ProPublica’s “What the U.S. Government Is Dismissing That Could Seed a Bird Flu Pandemic,” by Nat Lash.  Shefali Luthra: ProPublica’s “‘Ticking Time Bomb’: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas,” by Kavitha Surana and Lizzie Presser.  

In this discussion, Anna Edney from Bloomberg News shares insights on the implications of the recent government shutdown and the exclusion of ACA tax credits. Shefali Luthra of The 19th highlights the controversial use of Medicaid in shaping immigration and gender policies. Sandhya Raman reports from Capitol Hill on legislative happenings, while Julie Appleby offers a gripping 'Bill of the Month' case about a patient's shocking hospital bill and the challenges of navigating insurance. The panel also recommends compelling health policy reads.

November 1 marked the start of open enrollment for 2026 health plans bought from Affordable Care Act marketplaces in most states. But this sign-up season is like no other in the health law’s 15-year history. It remains unclear, even at this late date, whether expanded tax credits launched during the pandemic in 2021 will be continued or allowed to expire, exposing millions of Americans to much higher out-of-pocket costs. In this special episode of “What the Health?” from KFF Health News and WAMU, host Julie Rovner interviews KFF vice president Cynthia Cox about the past, present, and possible future of the health law and how those who purchase ACA coverage should proceed during this time of uncertainty. Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode.

A standoff in Congress is keeping much of the federal government shut down as open enrollment begins in most states for Affordable Care Act plans. Democrats have refused to vote on spending until Republicans agree to extend more generous ACA premium tax credits, but so far there has been little negotiating — even as customers are learning what they’ll pay for coverage next year. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is telling states they can’t pass their own laws to keep medical debt off consumers’ credit reports, after killing a Biden-era effort to end the practice nationwide. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Maya Goldman of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode.Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: KFF Health News’ “Many Fear Federal Loan Caps Will Deter Aspiring Doctors and Worsen MD Shortage,” by Bernard J. Wolfson. Alice Miranda Ollstein: ProPublica’s “Citing Trump Order on ‘Biological Truth,’ VA Makes It Harder for Male Veterans With Breast Cancer To Get Coverage,” by Eric Umansky.  Paige Winfield Cunningham: The Washington Post’s “Study Finds mRNA Coronavirus Vaccines Prolonged Life of Cancer Patients,” by Mark Johnson.  Maya Goldman: KFF Health News’ “As Sports Betting Explodes, States Try To Set Limits To Stop Gambling Addiction,” by Karen Brown, New England Public Media.  

Two major nutrition programs — supporting low-income families, as well as young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women — are likely to exhaust their funding in November, and the furloughs and firings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have left the agency unable to perform some of its major functions.Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s new policy on in vitro fertilization is being met with dissatisfaction from both sides of the controversial issue.Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Katheryn Houghton, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, about a broken elbow and a nearly six-figure bill.  Visit our website for a transcript of the episode.Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: ProPublica’s “The Shadow President,” by Andy Kroll. Shefali Luthra: The 19th’s “More People Are Freezing Their Eggs — But Most Will Never Use Them,” by Shalini Kathuria Narang, Rewire News Group.  Alice Miranda Ollstein: Brown University’s “New Study: AI Chatbots Systematically Violate Mental Health Ethics Standards.”  Rachel Roubein: The Washington Post’s “Errors in New Medicare Plan Portal Mislead Seniors on Coverage,” by Dan Diamond and Akilah Johnson.