\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 Democrats and Republicans are both facing potential political consequences in their continuing standoff over federal government funding. Republicans are likely to face a voter backlash if they refuse to agree to Democrats\u2019 demands that they renew additional tax credits for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, since the majority of those facing premium hikes live in GOP-dominated states. For their part, Democrats are worried that Republicans will violate the terms of any potential spending deal.<\/p>\n At the same time, the Trump administration is using the shutdown to try to lay off thousands of federal workers, including those performing key public health roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post.<\/p>\n \tAnna Edney \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \tJoanne Kenen \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \tLauren Weber \t\t\t \t\t\t Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n As the federal government shutdown drags on, there has been little progress toward a deal on government spending \u2014 or on the expiring ACA marketplace subsidies Democrats are fighting to renew. Potential subsidy compromises could, for instance, implement a minimal premium in place of $0 premiums, to reduce enrollment fraud, as Republicans want.<\/p>\n A federal judge halted the Trump administration\u2019s latest layoffs of federal workers amid questions about the layoffs\u2019 legality. The administration in particular dealt a heavy blow this round to the CDC, an agency that has been battered by staff reductions, policy shifts, and even violence.<\/p>\n New reporting shows the Trump administration explored the feasibility of tracing abortion pill residue in wastewater, following up on an anti-abortion claim that the drugs may be contaminating the water supply. Yet advocates could have an ulterior motive: developing the ability to trace use of the pill to further crack down on abortions.<\/p>\n And President Donald Trump unveiled a deal with a second drugmaker, AstraZeneca, that allows the company to avoid tariffs in exchange for building a new U.S. facility. But as with the first deal, it\u2019s unclear how much money the agreement will save patients.<\/p>\n Also this week, Rovner interviews health insurance analyst Louise Norris of Medicareresources.org<\/a> about the Medicare open enrollment period, which began Oct. 15.<\/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> Politico\u2019s \u201cRFK Jr.\u2019s Got Advice for Pregnant Women. There\u2019s Limited Data To Support It<\/a>,\u201d by Alice Miranda Ollstein.<\/p>\n Anna Edney:<\/strong> The New York Times\u2019 \u201cThe Drug That Took Away More Than Her Appetite<\/a>,\u201d by Maia Szalavitz.<\/p>\n Joanne Kenen:<\/strong> Mother Jones\u2019 \u201cFrom Medicine to Mysticism: The Radicalization of Florida\u2019s Top Doc<\/a>,\u201d by Kiera Butler and Julianne McShane.<\/p>\n Lauren Weber:<\/strong> KFF Health News\u2019 \u201cSenators Press Deloitte, Other Contractors on Errors in Medicaid Eligibility Systems<\/a>,\u201d by Rachana Pradhan and Samantha Liss.<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n The Washington Post\u2019s \u201cShe Left the Medical Mainstream and Rose To Be RFK Jr.\u2019s Surgeon General Pick<\/a>,\u201d by Lauren Weber and Rachel Roubein.<\/p>\n The Bulwark\u2019s \u201cThere\u2019s Something Weirdly Familiar About This New GOP Argument<\/a>,\u201d by Jonathan Cohn.<\/p>\n Politico\u2019s \u201c4 GOP Ideas for an Obamacare Subsidies Compromise<\/a>,\u201d by Benjamin Guggenheim.<\/p>\n The New York Times\u2019 \u201cThe E.P.A. Followed Up on an Unusual Request About Abortion Pills<\/a>,\u201d by Caroline Kitchener and Coral Davenport.<\/p>\n Bloomberg News\u2019 \u201cWHO Warns Against Three India-Made Cough Syrups After Child Deaths<\/a>,\u201d by Satviki Sanjay.<\/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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