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Abortion Pills, the Budget, and RFK Jr.

Episode 441

April 9, 2026

This week, the Trump administration won a court battle to delay a ruling on access to the abortion pill mifepristone, angering its own anti-abortion allies. Meanwhile, the president’s budget arrived on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are unlikely to agree to its proposed cuts to Health and Human Services programs. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Maya Goldman of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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KFF Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Vance Wrongly Blames Rural Hospital Closures on Immigrants in the Country Illegally

Experts disputed the claim by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, noting that a range of other issues — from low reimbursement rates to declining patient use — combine to cause these facilities to shutter.

By Sam Whitehead

Oct. 29, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Can Congress Reconcile Trump’s Wishes With Medicaid’s Needs?

Episode 394

April 24, 2025

When Congress returns next week, it will be writing a budget reconciliation bill that’s expected to cut taxes but also make deep cuts to Medicaid. But at least some Republicans are concerned about cutting a program that aids so many of their constituents. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more. Also, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Rae Ellen Bichell about her story on how care for transgender minors is changing in Colorado.

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A senior man stands beside a bookshelf, holding a book. He wears a white button-shirt.

Home Improvements Can Help People Age Independently. But Medicare Seldom Picks Up the Bill.

A small program celebrated by its proponents helps people modify their homes and safely live independently as they age. But most insurers won’t pay for it, including Medicare.

By Joanne Kenen

March 3, 2025

A close-up photo of an older person's hands clutching their knee.

Knee Pain? Ragged Cartilage? Research Suggests Surgery’s Not the Best Answer

A Finnish study followed patients for 10 years after they had a popular knee surgery. For many, the pain continued or even worsened.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

July 14, 2026

Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’

The "KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week.

May 26, 2026

A photo of a doctor and a nurse in surgical garb working together to do cataract surgery.

Medicare’s Paying Less for Cataract Surgery. Eye Doctors Are Turning to Lucrative Lasers.

More cataract patients, wanting not only restored but improved vision, are paying extra for their doctors to use a laser when a scalpel would do.

By Phil Galewitz

Aug. 19, 2026

A photo of a man pouring pills into his hand.

Medicare Drug Plans Are Getting Better Next Year. Some Will Also Cost More.

Every year, Medicare officials encourage beneficiaries to shop around for their drug coverage. Few take the time. This year, it might be more important than ever.

By Susan Jaffe

Oct. 21, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The GOP Circles the Wagons on ACA

Episode 423

Nov. 20, 2025

Republicans are solidifying their opposition to extending pandemic-era subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans and seem to be coalescing around giving money directly to consumers to spend on health care. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to leave his mark on the agency, with the CDC altering its website to suggest childhood vaccines could play a role in causing autism. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Avik Roy.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News

Less Than Two Weeks To Go

Episode 369

Oct. 24, 2024

With Election Day rapidly approaching, abortion is gaining traction as a voting issue, according to public opinion polls. Meanwhile, states with abortion bans are reviving the lawsuit — dismissed by the Supreme Court on a technicality this year — that could roll back the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Tricia Neuman, senior vice president of KFF and executive director of its Program on Medicare Policy, about Medicare open enrollment and the changes to the federal program for 2025.

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A husband sits at the kitchen table. His wife is seen close on the left of the frame. She is blurred slightly as the camera is focused on the husband.

Deadly Denials

‘Not Accountable to Anyone’: As Insurers Issue Denials, Some Patients Run Out of Options

Health insurers issue millions of prior authorization denials every year, leaving many patients stuck in a convoluted appeals process, with little hope of meaningful policy change ahead. For doctors, these denials are frustrating and time-consuming. For patients, they can be devastating.

By Lauren Sausser

June 16, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Happy 60th, Medicare and Medicaid!

Episode 411

Aug. 21, 2025

This summer marks the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, the twin government programs that have shaped the health care system into what it is today. In this special episode, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two experts on the history, significance, and future of these programs: Medicare historian and University of North Carolina professor Jonathan Oberlander and George Washington University professor emerita Sara Rosenbaum, who has studied Medicaid since nearly its beginning and has helped shape Medicaid policy over the past four decades.

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The New Old Age

Older Americans Quit Weight Loss Drugs in Droves

In some studies, half of patients stopped taking GLP-1s within a year despite the benefits, citing the expense and side effects.

By Paula Span

Jan. 6, 2026

An Arm and a Leg

The Medicare Episode

Season 11, Episode 3

March 11, 2024

On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann breaks down the complicated and expensive world of Medicare with practical tips to pick the right plan and avoid penalties.

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Uber and Lyft signage on a vehicle in San Francisco, California,

Patients Are Relying on Lyft, Uber To Travel Far Distances to Medical Care

Uber and Lyft have become a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure for transporting ailing people from their homes — even in rural areas — to medical care sites in major cities such as Atlanta.

By Michael Scaturro

Oct. 17, 2024

An Arm and a Leg

Attack of the Medicare Machines

Season 11, Episode 4

April 10, 2024

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.

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A hand-drawn illustration of a top-down perspective of a cartoon-ish pill bottle. The cap of the bottle shows a clock with dizzying hands. The bottle is on top of loose papers, one of which says, "pre-auth expired."

Health Care Helpline

To Avoid Care Disruptions, Know When the Clock Runs Out on Your Prior Authorization

A Massachusetts woman knew the medicine her doctor prescribed required preauthorization, but she didn’t realize the approval had an expiration date. It took nearly three weeks of phone calls and paperwork to get her prescription refilled.

By Sarah Boden

Feb. 27, 2026

A closeup shot of the side of a woman with a cochlear implant who is also wearing reading glasses.

The New Old Age

When a Hearing Aid Isn’t Enough

More older adults have turned to cochlear implants after Medicare expanded eligibility for the devices.

By Paula Span

Oct. 23, 2025

A photo of medical professional treating a wound on a homeless patient.

A California Medical Group Treats Only Homeless Patients — And Makes Money Doing It

Healthcare in Action, a California medical group that exclusively serves homeless people, has tapped into growing demand and funding for street medicine services. Three years in, the innovative nonprofit is raking in revenue and serving thousands of people who otherwise might flock to the hospital for high-cost care.

By Angela Hart

July 19, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Here Come the ACA Premium Hikes

Episode 407

July 24, 2025

Medicaid may have monopolized Washington’s attention lately, but big changes are coming to the Affordable Care Act as well. Meanwhile, Americans are learning more about what’s in Trump’s big budget law, and polls suggest many don’t like what they see. Julie Appleby of KFF Health News, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews historian Jonathan Oberlander to mark Medicare’s 60th anniversary.

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