KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Struggle Over Who Gets the Last Word

The Host

Julie Rovner
KFF Well being Information

They Worked To Protect Public Health. Now They Want the Public’s Votes.

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Learn Julie’s tales.

Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Well being Information’ weekly well being coverage information podcast, “What the Well being?” A famous professional on well being coverage points, Julie is the writer of the critically praised reference e book “Well being Care Politics and Coverage A to Z,” now in its third version.

The Supreme Courtroom in March will hear oral arguments in two very totally different instances that boil all the way down to the identical query: How a lot energy do “specialists” in well being and science deserve? At stake is the long run accessibility of the abortion tablet mifepristone, and the flexibility of presidency officers to advise social media firms about misinformation.

In the meantime, abortion opponents are getting ready motion plans in case Donald Trump retakes the White Home. Whereas it’s unlikely Congress may have sufficient votes to cross a nationwide abortion ban, a president can take steps to make abortion far much less obtainable, even in states the place it stays authorized.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Name, Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins College and Politico Journal, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.

Panelists

Joanne Kenen
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg College of Public Well being and Politico

@JoanneKenen

Learn Joanne’s articles.

Sarah Karlin-Smith
Pink Sheet

@SarahKarlin

Learn Sarah’s tales.

Sandhya Raman
CQ Roll Name

@SandhyaWrites

Learn Sandhya’s tales.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

Abortion opponents are getting ready for the potential for a second Trump presidency. Amongst methods the previous GOP president may affect coverage with out Congress is by putting in an activist secretary of Well being and Human Providers, probably permitting a political appointee to overrule choices made by FDA staff.
Whereas President Joe Biden is embracing abortion rights, Donald Trump is highlighting two conflicting truths: that he appointed the Supreme Courtroom justices who helped overturn the constitutional proper to an abortion and that embracing abortion restrictions may drive away voters.
The federal authorities is making its preliminary gives on 10 costly prescription drugs focused for Medicare value negotiations. However the course of is non-public, so it’s unknown what these gives are.
Two prescription drugs which were within the headlines — the controversial Alzheimer’s illness drug Aduhelm and the insulin Levemir — will quickly be pulled from the market. The choices to discontinue them play into an ongoing debate in drug improvement: When is innovation well worth the value?
“This Week in Well being Misinformation” options an article by KFF Well being Information’ Amy Maxmen about how what as soon as have been fringe views questioning science are actually turning into extra mainstream.

Additionally this week, Rovner interviews Samantha Liss, who reported and wrote the most recent KFF Well being Information-NPR “Invoice of the Month” characteristic, a few husband and spouse billed for preventive care that ought to have been totally lined. When you have an outrageous or confounding medical invoice you’d wish to share with us, you are able to do that right here.

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

Julie Rovner: ProPublica’s “Amid Recall Disaster, Philips Agrees to Cease Promoting Sleep Apnea Machines in the US,” by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, and Michael D. Sallah, Pittsburgh Submit-Gazette.

Joanne Kenen: The New York Occasions’ “Elmo Requested an Innocuous Query,” by Callie Holtermann.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: The Texas Tribune’s “Texas Legal professional Basic Requests Transgender Youths’ Affected person Information From Georgia Clinic,” by Madaleine Rubin.

Sandhya Raman: The AP’s “Neighborhood Well being Facilities Serve 1 in 11 People. They’re a Security Web Beneath Stress,” by Devi Shastri.

Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:

Politico’s “The Anti-Abortion Plan Prepared for Trump on Day One,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein.
The nineteenth’s “The Instruments Trump Chilly Use to Curb Abortion Entry if He’s Elected,” by Shefali Luthra and Mel Leonor Barclay.
The New York Occasions’ “How Trump May Institute a Backdoor Federal Abortion Ban,” by Mary Ziegler.
CQ Roll Name’s “GOP Pivots on Abortion Stance as 2024 Nears,” by Ariel Cohen and Sandhya Raman.

Credit

Francis Ying
Audio producer

Emmarie Huetteman
Editor

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KFF Well being Information is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points and is among the core working applications at KFF—an unbiased supply of well being coverage analysis, polling, and journalism. Study extra about KFF.