What the Health? From KFF Health News

December 15 is the deadline to sign up for Affordable Care Act plans that begin January 1. Congress remains at odds over letting expanded tax credits for the plans’ premiums expire, dramatically increasing the cost of insurance for millions of Americans. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to remake vaccine policy to reflect ideology rather than science. Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Maya Goldman of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown University professor Linda Blumberg about what the GOP’s health plans have in common.  Visit our website for a transcript of this episode.Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read (or wrote) this week that they think you should read, too: Julie Rovner: The Washington Post’s “Rural America Relies on Foreign Doctors. Trump’s Visa Fee Shuts Them Out,” by David Ovalle.  Anna Edney: Bloomberg News’ “Abbott Fired a Warning Shot on Baby Formula — Then Launched a Lobbying Blitz,” by Anna Edney.  Sheryl Gay Stolberg: The New York Times’ “The Married Scientists Torn Apart by a Covid Bioweapon Theory,” by Katie J.M. Baker.  Maya Goldman: ProPublica’s “These Health Centers Are Supposed to Make Care Affordable. One Has Sued Patients for as Little as $59 in Unpaid Bills,” by Aliyya Swaby.  

Senate Democrats were promised a vote by mid-December on extending the enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, but Republicans still can’t decide whether they want to put forward their own alternative or what that might include. Meanwhile, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are roiled by debates over vaccines. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Aneri Pattani about her project tracking the distribution of $50 billion in opioid legal-settlement payments.  Visit our website for 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: The New York Times’ “These Hospitals Figured Out How To Slash C-Section Rates,” by Sarah Kliff and Bianca Pallaro.  Joanne Kenen: Wired’s “A Fentanyl Vaccine Is About To Get Its First Major Test,” by Emily Mullin.  Paige Winfield Cunningham: The New York Times’ “A Smartphone Before Age 12 Could Carry Health Risks, Study Says,” by Catherine Pearson.  Alice Miranda Ollstein: The Independent’s “Miscarriages, Infections, Neglect: The Pregnant Women Detained by ICE,” by Kelly Rissman.  

Just weeks before some tax credits for Affordable Care Act premiums expire, the Trump administration floated a plan to extend the enhanced aid — but it was met with immediate GOP pushback. Meanwhile, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise its website to suggest childhood vaccines might be linked to autism. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Joanne Kenen and Joshua Sharfstein about their new book, “Information Sick: How Journalism’s Decline and Misinformation’s Rise Are Harming Our Health — And What We Can Do About It.” Visit our website for 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: The New Yorker’s “A Battle With My Blood,” by Tatiana Schlossberg.  Alice Miranda Ollstein: CNBC’s “Meta Halted Research Suggesting Social Media Harm, Court Filing Alleges,” by Jonathan Vanian.  Sarah Karlin-Smith: The Guardian’s “Influencers Made Millions Pushing ‘Wild’ Births — Now the Free Birth Society Is Linked To Baby Deaths Around the World,” by Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne.  Sandhya Raman: KFF Health News’ “Kids and Teens Go Full Throttle for E-Bikes as Federal Oversight Stalls,” by Kate Ruder.  

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.  

Democrats and Republicans remain stalled over funding the federal government as Republicans launch a new attack on the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is taking advantage of the shutdown to lay off workers from programs supported mostly by Democrats. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews health insurance analyst Louise Norris about Medicare open enrollment, which began Oct. 15. Visit our website for 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: Politico’s “RFK Jr.’s Got Advice for Pregnant Women. There’s Limited Data To Support It,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein.  Joanne Kenen: Mother Jones’ “From Medicine to Mysticism: The Radicalization of Florida’s Top Doc,” by Kiera Butler and Julianne McShane.  Lauren Weber: KFF Health News’ “Senators Press Deloitte, Other Contractors on Errors in Medicaid Eligibility Systems,” by Rachana Pradhan and Samantha Liss.  Anna Edney: The New York Times’ “The Drug That Took Away More Than Her Appetite,” by Maia Szalavitz.  

Join Politico reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein, Pink Sheet's Sarah Karlin-Smith, and civil rights attorney Sarah Grusin as they dive into the effects of the ongoing government shutdown on health programs like Medicare. They discuss the unsettling impacts on telehealth services and the FDA's recent approval of a generic abortion pill, igniting fierce political debate. Grusin clarifies misconceptions about health care for undocumented immigrants, and the panel shares eye-opening articles on health systems, underscoring pressing issues in current policy.