\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 returns from spring break next week and will get to work crafting a bill that would cut taxes and boost immigration enforcement \u2014 but that also could cut at least $880 billion over the next decade from a pool of funding that includes Medicaid. Some Republicans, however, are starting to question the political wisdom of making such large cuts to a program that provides health coverage to so many of their constituents.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case challenging the requirement that most private insurance cover certain preventive services with no out-of-pocket cost for patients.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.<\/p>\n \tSarah Karlin-Smith \t\t\t \t\t\t \tTami Luhby \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 On the hunt for ways to pay for an extension of President Donald Trump\u2019s tax cuts, many congressional Republicans are choosing their words carefully as they describe potential cuts to Medicaid \u2014 cuts that, considering heavy reliance on the program, especially in red states, could be politically unpopular.<\/p>\n Amid the buzz over Medicaid cuts, another federal program that helps millions of Americans afford health care is also on the chopping block: the enhanced government subsidies introduced under the Biden administration that help pay premiums for Affordable Care Act plans. The subsidies expire at the end of this year, and Congress has yet to address extending them.<\/p>\n One little-discussed option for achieving deep government spending cuts is Medicare Advantage, the private alternative to traditional Medicare that offers a variety of extra benefits for those over 65 \u2014 but that also costs the federal government a bundle. Even Mehmet Oz, the new head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services who once pushed Medicare Advantage plans as a TV personality, has cast sidelong glances at private insurers over how much they charge the government.<\/p>\n And the Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a case that challenges the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and could hold major implications for preventive care coverage nationwide. The justices\u2019 questioning suggests the court could side with the government and preserve the task force\u2019s authority \u2014 though that decision would also give more power over preventive care to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary.<\/p>\n Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News\u2019 Rae Ellen Bichell about her story on how care for transgender minors is changing in Colorado.<\/p>\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> MedPage Today\u2019s \u201cMedical Journals Get Letters From DOJ<\/a>,\u201d by Kristina Fiore.<\/p>\n Sarah Karlin-Smith:<\/strong> The Tampa Bay Times\u2019 \u201cCountering DeSantis, $10M Hope Florida Donation Came From Medicaid, Draft Shows<\/a>,\u201d by Alexandra Glorioso and Lawrence Mower.<\/p>\n Tami Luhby:<\/strong> Stat\u2019s \u201cIn Ireland, a Global Hub for the Pharma Industry, Trump Tariffs Are a Source of Deep Worry<\/a>,\u201d by Andrew Joseph.<\/p>\n Alice Miranda Ollstein:<\/strong> The New York Times\u2019 \u201cA Scientist Is Paid to Study Maple Syrup. He\u2019s Also Paid to Promote it<\/a>,\u201d by Will Evans, Ellen Gabler, and Anjali Tsui.<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n Stat\u2019s \u201cNew England Journal of Medicine Gets Swept Up in U.S. Attorney Inquiry Into Alleged Bias<\/a>,\u201d by Anil Oza.<\/p>\n KFF\u2019s \u201cKFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: The Public\u2019s Views on Measles Outbreaks and Misinformation<\/a>,\u201d by Alex Montero, Grace Sparks, Julian Montalvo III, Ashley Kirzinger, and Liz Hamel.<\/p>\n Bloomberg News\u2019 \u201cFood Industry Says There\u2019s No Agreement With US Health Agency to Cut Dyes<\/a>,\u201d by Rachel Cohrs Zhang.<\/p>\n Politico\u2019s \u201cRFK Jr. Eyes Reversing CDC\u2019s Covid-19 Vaccine Recommendation for Children<\/a>,\u201d by Adam Cancryn.<\/p>\n The New Yorker\u2019s \u201cThe Cost of Defunding Harvard<\/a>,\u201d by Atul Gawande.<\/p>\n The Wall Street Journal\u2019s \u201cTrump\u2019s FDA Sends a Bullish Signal to Biotech<\/a>,\u201d by David Wainer<\/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\tPolitico<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@AliceOllstein\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Alice’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tCredits\t<\/h3>\n
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