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Trump’s Nontraditional Health Picks

Episode 373

Nov. 21, 2024

Not only has President-elect Donald Trump chosen prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Trump also has said he will nominate controversial TV host Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees coverage for nearly half of Americans. Meanwhile, the lame-duck Congress is back in Washington with just a few weeks to figure out how to wrap up work for the year. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Riley Ray Griffin of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sarah Varney, who has been covering a trial in Idaho challenging the lack of medical exceptions in that state’s abortion ban.

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A still from a broadcast of Céline Gounder on CBS News and a still image of President-elect Donald Trump shaking hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The chyron reads "Dr. Gounder on RFK Jr. pick and potential impact."

What To Know About RFK Jr.’s Stances on Key Health Issues and What He Could Do at HHS

By Céline Gounder

Nov. 15, 2024

A photo of a gavel resting on its block in silhouette.

KFF Health News Sues To Force Disclosure of Medicare Advantage Audit Records

Freedom of Information Act case targets HHS inspector general’s reviews of billions of dollars in health plan overpayments.

By Fred Schulte

Nov. 12, 2024

A photo of the sign in front of the Department of Health and Human Services' headquarters in Washington.

Watchdog Calls for Tighter Scrutiny of Medicare Advantage Home Visits

Medicare officials defend the use of home visits that often spot medical conditions that are never treated.

By Fred Schulte

Nov. 8, 2024

Health Brief

Long-Term Care Facilities Must Provide Addiction Care, Advocates Say

By Henry Larweh

Oct. 24, 2024

A digital illustration of an outstretched hand holding a gold coin with a dollar sign on it. The sleeve around the person's wrist had white stars on a blue background and red and white stripes.

The Medicare Advantage Influence Machine

New court filings and lobbying reports reveal an industry drive to tamp down critics — and retain billions of dollars in overcharges.

By Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker

Sept. 30, 2024

A large lawn with a hospital building in the background

Rural NC County Is Set To Reopen Its Shuttered Hospital With Help From a New Federal Program

One rural North Carolina county is on track to be among the first where a hospital reopens owing to a new federal hospital classification meant to help save small, struggling facilities.

By Taylor Sisk

Sept. 20, 2024

A photo of a gavel resting on a computer keyboard.

ACA Enrollment Platforms Suspended Over Alleged Foreign Access to Consumer Data

Federal regulators provided more specifics about why they suspended two private sector Affordable Care Act enrollment sites, including concerns about potential overseas accessing of consumer data and suspicions of involvement in Obamacare enrollment and switching schemes. The companies reject the assertions.

By Julie Appleby

Sept. 10, 2024

Feds Killed Plan To Curb Medicare Advantage Overbilling After Industry Opposition

A private 2014 decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services faces new scrutiny in a multibillion-dollar Justice Department fraud case against UnitedHealth Group.

By Fred Schulte

Aug. 27, 2024

Biden Administration Tightens Broker Access to Healthcare.gov To Thwart Rogue Sign-Ups

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it has received more than 200,000 complaints in the first six months of the year about people being signed up for Obamacare plans or switched to new plans without their consent.

By Julie Appleby

July 19, 2024

KFF Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Trump Is Wrong in Claiming Full Credit for Lowering Insulin Prices

Though the Trump administration established a voluntary, temporary program lowering insulin costs for some older Americans on Medicare, the mandatory price caps implemented through Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act go significantly further.

By Jacob Gardenswartz

July 18, 2024

HealthSherpa and Insurers Team Up To Curb Unauthorized ACA Enrollment Schemes

The initiative targets the biggest incentive driving fraudulent sign-ups and plan switches: the commissions that rogue agents or large call centers seek.

By Julie Appleby

July 16, 2024

A photo of the Supreme Court's exterior at sunrise.

The Supreme Court Just Limited Federal Power. Health Care Is Feeling the Shockwaves.

A Supreme Court ruling restricting federal power will likely have seismic ramifications for health policy. A flood of litigation — with plaintiffs like small businesses, drugmakers, and hospitals challenging regulations they say are too expensive or burdensome and not authorized by law — could leave the country with a patchwork of disparate health regulations.

By Stephanie Armour

July 1, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Nursing Home Staffing Rules Prompt Pushback

Episode 350

June 6, 2024

The nursing home industry — as well as a healthy number of Congress members — are all pushing back on the Biden administration’s new rules on nursing home staffing. Industry officials say that there are not enough workers to meet the requirements and that the costs would be prohibitive. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are trying to force Republicans to explain their exact positions on assuring access to contraceptives and in vitro fertilization. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a free cruise that turned out to be anything but.

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A man wearing a blue suit and blue tie speaks while seated at a table during a hearing in Washington, D.C.

Exclusive: Senator Urges Biden Administration To Thwart Fraudulent Obamacare Enrollments

With tens of thousands of Americans already affected by enrollment scams that leave some without doctors or treatments, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wants increased enforcement against rogue agents or other perpetrators and legislation to allow for criminal penalties.

By Julie Appleby

May 21, 2024

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Demystify Bird Flu, Brain Worms, and New Staffing Mandates for Nursing Homes

KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in recent weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

May 11, 2024

The Health 202

Medicare Stumbles Managing a Costly Problem — Chronic Illness

By Phil Galewitz

April 24, 2024

A woman walks down a corridor past a woman in a wheelchair

Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don’t Meet Them.

The staffing regulation was disparaged by the industry as unattainable. Patient advocates say it doesn’t go far enough. Labor unions welcomed the requirement.

By Jordan Rau

April 22, 2024

A digital illustration of a gavel and scales of justice with a Rod of Asclepius symbol in one of the scales.

Lawsuit Alleges Obamacare Plan-Switching Scheme Targeted Low-Income Consumers

The lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that large call centers were used to enroll people into Affordable Care Act plans or to switch their coverage, all without their permission.

By Julie Appleby

April 16, 2024

photo of IRS Form 1095-A used for reporting health insurance coverage on the IRS income tax report.

When Rogue Brokers Switch People’s ACA Policies, Tax Surprises Can Follow

Some tax filers’ returns are being rejected because they failed to provide information about Affordable Care Act coverage they didn’t even know they had.

By Julie Appleby

April 15, 2024

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