\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 Health programs are feeling the pinch of the ongoing government shutdown. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the food program for women, infants, and children, WIC, is likely to run out in November, and cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are keeping the agency from carrying out some of its primary public health functions.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Trump administration\u2019s immigration crackdown is also leading to health consequences, and the Department of Homeland Security is trying to bolster its medical staff to cope with the large number of people in its custody.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post.<\/p>\n \tShefali Luthra \t\t\t \t\t\t \tAlice Miranda Ollstein \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \tRachel Roubein \t\t\t \t\t\t Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n As the federal shutdown continues, some are facing the startling possibility that their SNAP and WIC benefits soon will be cut off. Lawmakers remain in a stalemate over renewing the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire, and the roughly 24 million people with such plans \u2014 about 90% of whom benefit from the subsidies \u2014 are starting to learn what they will owe next year without them.<\/p>\n With a key weekly government report on morbidity and mortality halted amid the shutdown, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy announced they will team up to publish public health alerts. While others are stepping in to fill the gap left by the Trump administration\u2019s pullback from public health, the federal government\u2019s data and ability to access information are not easily replaced.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether the Trump administration\u2019s plan to make in vitro fertilization more accessible will yield a substantial improvement in access to fertility treatments. Some employers already offer supplemental IVF benefits, and so far there are few details, such as how generous the Trump proposal would require coverage to be.<\/p>\n Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News\u2019 Katheryn Houghton, who wrote the latest \u201cBill of the Month\u201d feature, about a broken elbow and a nearly six-figure bill.<\/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> ProPublica\u2019s \u201cThe Shadow President<\/a>,\u201d by Andy Kroll.<\/p>\n Shefali Luthra:<\/strong> The 19th\u2019s \u201cMore People Are Freezing Their Eggs \u2014 But Most Will Never Use Them<\/a>,\u201d by Shalini Kathuria Narang, Rewire News Group.<\/p>\n Alice Miranda Ollstein:<\/strong> Brown University\u2019s \u201cNew Study: AI Chatbots Systematically Violate Mental Health Ethics Standards<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Rachel Roubein: <\/strong>The Washington Post\u2019s \u201cErrors in New Medicare Plan Portal Mislead Seniors on Coverage<\/a>,\u201d by Dan Diamond and Akilah Johnson.<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n Politico\u2019s \u201cICE Is Hiring Dozens of Health Workers as Lawsuits, Deaths in Custody Mount<\/a>,\u201d by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Ruth Reader.<\/p>\n The 19th\u2019s \u201cICE Keeps Detaining Pregnant Immigrants \u2014 Against Federal Policy<\/a>,\u201d by Shefali Luthra and Mel Leonor Barclay.<\/p>\n The Associated Press\u2019 \u201cAnti-Science Bills Hit Statehouses, Stripping Away Public Health Protections Built Over A Century<\/a>,\u201d by Michelle R. Smith and Laura Ungar.<\/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\tRead Julie’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tPanelists\t<\/h3>\n
\n\tThe 19th<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tRead Shefali’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tRead Alice’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\tThe Washington Post<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tRead Rachel’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tCredits\t<\/h3>\n
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