\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 As had been rumored for weeks, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a plan to reorganize the department. It involves the downsizing of its workforce, which formerly was roughly 80,000 people, by a quarter and consolidating dozens of agencies that were created and authorized by Congress.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in just the past week, HHS abruptly cut off billions in funding to state and local public health departments, and canceled all research studies into covid-19, as well as diseases that could develop into the next pandemic.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Maya Goldman of Axios News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.<\/p>\n \tMaya Goldman \t\t\t \t\t\t \tJoanne Kenen \t\t\t \t\t\t \tAlice Miranda Ollstein \t\t\t \t\t\t Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n As federal health officials reveal the targets of a significant workforce purge and reorganization, the GOP-controlled Congress has been notably quiet about the Trump administration\u2019s intrusions on its constitutional powers. Many of the administration\u2019s attempts to revoke and reorganize federally funded work are underway despite Congress\u2019 previous approval of that funding. And while changes might be warranted, reviewing how the federal government works (or doesn\u2019t) \u2014 in the public forums of congressional hearings and floor debate \u2014 is part of Congress\u2019 responsibilities.<\/p>\n The news of a major reorganization at HHS also comes before the Senate finishes confirming its leadership team. New leaders of the National Institutes of Health and the FDA were confirmed just this week; Mehmet Oz, the nominated director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, had not yet been confirmed when HHS made its announcement; and President Donald Trump only recently named a replacement nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after withdrawing his first pick.<\/p>\n While changes early in Trump\u2019s second term have targeted the federal government and workforce, the impacts continue to be felt far outside the nation\u2019s capital. Indeed, cuts to jobs and funding touch every congressional district in the nation. They\u2019re also being felt in research areas that the Trump administration claims as priorities, such as chronic disease: The administration said this week it will shutter the office devoted to studying long covid, a chronic disease that continues to undermine millions of Americans\u2019 health.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in the states, doctors in Texas report a rise in cases of children with liver damage due to ingesting too much vitamin A \u2014 a supplement pushed by Kennedy in response to the measles outbreak. The governor of West Virginia signed a sweeping ban on food dyes and additives. And a woman in Georgia who experienced a miscarriage was arrested in connection with the improper disposal of fetal remains.<\/p>\n Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF senior vice president Larry Levitt about the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act and the threats the health law continues to face.<\/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:<\/p>\n Julie Rovner:<\/strong> CNN\u2019s \u201cState Lawmakers Are Looking To Ban Non-Existent \u2018Chemtrails.\u2019 It Could Have Real-Life Side Effects<\/a>,\u201d by Ramishah Maruf and Brandon Miller.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alice Miranda Ollstein:<\/strong> The New York Times Wirecutter\u2019s \u201c23andMe Just Filed for Bankruptcy. You Should Delete Your Data Now<\/a>,\u201d by Max Eddy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maya Goldman:<\/strong> KFF Health News\u2019 \u201c\u2018I Am Going Through Hell\u2019: Job Loss, Mental Health, and the Fate of Federal Workers<\/a>,\u201d by Rachana Pradhan and Aneri Pattani.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne Kenen:<\/strong> The Atlantic\u2019s \u201cAmerica Is Done Pretending About Meat<\/a>,\u201d by\u00a0Yasmin Tayag.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n The New York Times\u2019 \u201cWest Virginia Bans 7 Artificial Food Dyes, Citing Health Concerns<\/a>,\u201d by Alice Callahan.<\/p>\n The Washington Post\u2019s \u201cWhy I Left My Job Leading Public Health Messaging for the CDC<\/a>,\u201d by Kevin Griffis.<\/p>\n Politico\u2019s \u201cThe Limits of RFK Jr.\u2019s Power<\/a>,\u201d by Joanne Kenen.<\/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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