Kff Health News' 'what The Health?': Democrats Make This Shutdown About The Aca

The host

Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social

Julie Rovner is main Washington analogous and big of KFF Health News' play wellness argumentation news podcast, "What nan Health?" A noted master connected wellness argumentation issues, Julie is nan writer of nan critically praised reference book "Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z," now successful its 3rd edition.

As agelong predicted, overmuch of nan national authorities unopen down connected Oct. 1, aft Congress grounded to work together connected spending bills that support astir programs running. Republicans request astatine slightest a fistful of Democratic votes to walk spending bills successful nan Senate. In exchange, Democrats demanded Republicans renew expanded premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, which were passed during nan pandemic — efficaciously forcing their ain shutdown complete ACA policies, arsenic Republicans did successful 2013. Republicans truthful acold person refused to proceed nan subsidies aliases moreover talk them — but now opportunity they won't discuss unless Democrats work together to reopen nan government.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced a woody pinch nan drugmaker Pfizer to little immoderate supplier prices successful nan U.S., but it's unclear really overmuch of a quality it will make for consumers.

This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post.

Panelists

• Rachel Cohrs Zhang Bloomberg News @rachelcohrs
• Shefali Luthra The 19th @shefali.bsky.social
• Lauren Weber The Washington Post @LaurenWeberHP 

Among nan takeaways from this week's episode:

• Democrats seized an opportunity to item really Republican policies are reshaping nan wellness attraction system, arsenic wellness attraction tends to beryllium a winning run rumor for Democrats. But arsenic they push to widen enhanced national subsidies and reverse Medicaid cuts, a large mobility arises: Will Americans notice?
• Meanwhile, immoderate Republicans propose they are unfastened to renewing enhanced ACA scheme subsidies pinch definite changes — but do not want to reside nan rumor now, moreover arsenic unfastened enrollment approaches. And successful consequence to Democrats' calls to undo Medicaid cuts, nan GOP is repeating a misleading talking constituent astir benefits for group surviving successful nan U.S. without ineligible position — when, successful fact, nan argumentation alteration would mostly thief hospitals.
• And vaccine uncertainty continues, pinch caller recommendations from nan remade Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices awaiting sign-off — and holding up immoderate vaccine shipments, peculiarly for uninsured and underinsured kids. Plus, nan Trump management has struck a woody pinch Pfizer. Other supplier companies are apt to travel pinch their ain deals to spare themselves tariffs. What's little clear is really patients would use from these savings.

Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News' Cara Anthony, who wrote nan latest "Bill of nan Month" characteristic astir an out-of-network oculus room that near 1 kindergartner's family pinch a large bill. If you person an outrageous aliases inexplicable aesculapian measure you'd for illustration to stock pinch us, you tin do that here.

Plus, for "extra credit," nan panelists propose wellness argumentation stories they publication this week that they deliberation you should read, too: 

Julie Rovner: KFF Health News' "Big Loopholes successful Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck With nan Tab," by Michelle Andrews. 

Shefali Luthra: The Washington Post's "Trump's USAID Pause Stranded Lifesaving Drugs. Children Died Waiting," by Meg Kelly, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Rael Ombuor, Sarah Blaskey, Andrew Ba Tran, Artur Galocha, Eric Lau, and Katharine Houreld. 

Lauren Weber: Time Magazine's "Trump Is Breaking Americans' Trust successful Doctors," by Dr. Craig Spencer. 

Rachel Cohrs Zhang: ProPublica's "Georgia's Medicaid Work Requirement Program Spent Twice arsenic Much connected Administrative Costs arsenic connected Health Care, GAO Says," by Margaret Coker, The Current. 

Also mentioned successful this week's podcast:

• KFF's "ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More than Double connected Average Next Year if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire," by Justin Lo, Larry Levitt, Jared Ortaliza, and Cynthia Cox.
• KFF Health News' "How Federal Shutdown Hits Health Agencies, Explained to Aspen nan Corgi," by Julie Rovner.
• The Washington Post's "White House Considers Funding Advantage for Colleges That Align With Trump Policies," by Laura Meckler and Susan Svrluga.
• Politico's "Top US Researchers Rush To Relocate to Europe," by Pieter Haeck.
• Bloomberg News' "RFK Jr. Mulls Adding Autism Symptoms to Vaccine Injury Program," by Rachel Cohrs Zhang, Madison Muller, and Gerry Smith.
• MSNBC's "He Helped Build nan Anti-Vaccine Movement. RFK Jr. Just Hired Him," by Brandy Zadrozny.

Credits

• Francis Ying Audio producer
• Emmarie Huetteman Editor