The host
Julie Rovner KFF Health News
Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What Health?” A leading expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised landmark book “Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z,” now in its third edition.
Health care may not have been the biggest issue of the campaign, but Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is likely to have a seismic impact on health policy over the next four years.
Changes to the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid and the country’s public health infrastructure are likely on the agenda. But how far Trump goes will depend largely on who plays key roles in health policy and whether Democrats win a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, where several races are not yet called.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.
Panelists
Rachel Cohrs Zhang Statistics News
Read Rachel’s stories. Alice Miranda Ollstein Politician
Read Alice’s stories.
Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:
- As of Friday morning, it was unclear which party will control the House next year. A Democratic-controlled House would offer a check against Republican policy changes and some control of key government oversight committees. A Republican House would give the party full control of Congress and the presidency. Either way, the party in control will have a slim majority.
- A majority of voters in eight states voted to protect abortion rights, although the ballot measures passed only in seven states. (More than half of voters in Florida voted in favor of the abortion rights measure, but the state requires at least 60% support for ballot measures to pass.)
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now a key voice on Trump’s transition team, is announcing big plans for health policy. Who ends up in Trump’s Cabinet will make a difference, as the president-elect appears to be outsourcing much of his health policy planning to focus on issues such as the economy, immigration and trade.
- And conservative appointees across the judicial system are likely to remain friendly to the Trump administration’s causes, which could open the door to more challenges to federal policies. Several major legal challenges are already moving through the courts.
Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Jackie Fortiér, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-Washington Post “Bill of the Month” article, about a 2-year-old boy who had a costly encounter with a snake. bell. Do you have a medical bill that is exorbitant, disconcerting, infuriating, or all of the above? Tell us!
Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:
Julie Rovner: “Dentists are removing ‘healthy’, treatable teeth to cash in on implants, experts warn,” KFF Health News, by Brett Kelman and Anna Werner of CBS News.
Alicia Miranda Ollstein: “What is at stake in the elections for global health”, from Politico, by Carmen Paun.
Raquel Cohrs Zhang: “As nuns disappear, many Catholic hospitals look more like megacorporations,” from KFF Health News, by Samantha Liss.
Also mentioned in this week’s podcast:
Credits
Zach Dyer Audio Producer Emmarie Huetteman Editor
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