\tJulie Rovner
\n\tKFF Health News<\/p>\n
\t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\tJulie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News\u2019 weekly health policy news podcast, \u201cWhat the Health?\u201d A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book \u201cHealth Care Politics and Policy A to Z,\u201d now in its third edition.\t\t<\/p>\n Congress has mostly stood by as the Trump administration \u2014 spurred by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, named and created by President Donald Trump \u00a0\u2014 takes a chainsaw to a broad array of government programs. But now the courts are stepping in to slow or stop some efforts that critics claim are illegal, unconstitutional, or both.<\/p>\n Funding freezes and contract cancellations are already having a chilling effect on health programs, such as biomedical research grants for the National Institutes of Health, humanitarian and health aid provided overseas by the U.S. Agency for International Development, and federal funding owed to community health centers and other domestic agencies.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Maya Goldman of Axios.<\/p>\n \tJessie Hellmann \t\t\t \t\t\t \tShefali Luthra \t\t\t \t\t\t \tMaya Goldman \t\t\t \t\t\t Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n Universities are reconsidering hiring and other forward-looking actions after the Trump administration imposed an abrupt, immediate cap on indirect costs, which help cover overhead and related expenses that aren\u2019t included in federal research grants. A slowdown at research institutions could undermine the prospects for innovation generally \u2014 and the nation\u2019s economy specifically, as the United States relies quite a bit on those jobs and the developments they produce.<\/p>\n The Trump administration\u2019s decision to apply the cap on indirect costs to not only future but also current federal grants specifically violates the terms of spending legislation passed by Congress. Meanwhile, the health impacts of the sudden shuttering of USAID are becoming clear, including concerns about how unprepared the nation could be for a health threat that emerges abroad.<\/p>\n Congress still hasn\u2019t approved a full funding package for this year, and Republicans don\u2019t seem to be in a hurry to do more than extend the current extension \u2014 and pass a budget resolution to fund Trump\u2019s priorities and defund his chosen targets.<\/p>\n The House GOP budget resolution package released this week includes a call for $880 billion in spending cuts that is expected to hit Medicaid hard. House Republican leaders say they\u2019re weighing imposing work requirements, but only a small percentage of Medicaid beneficiaries would be subject to that change, as most would be exempt due to disability or other reasons \u2014 or are already working. Cuts to Medicaid could have cascading consequences, including for the national problem of maternal mortality.<\/p>\n Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark McClellan \u2014 director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy who led the FDA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the George W. Bush administration \u2014 about the impact of cutting funding to research universities. And Rovner reads the winner of the annual KFF Health News\u2019 \u201chealth policy valentines\u201d contest.<\/p>\n\n Plus, for \u201cextra credit,\u201d the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:\u00a0<\/p>\n Julie Rovner:<\/strong> Axios\u2019 \u201cNonprofit Hospital Draws Backlash for Super Bowl Ad<\/a>,\u201d by Maya Goldman.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shefali Luthra:<\/strong> Politico\u2019s \u201c\u2018Americans Can and Will Die From This\u2019: USAID Worker Details Dangers, Chaos,<\/a>\u201d by Jonathan Martin.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maya Goldman:<\/strong> KFF Health News\u2019 \u201cDoctor Wanted: Small Town in Florida Offers Big Perks To Attract a Physician<\/a>,\u201d by Daniel Chang.<\/p>\n Jessie Hellmann:<\/strong> NPR\u2019s \u201cTrump\u2019s Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Young People Puts Hospitals in a Bind<\/a>,\u201d by Selena Simmons-Duffin.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n Reuters\u2019 \u201cUSAID Families Have Their Lives Upended by Trump Move To Shut Agency<\/a>,\u201d by Jonathan Landay and Humeyra Pamuk.<\/p>\n Newsweek\u2019s \u201cFirst USAID Death as Freeze Sees Oxygen Supplies Cut Off for Refugee<\/a>,\u201d by Theo Burman.<\/p>\n \tFrancis Ying \tEmmarie Huetteman To hear all our podcasts,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n And subscribe to KFF Health News\u2019 \u201cWhat the Health?\u201d on\u00a0Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0Apple Podcasts<\/a>,\u00a0Pocket Casts<\/a>, or wherever you listen to podcasts.<\/em><\/p>\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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\n\t\t\t\tRead Julie’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tPanelists\t<\/h3>\n
\n\tCQ Roll Call<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@jessiehellmann\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Jessie’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\tThe 19th<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@shefalil\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Shefali’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\tAxios<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@mayagoldman_\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Maya’s stories\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tCredits\t<\/h3>\n
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