KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Finally Fixing the ‘Family Glitch’
The Biden administration has decided to try to fix the so-called 鈥渇amily glitch鈥 in the Affordable Care Act without an act of Congress. The provision has prevented workers鈥 families from getting subsidized coverage if an employer offer is unaffordable. Meanwhile, Medicare鈥檚 open enrollment period begins Oct. 15, and private Medicare Advantage plans are poised to cover more than half of Medicare鈥檚 65 million enrollees. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read.
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: Checking Up on California鈥檚 DIY Insulin Project
California put up $100 million to produce its own insulin. How did this plan come to be, and what might stand in the state鈥檚 way?
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Looking Ahead to the Lame-Duck Session
Congress won鈥檛 be back in Washington until after Election Day, but lawmakers have left themselves a long list of items to finish up in November and December, including unfinished health care policies. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call; Jessie Hellmann, also of CQ Roll Call; and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Sam Whitehead, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 episode about a family who tried to use urgent care to save money, but ended up with a big emergency room bill anyway.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: On Government Spending, Congress Decides Not to Decide
Congress has once again decided not to decide how to fund the federal government in time for the start of the fiscal year, racing toward a midnight Sept. 30 deadline to pass a stopgap bill that would keep the lights on for two more months. However, it does appear the FDA鈥檚 program that gets drugmakers to help fund some of the agency鈥檚 review staff will be renewed in time to stop pink slips from being sent. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews filmmaker Cynthia Lowen, whose new documentary, 鈥淏attleground,鈥 explores how anti-abortion forces played the long game to overturn Roe v. Wade.
‘American Diagnosis’: When Indigenous People Move to Cities, Health Care Funding Doesn’t Follow
When Indigenous people started moving to cities in large numbers after World War II, many found hardship and discrimination there 鈥 but not the health care they were entitled to. Episode 12, the season finale, explores the efforts of urban Indian health providers to close those gaps by providing affordable, culturally competent care.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Biden Declares the Pandemic 鈥極ver鈥
President Joe Biden, in an interview with CBS鈥 鈥60 Minutes,鈥 declared the covid-19 pandemic 鈥渙ver,鈥 stoking confusion for members of his administration trying to persuade Congress to provide more funding to fight the virus and the public to get the latest boosters. Meanwhile, concerns about a return of medical inflation is helping boost insurance premiums even as private companies race to get their piece of the health pie. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Lauren Weber of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories they think you should read, too.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Graham鈥檚 Bill Recenters Abortion Debate
Republicans would like to shift the political focus away from abortion to economic issues for the midterm elections, but a bill from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy has put the issue squarely back on their agenda. The proposal was not welcomed by many of his colleagues, especially Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Also this week, the muddle about where the fight against covid stands and near-record-low numbers of uninsured in the U.S. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KHN鈥檚 partnerships editor, Mary Agnes Carey, to discuss these issues and more.
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: The New Cap on Medicare Drug Costs
In this episode, Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KHN, guides listeners through decades of dealings between Congress and Big Pharma.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Judge Takes Aim at the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 Preventive Care Benefits
A federal judge in Texas 鈥 the same one who tried to strike down the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional in 2018 鈥 has ruled against some of the ACA鈥檚 preventive benefits, including the requirement that employers cover medication to prevent HIV. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs tries to make abortions slightly more available to veterans and their dependents. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Lauren Sausser, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 installment.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Future of Public Health, 2022 Edition
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a National Public Health System calls for a major overhaul of the way the U.S. organizes, funds, and communicates about public health, particularly in the harsh spotlight of the covid-19 pandemic. In this special episode of KHN鈥檚 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥 host Julie Rovner and KHN鈥檚 correspondent Lauren Weber interview the commission鈥檚 chair, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, about how to fix what ails public health.
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: How to Negotiate for Lower Medical Bills
A nonprofit that trains people to apply for charity care has started teaching others how to negotiate with hospitals and debt collectors to lower the amount they owe.
‘American Diagnosis’: As Climate Crises Batter the Bayou, Houma People Are Being Displaced
Rising sea levels and severe hurricanes are displacing Indigenous people in Southern Louisiana and harming health. Episode 11 explores the United Houma Nation鈥檚 push for federal tribal recognition and the climate-change help that could come with it.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Wrapping Up Summer鈥檚 Health News
President Joe Biden has signed the Inflation Reduction Act and Congress is gone until after Labor Day. But the administration and lawmakers left lots of health policy achievements behind, including new rules to facilitate the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids and a potential reorganization of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: A Big Week for Biden
Congress is leaving for its annual summer break having accomplished far more than many expected, including, barring unforeseen snags, a bill to address the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and extend the enhanced subsidies for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the abortion issue continues to roil the nation as Indiana becomes the first state to ban the procedure in almost all cases since the Supreme Court overruled the constitutional right to abortion in June. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Exploitative practices in medical research have contributed to the underrepresentation of Native people in clinical trials. Episode 10 explores the efforts of Indigenous scientists to rebuild this broken trust through tribally controlled research.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Kansas Makes a Statement
In the first official test vote since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, voters in Kansas鈥 primary said in no uncertain terms they want to keep a right to abortion in their state constitution. Meanwhile, the Senate is still working to reach a vote before summer recess on its health care-climate-tax measure, but progress is slow. Tami Luhby of CNN, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Bram Sable-Smith, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 installment about a very expensive ambulance trip.
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: Her Bill for a Prenatal Test Felt Like a ‘Bait-and-Switch’ Scheme
Her doctor told her the noninvasive genetic test would be $99. When she called, she was told $250 and if she didn’t pay quickly it could be $800.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Manchin Makes a Deal
In a rare surprise for official Washington, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced a deal to expand the planned health bill in the Senate to include provisions raising taxes and addressing climate change. The measure would include a third year of expanded subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, but not health care coverage for people left out of Medicaid in states that failed to expand the program. Meanwhile, the ACA goes back to court, and the Biden administration restores anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people that were rolled back by the Trump administration. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. C茅line Gounder of KHN about the latest on the monkeypox outbreak.
‘American Diagnosis’: Two Indigenous Students Share Their Path to Medicine
A lack of Native physicians means many tribal communities rely on doctors who don鈥檛 share their lived experience, culture, or spiritual beliefs. In Episode 9, meet two medical students working to join the ranks of Indigenous physicians.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Drug Price Bill Is a Go in the Senate
Two things happened in Washington this week that were inevitable: President Joe Biden tested positive for covid-19, and the Senate agreed to move forward on a budget bill that includes only a sliver of what Biden hoped it would. Still, the bill to allow Medicare to negotiate some drug prices, cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, and extend temporary subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance premiums would represent a major step if Democrats can get it across the finish line. Meanwhile, abortion battles continue to escalate around the country, with Texas leading the way in restrictions. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Jack Resneck Jr., the new president of the American Medical Association.
