Kff Health News' 'what The Health?': Next On Kennedy’s List? Preventive Care And Vaccine Harm

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.

In his ongoing effort to reshape wellness policy, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly plans to overhaul 2 much authorities entities: nan U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and nan National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Ousting nan existing members of nan task unit would springiness Kennedy a measurement of power successful determining nan kinds of preventive attraction that are covered astatine nary costs to patients successful nan United States. And while it's unclear what nan caput would do to nan vaccine wounded program, Kennedy has made nary concealed of his belief that vaccines tin do much harm than good.

Meanwhile, past week marked nan 35th day of nan Americans pinch Disabilities Act, and President Donald Trump signed an executive bid that would alteration section and authorities governments to forcibly hospitalize immoderate group who are bum and struggling pinch intelligence wellness problems.

This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of nan Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th.

Panelists

• Anna Edney Bloomberg News @annaedney @annaedney.bsky.social
• Joanne Kenen Johns Hopkins University and Politico @JoanneKenen @joannekenen.bsky.social
• Shefali Luthra The 19th @shefali.bsky.social

Among nan takeaways from this week's episode:

• Less than 2 months aft Kennedy removed each members of nan Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices, he is reportedly considering a akin purge of members of nan task unit that recommends nan preventive services insurers must screen — a database whose services, immoderate of them arguable among Trump officials, see narcotics that forestall HIV and definite crab screenings. He is besides considering changes to nan national programme that compensates group who acquisition adverse effects from immunizations.
• This week Vinay Prasad, nan Food and Drug Administration's apical vaccine official, resigned conscionable months into his tenure. Prasad had travel nether attack, notably by right-wing characteristic Laura Loomer, and had been blasted for immoderate agency decisions astir caller narcotics for uncommon diseases — contempt his activity limiting nan usage of covid shots.
• Trump's recently announced waste and acquisition woody pinch nan European Union includes a 15% tariff connected brand-name pharmaceuticals, which would include, for example, nan glucosuria supplier Ozempic, often utilized for weight loss. But it would beryllium difficult to little prices connected brand-name narcotics done tariffs; it is improbable that drugmakers, facing higher import costs, would relocate accumulation to nan United States.
• Also, Trump's large taxation and spending law, hastened done Congress weeks ago, renders immoderate lawfully coming immigrants ineligible for Affordable Care Act subsidies. But a caller KFF Health News file points retired that nan alteration would really raise premiums for everyone else, taking much patient group retired of nan security pool.

Also this week, Rovner interviews George Washington University wellness argumentation professor Sara Rosenbaum, 1 of nan nation's starring Medicaid experts, to people Medicaid's 60th day this week.

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' "Cosmetic Surgeries Led to Disfiguring Injuries, Patients Allege," by Fred Schulte.

Anna Edney: The Washington Post's "Morton Mintz, Post Reporter With a Muckraker Spirit, Dies astatine 103," by Stefanie Dazio.

Joanne Kenen: ScienceAlert's "New Kind of Dental Floss Could Replace Vaccine Needles, Study Finds," by David Nield.

Shefali Luthra: The New Yorker's "Mexico's Molar City Could Transform My Smile. Did I Want It To?" by Burkhard Bilger.

Also mentioned successful this week's podcast:

• The New York Times' "Top F.D.A. Official Resigns Under Pressure," by Christina Jewett.
• KFF Health News' "Lawfully Present Immigrants Help Stabilize ACA Plans. Why Does nan GOP Want Them Out?" by Bernard J. Wolfson.
• The Texas Tribune's "Texas Man Sues California Doctor successful Federal Court, Testing a New Angle to Crackdown connected Abortion Pills," by Eleanor Klibanoff.

Credits

• Francis Ying Audio producer
• Emmarie Huetteman Editor