Kff Health News' 'what The Health?': Public Health Further Politicized Under The Threat Of More Firings

The host

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

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 a highly different White House news convention this week, President Donald Trump — without grounds — boldly blamed nan painkiller Tylenol and a drawstring of puerility vaccines for causing a caller emergence successful autism. That came conscionable days aft nan recently reconstituted Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices, now populated pinch vaccine skeptics and opponents, voted to alteration long-standing recommendations.

Podcast big Julie Rovner interviews Demetre Daskalakis, who until past period was nan caput of nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, astir nan guidance to these unprecedented actions.

Meanwhile, arsenic nan authorities approaches a apt shutdown, pinch Congress astatine a standoff complete backing for nan caller fiscal twelvemonth that starts Oct. 1, nan Trump management is ordering national agencies not to conscionable furlough workers but to occurrence them if their jobs do not align pinch nan president's priorities.

This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call.

Panelists

• Anna Edney Bloomberg News @annaedney @annaedney.bsky.social
• Sandhya Raman CQ Roll Call @SandhyaWrites @SandhyaWrites.bsky.social

Among nan takeaways from this week's episode:

• The national Office of Management and Budget connected Wednesday nighttime sent a memo to authorities agencies asking for contingency plans successful nan arena of a authorities shutdown starting Oct. 1. Such a memo isn't different erstwhile it comes to pre-shutdown planning. This clip around, it took an unprecedented move successful informing agency unit that they should hole for wide firings of labor whose programs deficiency replacement backing sources aliases who are moving connected a programme whose ngo doesn't straight align pinch Trump's priorities. Though national RIFs, aliases reductions successful force, and authorities shutdowns person each happened before, nan mixed RIF/shutdown threat is simply a first.

• It seems we are headed for a shutdown. Before adjourning until aft nan fiscal twelvemonth ends Sept. 30, nan House approved a stopgap backing measure. But, because House members do not scheme to return to Washington until Oct. 6, that leaves nan Senate successful a jam. If senators alteration thing successful nan bill, it would require different House vote, which, because of nan House schedule, mightiness not hap earlier nan period ends.

• There's besides interparty strife. Republicans opportunity they want a cleanable measure to supply short-term funding, while Democrats person different ideas. Their prevailing cognition is that they went on pinch this attack successful March and sewage burned. This week, Trump besides canceled a gathering pinch Democratic leaders. The bottommost statement is that some sides are jockeying for a position that would let them to formed shutdown blasted crossed nan aisle. Some telephone it a crippled of three-dimensional chess, while others telephone it a crippled of chicken. Either way, location will beryllium consequences.

• Confusion and chaos person emerged arsenic buzzwords to picture 2 caller events: past week's gathering of nan CDC's Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices and this week’s White House property convention astir autism. Both were marked by mixed messages. At nan White House event, for instance, Trump warned pregnant women not to return Tylenol. But nan FDA accusation that soon followed downplayed nan Tylenol risk.

• The Trump administration's caller $100,000 interest for H-1B visas could person an effect connected wellness care. Such visas are often utilized by graduating aesculapian students and different wellness professionals who travel to nan U.S. for training, past enactment to practice. That $100,000 interest is steep and generated an almost contiguous backlash from hospitals and wellness systems, particularly those successful agrarian areas — a guidance that caught management officials disconnected guard. Administration officials person suggested that wellness professionals would suffice for an exemption from this fee. What is not yet clear is what hoops nan sponsoring hospitals would person to jump done to suffice for it.

• Trump has fixed 17 supplier companies a Sept. 29 deadline by which they will person to perpetrate to adopting his “most favored nation” pricing policy. It's intended to summation nan costs drugmakers complaint successful different countries while lowering prices successful nan U.S. Talks betwixt nan management and nan drugmakers are ongoing. So far, indications are that Trump mightiness extremity up pinch half a loaf. Some ample drugmakers person announced they will raise nan prices of circumstantial medications successful different countries but person not agreed to trim prices successful nan U.S.

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

Julie Rovner: NBC News' "RFK Jr. Has nan Federal Vaccine Court successful His Sights. Attacking It Could Threaten Vaccine Production successful nan U.S.," by Liz Szabo.

Anna Edney: The Washington Post's "Do State Abortion Laws Affect Women's Recruiting? That's Up to Athletes," by Kevin B. Blackistone.

Sandhya Raman: ProPublica's "Psychiatric Hospitals Turn Away Patients Who Need Urgent Care. The Facilities Face Few Consequences," by Eli Cahan.

Also mentioned successful this week's podcast:

• Axios' "Drugmakers Meet Trump Only Halfway connected Pricing Plan," by Peter Sullivan.
• Bloomberg Law's "White House Says Doctors May Win Reprieve From H-1B Visa Fee," by Rachel Cohrs Zhang, John Tozzi, and Jessica Nix.

Credits

• Francis Ying Audio producer
• Stephanie Stapleton Editor