\tJulie Rovner
\n\tKFF Health News<\/p>\n
\t\t\t \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 After narrowly passing a budget resolution this spring foreshadowing major Medicaid cuts, Republicans in Congress are having trouble agreeing on specific ways to save billions of dollars from a pool of funding that pays for the program without cutting benefits on which millions of Americans rely. Moderates resist changes they say would harm their constituents, while fiscal conservatives say they won\u2019t vote for smaller cuts than those called for in the budget resolution. The fate of President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cone big, beautiful bill\u201d containing renewed tax cuts and boosted immigration enforcement could hang on a Medicaid deal.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Trump administration surprised those on both sides of the abortion debate by agreeing with the Biden administration that a Texas case challenging the FDA\u2019s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone should be dropped. It\u2019s clear the administration\u2019s request is purely technical, though, and has no bearing on whether officials plan to protect the abortion pill\u2019s availability.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call.<\/p>\n \tAnna Edney \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \tMaya Goldman \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \tSandhya Raman \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n Congressional Republicans are making halting progress on negotiations over government spending cuts. As hard-line House conservatives push for deeper cuts to the Medicaid program, their GOP colleagues representing districts that heavily depend on Medicaid coverage are pushing back. House Republican leaders are eying a Memorial Day deadline, and key committees are scheduled to review the legislation next week \u2014 but first, Republicans need to agree on what that legislation says.<\/p>\n Trump withdrew his nomination of Janette Nesheiwat for U.S. surgeon general amid accusations she misrepresented her academic credentials and criticism from the far right. In her place, he nominated Casey Means, a physician who is an ally of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s and a prominent advocate of the \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d movement.<\/p>\n The pharmaceutical industry is on alert as Trump prepares to sign an executive order directing agencies to look into \u201cmost-favored-nation\u201d pricing, a policy that would set U.S. drug prices to the lowest level paid by similar countries. The president explored that policy during his first administration, and the drug industry sued to stop it. Drugmakers are already on edge over Trump\u2019s plan to impose tariffs on drugs and their ingredients.<\/p>\n And Kennedy is scheduled to appear before the Senate\u2019s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee next week. The hearing would be the first time the secretary of Health and Human Services has appeared before the HELP Committee since his confirmation hearings \u2014 and all eyes are on the committee\u2019s GOP chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician who expressed deep concerns at the time, including about Kennedy\u2019s stances on vaccines.<\/p>\n Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News\u2019 Lauren Sausser, who co-reported and co-wrote the latest KFF Health News\u2019 \u201cBill of the Month<\/a>\u201d installment, about an unexpected bill for what seemed like preventive care. If you have an outrageous, baffling, or infuriating medical bill you\u2019d like to share with us, you can do that here<\/a>.<\/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> NPR\u2019s \u201cFired, Rehired, and Fired Again: Some Federal Workers Find They\u2019re Suddenly Uninsured<\/a>,\u201d by Andrea Hsu.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maya Goldman:<\/strong> STAT\u2019s \u201cEurope Unveils $565 Million Package To Retain Scientists, and Attract New Ones<\/a>,\u201d by Andrew Joseph.\u00a0<\/p>\n Anna Edney:<\/strong> Bloomberg News\u2019 \u201cA Former TV Writer Found a Health-Care Loophole That Threatens To Blow Up Obamacare<\/a>,\u201d by Zachary R. Mider and Zeke Faux.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sandhya Raman:<\/strong> The Louisiana Illuminator\u2019s \u201cIn the Deep South, Health Care Fights Echo Civil Rights Battles<\/a>,\u201d by Anna Claire Vollers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n ProPublica\u2019s series \u201cLife of the Mother: How Abortion Bans Lead to Preventable Deaths<\/a>,\u201d by Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser, Cassandra Jaramillo, and Stacy Kranitz, and the winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism.<\/p>\n The New York Times\u2019 \u201cG.O.P. Targets a Medicaid Loophole Used by 49 States To Grab Federal Money<\/a>,\u201d by Margot Sanger-Katz and Sarah Kliff.<\/p>\n KFF Health News\u2019 \u201cSeeking Spending Cuts, GOP Lawmakers Target a Tax Hospitals Love to Pay<\/a>,\u201d by Phil Galewitz.<\/p>\n Axios\u2019 \u201cOut-of-Pocket Drug Spending Hit $98B in 2024: Report<\/a>,\u201d by Maya Goldman.<\/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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