KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Congress Is Out. The Presidential Campaign Is In.
August 3, 2023
Podcast
Congress is in recess until after Labor Day, and lawmakers won’t have much time when they return to get the government funded before the next fiscal year. Meanwhile, the Republican campaign for president has begun in earnest, and while repealing the Affordable Care Act is no longer the top promise, some candidates have lively ideas about what to do with federal health programs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Phil Galewitz, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month,” about how a bill that should never have been sent created headaches for one patient.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, January 11, 2023
January 11, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s roundup covers suspicious deaths, covid vaccines, mental health, abortion pills, 340B program, Medicare, flu, guns, and more.
Some Illinois Prisoners Remain In Jail Despite New Medical Release Law
September 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP reports that although it’s been over a year since the Coleman Act went into effect, an investigation found fewer prisoners have been released than expected, thereby remaining in jail even though they are dying or disabled. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker defended the numbers in a press conference.
Omicron and Other Coronavirus Variants: What You Need to Know
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
November 30, 2021
KFF Health News Original
This new variant has set off alarm bells in the public health community, but much remains to be learned about it.
Many Women Mistreated By Medical Staff During Pregnancy, Survey Finds
August 23, 2023
Morning Briefing
Of about 2,400 women polled, 20% reported that they had been verbally abused, had their requests for help go unanswered, had their physical privacy infringed upon, or received threats to withhold treatment, the CDC survey found. Plus, news on breast cancer, Plan B, abortion in Illinois, and more.
As a Nurse Faces Prison for a Deadly Error, Her Colleagues Worry: Could I Be Next?
By Brett Kelman
March 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Former nurse RaDonda Vaught is on trial for reckless homicide, and her case raises consequential questions about how nurses use computerized medication-dispensing cabinets.
Hemophilia B Treatment Has Late-Stage Study Success
January 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
Pfizer says its experimental gene therapy treatment for hemophilia B met its main goal in a study — with a single dose outperforming current care standards. Other research covers women’s higher levels of empathy, covid vaccines, hydration’s link to lower disease risk, and more.
El vínculo con la esclerosis múltiple impulsa una vacuna contra el virus Epstein-Barr
By Liz Szabo
October 19, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Los científicos llevan años intentando desarrollar vacunas contra este virus. Sin embargo, recientemente varios avances en la investigación médica han dado más urgencia a la búsqueda y más esperanzas de éxito.
Grassroots Groups Lead Way on Closing Colorado’s Infant Mortality Gap
By Rae Ellen Bichell
June 10, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Colorado is among about 15 states that have met federal goals to reduce infant mortality, an important indicator of overall population health. Breaking down the data by race and ethnicity, though, makes clear that major gaps remain.
An Arm and a Leg: Attack of the Medicare Machines
By Dan Weissmann
April 10, 2024
Podcast
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann tells a horror story. Instead of monsters and aliens, it’s about private health insurance companies and algorithms that call the shots on patient care.
Watchdog Finds That Gaps In CMS Oversight Cost Medicare Part B Millions
January 5, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicare Part B and its beneficiaries missed out on millions in savings related to drug payments, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General. HHS also issued a new rule on Medicaid reimbursements.
Fast-Tracked Ruling on Abortion Won’t Wait for ‘Hearts and Minds’ to Change
By Julie Rovner
January 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Public opinion remains bitterly divided on the issue as a Supreme Court decision is imminent that could overturn or dramatically undercut Roe v. Wade.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': On Autism, It’s the Secretary’s Word vs. the CDC’s
April 17, 2025
Podcast
Tensions between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are mounting, as he made a series of claims about autism this week — contradicting his agency’s findings. Plus, President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order to lower drug prices as his administration explores tariffs that could raise them. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Plus, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two University of California-San Francisco researchers about an upcoming Supreme Court case that could have major ramifications for preventive care.
Judge Hands Decisions On Disputed 340B Payments To HHS
January 11, 2023
Morning Briefing
A federal judge ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services will put a plan in place to address more than $1 billion in underpayments to hospitals under the federal drug discount program. Obamacare enrollment stats and Medicaid expansion benefits are also in the news.
HHS’ $5B ‘Project NextGen’ Aims To Develop New Coronavirus Shots, Drugs
May 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
Axios reports that the majority of that funding will go to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for public-private partnerships — similar to the Operation Warp Speed model — to create next generation covid treatments and “pan-coronavirus vaccines.”
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Dancing Under the Debt Ceiling
April 27, 2023
Podcast
House Republicans passed their plan to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, along with major cuts to health (and other domestic) programs. Unlikely to become law, it calls for new work requirements for adults on Medicaid. Meanwhile, state efforts targeting trans people bear a striking resemblance to the fight against abortion rights. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Renuka Rayasam, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about a specialist’s demand to be paid as much as $15,000 before treating a woman’s serious pregnancy complication.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Boosting Confusion
November 18, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Federal health officials appear poised to extend a recommendation for covid boosters to all adults, following moves by some governors and mayors to broaden the eligible booster pool as caseloads rise. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration finally has a nominee to head the agency: former FDA chief Robert Califf. And Medicare premiums for consumers will likely rise substantially in 2022, partly due to the approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Tami Luhby of CNN, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the “An Arm and a Leg” podcast.
Readers and Tweeters Diagnose Greed and Chronic Pain Within US Health Care System
January 19, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Ohio Six-Week Abortion Ban Forces Some To Bulk-Buy Plan B
July 5, 2022
Morning Briefing
The Columbus Dispatch reports on how Ohioans are considering reproductive care options under the new abortion ban, with some stocking up on Plan B, and one woman describes how she’s considering sterilization as an option. Also: more on Plan B, employer abortion aid, and impacts on doctors.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Walz Record
August 8, 2024
Podcast
Vice President Kamala Harris this week officially became the Democratic nominee for president and named Minnesota governor and former U.S. congressman Tim Walz as her running mate. Meanwhile, a new study finds the number of abortions taking place since the overturn of “Roe v. Wade” continued to rise into early this year, despite the imposition of abortion bans around the country. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
