Digesting Trump’s Big Budget Law

The Host

As he had wished, President Donald Trump signed his massive finances invoice into a giant finances regulation in a White Home ceremony on July 4, cementing, amongst different issues, billions of {dollars} in cuts to well being applications akin to Medicaid. The brand new regulation may also reshape guidelines for the Reasonably priced Care Act, Medicare, and different well being applications. 

In the meantime, the specter of layoffs continues to hold over the heads of staff on the Division of Well being and Human Companies, and funding for health-related contracts and grants stays stalled. 

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg Information, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Publish, and Tami Luhby of CNN.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• As particulars of Trump’s tax and home coverage regulation come into focus, it’s clear that many immigrants within the nation legally stand to lose authorities advantages, particularly well being protection. Whereas the GOP described the laws as concentrating on “unlawful immigrants,” the regulation as written bars many people dwelling right here with the federal government’s permission — together with refugees and victims of home abuse and trafficking — from signing up for Medicaid, receiving Reasonably priced Care Act market subsidies, and extra.
• Different facets of Trump’s priority-laden regulation acquired additional consideration following its hastened passage. In an unusually political transfer, the Social Safety Administration touted to beneficiaries the regulation’s cuts to taxes on Social Safety advantages — which is neither what the regulation does nor what a federal company historically does when Congress passes a regulation.
• This week, the Supreme Court docket issued a choice from its shadow docket supporting the Trump administration’s skill to put off federal employees utilizing solely his government authority. That opinion is the newest curve on this yr’s employment curler coaster for presidency staff, suggesting many individuals might quickly lose their jobs.
• In well being company information, public well being teams are suing the Trump administration over the withdrawn suggestions on covid-19 vaccines — as insurers and others within the well being business type out how one can deal with a federal shift in immunization suggestions. And HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled a gathering of the U.S. Preventive Companies Process Power. The abrupt cancellation suggests Kennedy might quickly remake the panel, as he did final month with the panel on vaccines.

Additionally this week, Rovner interviews KFF Well being Information’ Julie Appleby, who reported the newest KFF Well being Information’ “Invoice of the Month” function, about some very costly childhood immunizations. You probably have a medical invoice that’s exorbitant, baffling, or complicated, ship it to us right here.

Plus, for “additional credit score” the panelists counsel well being coverage tales they learn this week that they suppose it’s best to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: The New England Journal of Medication’s “The Corporatization of U.S. Well being Care — A New Perspective Collection,” by Debra Malina, et al.

Rachel Roubein: The Related Press’ “RFK Jr. Promoted a Meals Firm He Says Will Make People Wholesome. Their Meals Are Ultraprocessed,” by Amanda Seitz and JoNel Aleccia.

Rachel Cohrs Zhang: The Wall Road Journal’s “Prosecutors Query Medical doctors About UnitedHealth’s Medicare Billing Practices,” by Christopher Weaver and Anna Wilde Mathews.

Tami Luhby: The Washington Publish’s “A New D.C. Hospital Grapples With Too Many Sufferers and Too Few Nurses,” by Jenna Portnoy.

Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:

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