Our 300th Episode! | KFF Health News

The Host

Julie Rovner
KFF Well being Information

@jrovner

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 creator of the critically praised reference e-book “Well being Care Politics and Coverage A to Z,” now in its third version.

This week, KFF Well being Information’ weekly coverage information podcast — “What the Well being?” — celebrates its three hundredth episode with a wide-ranging dialogue of what’s occurred in well being coverage because it launched in 2017 and what might occur within the subsequent decade.

For this particular dialog, host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner is joined by three outstanding “massive thinkers” in well being coverage: Ezekiel Emanuel of the College of Pennsylvania; Jeff Goldsmith, president of Well being Futures; and Farzad Mostashari, CEO of Aledade.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• Since 2017, dissatisfaction has permeated the U.S. well being care system. The frustrations of suppliers, sufferers, and others within the discipline level to quite a lot of structural issues — lots of that are difficult to handle by means of policymaking as a result of energy of interest-group politics. The emergence of the massive, worthwhile “SuperMed” agency UnitedHealth Group and the rise of pressing digital care have additionally remodeled well being care lately.
• As excessive prices and large earnings dominate the nationwide dialog, lawmakers and policymakers have delivered surprises, together with the beginnings of regulation of drug costs. Even the Trump administration, with its dedication to undermining the Inexpensive Care Act, demonstrated curiosity in encouraging competitors. In the meantime, on the scientific aspect, numerous prescribed drugs are proving particularly efficient at decreasing hospitalizations.
• Wanting ahead, the face of insurance coverage is altering. Business insurance coverage is seeing earnings evaporate, non-public Medicare Benefit plans are draining taxpayer {dollars}, and employers are making costly, short-sighted protection selections. Some stakeholders see a vital have to rethink the right way to be extra environment friendly and efficient at delivering care in the USA.
• The deterioration of the affected person’s expertise indicators a significant disconnect between the organizational issues offering care and the on a regular basis dedication of particular person suppliers: The native hospital might present wonderful service to a affected person experiencing a coronary heart assault, but Medicare won’t pay for sufferers to have blood stress cuffs at house, as an illustration. Low reimbursements for main care suppliers exacerbate these issues.

Plus, our consultants — drawing on intensive expertise making authorities and private-sector coverage and even training drugs — identify their prime candidates for attainable enhancements that might make an enormous distinction within the well being care system.

Additional studying by the panelists from this week’s episode:

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 impartial supply of well being coverage analysis, polling, and journalism. Be taught extra about KFF.

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