Kff Health News' 'what The Health?': Ousted Cdc Officials Clap Back At Rfk Jr.

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.

Fired little than a period aft being confirmed arsenic caput of nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez appeared astatine a melodramatic Senate proceeding this week alongside different ousted CDC charismatic and straight contradicted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's earlier grounds astir why she was fired.

Monarez told nan Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that Kennedy ordered her to work together to o.k. changes to nan puerility vaccine schedule soon to beryllium recommended by a CDC advisory panel, sloppy of technological evidence, and to occurrence elder profession scientists who nan caput felt did not stock his vaccine views.

Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats successful Congress are astatine a standoff complete authorities funding, pinch little than 2 weeks to spell earlier a imaginable shutdown. Democrats — whose votes are required to walk a measure successful nan Senate — opportunity they won't ballot to support nan authorities unfastened unless Republicans work together to widen expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act security plans that different expire astatine nan extremity of nan year. Republicans are truthful acold resisting those calls, though immoderate are concerned that nan resulting premium spikes would impact their ain voters.

This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Joanne Kenen of nan Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times.

Panelists

• Joanne Kenen Johns Hopkins University and Politico @JoanneKenen @joannekenen.bsky.social
• Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico @AliceOllstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social
• Margot Sanger-Katz The New York Times @sangerkatz

Among nan takeaways from this week's episode:

• Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) — who, arsenic president of nan HELP Committee, called nan proceeding and is simply a gastroenterologist — recovered himself pushing backmost connected immoderate of his GOP colleagues, peculiarly connected nan value of vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B. Cassidy, who is up for reelection adjacent twelvemonth and faces a superior challenge, is successful a delicate position regarding nan oversight of nan Trump administration's wellness policies.
• The proceeding showcased broad, across-the-aisle statement that spot successful nan CDC has eroded — on pinch a stark disagreement complete nan origin and who's astatine fault. Democrats constituent astatine Kennedy and nan Trump administration, while Republicans blasted nan agency's handling of nan covid-19 pandemic. Historically, Americans person tended to spot nationalist wellness officials; now, states are starting to create a patchwork of policies.
• Congress is struggling to work together connected moreover a stop-gap measurement to support nan national authorities funded, expanding nan chances of a authorities shutdown connected Oct. 1. Democrats are pushing to widen enhanced national ACA subsidies arsenic portion of a deal, but that rumor could beryllium kicked down nan road, injecting uncertainty into this year's unfastened enrollment process, which originates Nov. 1.
• And much specifications are emerging astir nan $50 cardinal agrarian wellness money inserted astatine nan eleventh hr into Trump's awesome home argumentation law. As nan national authorities originates soliciting applications for backing from states, it's becoming clear that location are strings attached — and that nan backing isn't wholly designated for agrarian hospitals aft all.

Also this week, Rovner interviews Troyen Brennan, erstwhile main aesculapian serviceman astatine Aetna and CVS, connected his caller book astir superior care, "Wonderful and Broken: The Complex Reality of Primary Care successful nan United States."

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

Julie Rovner: The New York Times Magazine's "Trump Is Shutting Down nan War connected Cancer," by Jonathan Mahler. 

Margot Sanger-Katz: ProPublica's "Programs for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump's Anti-Diversity Push," by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards. 

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times' "I Have Dental Insurance. Why Do I Pay So Much for Care?" by Erica Sweeney. 

Joanne Kenen: Politico Magazine's "Why Voters Will Feel nan Impact of GOP Health Cuts Before nan Midterms," by Joanne Kenen. 

Also mentioned successful this week's podcast:

• NBC News' "Data Investigation: Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Backsliding Across nan U.S.," by Erika Edwards, Jason Kane, Stephanie Gosk, Mustafa Fattah, and Joe Murphy.
• The Washington Post's "Why 1 successful 6 U.S. Parents Are Rejecting Vaccine Recommendations," by Lauren Weber, Scott Clement, Emily Guskin, and Lena H. Sun.
• Politico's "The Rural Health 'Hunger Games' Are Underway," by Alice Miranda Ollstein.

Credits

• Francis Ying Audio producer
• Emmarie Huetteman Editor