\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 Fired less than a month after being confirmed as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez appeared at a dramatic Senate hearing this week alongside another ousted CDC official and directly contradicted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy\u2019s earlier testimony about why she was fired. <\/p>\n Monarez told the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that Kennedy ordered her to agree to approve changes to the childhood vaccine schedule soon to be recommended by a CDC advisory panel, regardless of scientific evidence, and to fire senior career scientists who the secretary felt did not share his vaccine views.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats in Congress are at a standoff over government funding, with less than two weeks to go before a potential shutdown. Democrats \u2014 whose votes are required to pass a bill in the Senate \u2014 say they won\u2019t vote to keep the government open unless Republicans agree to extend expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance plans that otherwise expire at the end of the year. Republicans are so far resisting those calls, although some are concerned that the resulting premium spikes would affect their own voters.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times.<\/p>\n \tJoanne Kenen \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \tAlice Miranda Ollstein \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \tMargot Sanger-Katz \t\t\t \t\t\t Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) \u2014 who, as chairman of the HELP Committee, called the hearing and is a gastroenterologist \u2014 found himself pushing back on some of his GOP colleagues, particularly on the importance of vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B. Cassidy, who is up for reelection next year and faces a primary challenge, is in a delicate position regarding the oversight of the Trump administration\u2019s health policies.<\/p>\n The hearing showcased broad, across-the-aisle agreement that trust in the CDC has eroded \u2014 along with a stark divide over the cause and who\u2019s at fault. Democrats point at Kennedy and the Trump administration, while Republicans blame the agency\u2019s handling of the covid-19 pandemic. Historically, Americans have tended to trust public health officials; now, states are starting to create a patchwork of policies.<\/p>\n Congress is struggling to agree on even a stop-gap measure to keep the federal government funded, increasing the chances of a government shutdown on Oct. 1. Democrats are pushing to extend enhanced federal ACA subsidies as part of a deal, but that issue could be kicked down the road, injecting uncertainty into this year\u2019s open enrollment process, which begins Nov. 1.<\/p>\n And more details are emerging about the $50 billion rural health fund inserted at the eleventh hour into Trump\u2019s major domestic policy law. As the federal government begins soliciting applications for funding from states, it\u2019s becoming clear that there are strings attached \u2014 and that the funding isn\u2019t entirely designated for rural hospitals after all.<\/p>\n Also this week, Rovner interviews Troyen Brennan, former chief medical officer at Aetna and CVS, on his new book about primary care, \u201cWonderful and Broken: The Complex Reality of Primary Care in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Plus, for \u201cextra credit,\u201d the panelists suggest health policy stories they read (or wrote) this week that they think you should read, too:\u00a0<\/p>\n Julie Rovner:<\/strong> The New York Times Magazine\u2019s \u201cTrump Is Shutting Down the War on Cancer<\/a>,\u201d by Jonathan Mahler.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Margot Sanger-Katz:<\/strong> ProPublica\u2019s \u201cPrograms for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump\u2019s Anti-Diversity Push<\/a>,\u201d by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Alice Miranda Ollstein:<\/strong> The New York Times\u2019 \u201cI Have Dental Insurance. Why Do I Pay So Much for Care?<\/a>\u201d by Erica Sweeney.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne Kenen:<\/strong> Politico Magazine\u2019s \u201cWhy Voters Will Feel the Impact of GOP Health Cuts Before the Midterms<\/a>,\u201d by Joanne Kenen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n NBC News\u2019 \u201cData Investigation: Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Backsliding Across the U.S.<\/a>,\u201d by Erika Edwards, Jason Kane, Stephanie Gosk, Mustafa Fattah, and Joe Murphy.<\/p>\n The Washington Post\u2019s \u201cWhy 1 in 6 U.S. Parents Are Rejecting Vaccine Recommendations<\/a>,\u201d by Lauren Weber, Scott Clement, Emily Guskin, and Lena H. Sun.<\/p>\n Politico\u2019s \u201cThe Rural Health \u2018Hunger Games\u2019 Are Underway<\/a>,\u201d by Alice Miranda Ollstein.<\/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\t@julierovner.bsky.social\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Julie’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tPanelists\t<\/h3>\n
\n\tJohns Hopkins University and Politico<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@JoanneKenen\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@joannekenen.bsky.social\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Joanne’s bio.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\tPolitico<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@AliceOllstein\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@alicemiranda.bsky.social\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Alice’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\tThe New York Times<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@sangerkatz\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Margot’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tCredits\t<\/h3>\n
\n\tAudio producer<\/p>\n
\n\tEditor <\/p>\nUSE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n