\tMary Agnes Carey
\n\tKFF Health News<\/p>\n
\t\t\t \t\t\t The midterm elections are months away, yet changes at the Department of Health and Human Services suggest the Trump administration is focusing on how to win on health care, which remains a top concern for voters. Facing growing concern about the administration\u2019s actions on vaccines in particular, the Food and Drug Administration this week reversed course and said it would review a new mRNA-based flu vaccine after all.<\/p>\n And some top HHS officials are changing seats as the Senate prepares for the long-delayed confirmation hearing of President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s panelists are Mary Agnes Carey of KFF Health News, Tami Luhby of CNN, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post.<\/p>\n \tTami Luhby \t\t\t \t\t\t \tShefali Luthra \t\t\t \t\t\t \tLauren Weber \t\t\t \t\t\t Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n After a week of bad press, the FDA announced it would review Moderna\u2019s application for a new flu vaccine. Yet the agency\u2019s original refusal fits a pattern of agency decision-making based on individual officials\u2019 views rather than set guidelines \u2014 and reinforces a precedent that\u2019s problematic for drug development.<\/p>\n Those caught up in the latest HHS leadership shake-up include Jim O\u2019Neill, who, as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signed off on changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. His removal from that role comes as the White House is showing more interest in controlling health care messaging ahead of the midterms \u2014 and as polling shows Americans are increasingly concerned about federal vaccine policy.<\/p>\n Senators will hear from Means next week as they consider her nomination as surgeon general. Means, a key figure in the \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d movement, is expected to be asked about her medical credentials and past, problematic claims about medicine.<\/p>\n And while early numbers show that Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollment has not dipped as much as feared, Americans are still absorbing the rising cost of health care this year. The collapse of congressional efforts to reach a deal on renewing enhanced premium subsidies could be an issue for voters come November.<\/p>\n Plus, for \u201cextra credit\u201d the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n Mary Agnes Carey:<\/strong> Politico\u2019s \u201cWhy Congress Failed To Reach an Obamacare Deal<\/a>,\u201d by Robert King and Simon J. Levien.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lauren Weber:<\/strong> NiemanLab\u2019s \u201cThe Atlantic\u2019s Elizabeth Bruenig on Her \u2018Hypothetical,\u2019 Heavily Reported Measles Essay<\/a>,\u201d by Laura Hazard Owen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tami Luhby:<\/strong> The City\u2019s \u201cNewYork-Presbyterian Nurses Reject Contract by Overwhelming Margin<\/a>,\u201d by Claudia Irizarry Aponte and Ben Fractenberg.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shefali Luthra:<\/strong> NPR\u2019s \u201cMinneapolis Doctors Warn of Lasting Medical Effects, Even After ICE Agents Leave<\/a>,\u201d by Jasmine Garsd.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n Politico\u2019s \u201cFDA\u2019s Reversal on Moderna Flu Shot Bid Followed White House Pressure<\/a>,\u201d by Lauren Gardner and Tim R\u00f6hn.<\/p>\n The Washington Post\u2019s \u201cHow RFK Jr. Upended the Public Health System<\/a>,\u201d by Rachel Roubein, Lena H. Sun, and Lauren Weber.<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s \u201cTrump Promised RFK Jr. Would \u2018Restore Faith in American Health Care.\u2019 A Year in, Trust Has Plummeted<\/a>,\u201d by Meg Tirrell.<\/p>\n The Washington Post\u2019s \u201cShe Left the Medical Mainstream and Rose To Be RFK Jr.\u2019s Surgeon General Pick<\/a>,\u201d by Lauren Weber and Rachel Roubein.<\/p>\n KFF\u2019s \u201cKFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Costs, Expiring ACA Tax Credits, and the 2026 Midterms<\/a>,\u201d by Shannon Schumacher, Audrey Kearney, Mardet Mulugeta, Isabelle Valdes, Ashley Kirzinger, and Liz Hamel.<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s \u201cTrump Wants To Focus on Health Care in the Midterms, Creating Headaches for the GOP<\/a>,\u201d by Adam Cancryn.<\/p>\n Health Affairs\u2019 \u201cHHS Proposes Sweeping Changes for 2027 Marketplace Plans (Part 1)<\/a>,\u201d by Katie Keith.<\/p>\n Health Affairs\u2019 \u201cHHS Proposes Sweeping Changes for 2027 Marketplace Plans (Part 2)<\/a>,\u201d by Katie Keith and Matthew Fiedler.<\/p>\n Health Affairs\u2019 \u201cHHS Proposes Sweeping Changes for 2027 Marketplace Plans (Part 3)<\/a>,\u201d by Katie Keith.<\/p>\n \tFrancis Ying \tEmmarie Huetteman Click here to find all our podcasts.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n And subscribe to \u201cWhat the Health? From KFF Health News\u201d on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, the NPR app<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Pocket Casts<\/a>, or wherever you listen to podcasts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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