Multimedia Archives - Page 12 of 73

Cutting Medicaid Is Hard — Even for the GOP

Episode 396

May 8, 2025

Republicans on Capitol Hill are struggling to reach consensus on cutting the Medicaid program as they search for nearly a trillion dollars in savings over the next decade — as many observers predicted. Meanwhile, turmoil continues at the Department of Health and Human Services, with more controversial cuts and personnel moves, including the sudden nomination of Casey Means, an ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s, to become surgeon general. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, 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’ Lauren Sausser, who co-reported the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, about an unexpected bill for what seemed like preventive care.

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Watch: How the FDA Opens the Door to Risky Chemicals in America’s Food Supply

To a great extent, the FDA leaves it to food companies to determine whether their ingredients and additives are safe. Some chemicals and additives are tied to health risks while others are absent from product labels. Watch this video explainer to learn more.

By David Hilzenrath, Hannah Norman, and Oona Zenda

May 7, 2025

A woman sits in a folding chair in front of a blue van.

HIV Testing and Outreach Falter as Trump Funding Cuts Sweep the South

A disruption in federal funds has jeopardized HIV testing and outreach in Mississippi, and researchers warn of a resurgence of the epidemic in the South.

By Amy Maxmen

May 6, 2025

An Arm and a Leg

Why ‘The Pitt’ Is Our Fave New Drama

Season 13, Episode 6

May 5, 2025

An emergency room doctor says what the TV show “The Pitt” gets right about hospitals, including why they’re so crowded and the bills so high.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News

100 Days of Health Policy Upheaval

Episode 395

May 1, 2025

Members of Congress are back in Washington, and Republicans are struggling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending without cutting benefits. Meanwhile, confusion continues to reign at the Department of Health and Human Services. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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A photo of a doctor speaking to a colleague at the front desk of a doctor's office.

Help Wanted

California’s Primary Care Shortage Persists Despite Ambitious Moves To Close Gap

The state has in recent years embraced several initiatives recommended in an influential health care workforce report, including alternative payment arrangements for primary care doctors to earn more. Despite increasing residency programs, student debt forgiveness, and tuition-free medical school, California is unlikely to meet patient demand, observers say.

By Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez

May 1, 2025

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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An Arm and a Leg

Winning a Two-Year Fight Over a Bogus Bill

Season 13, Episode 5

April 24, 2025

How one “Arm and a Leg” listener stayed encouraged during a two-year fight over a bill she didn’t owe.

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A vector illustration with three rows of a diverse group of people walking.

Medi-Cal Under Threat: Who’s Covered and What Could Be Cut?

Federal law requires states to offer health insurance to many people with low incomes or disabilities. But some states, including California, are far more generous than what’s required. Budget pressures may force lawmakers to cut benefits that have led to a historic low in the uninsured rate.

By Don Thompson

April 23, 2025

Watch: Why Insurance Companies Are Denying Coverage for Prosthetic Limbs

Although knee replacements are usually covered by health insurance, amputees face roadblocks to coverage and often must prove their prosthetics are medically necessary.

By Michelle Andrews

April 18, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

On Autism, It’s the Secretary’s Word vs. the CDC’s

Episode 393

April 17, 2025

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.

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A photo of a scientist's gloved hands using a pipette to take a sample from a petri dish.

Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump

A KFF Health News analysis underscores how the terminations have spared no part of the country, politically or geographically. Of the organizations that had grants cut in the first month, about 40% are in states President Donald Trump won in November.

By Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan

April 17, 2025

A photo of a woman sitting for a photo in an office.

In Rural Massachusetts, Patients and Physicians Weigh Trade-Offs of Concierge Medicine

A stressed primary care system has led many doctors to start practices that charge membership fees in exchange for shorter waits and longer appointments. Observers say the doctor shortage needs a more systemic fix.

By Karen Brown, New England Public Media

April 16, 2025

An illustration drawn with pencil and gently colored digitally shows a child with white hair reaching out to touch their finger to a butterfly cocoon that is hanging from a branch in front of them. On their left, there is a caterpillar that has yet to undergo metamorphosis. On the right of the cocoon, and covering half of the child's face, a butterfly emerges in the colors of the transgender flag.

Families of Transgender Youth No Longer View Colorado as a Haven for Gender-Affirming Care

Colorado was long considered a haven for gender-affirming care. But under this Trump administration, hospitals in the state have limited the treatments available for people under 19. Some services have been restored, but trans youth and their families say the state isn’t the rock they thought it was.

By Rae Ellen Bichell

April 14, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The Dismantling of HHS

Episode 392

April 10, 2025

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Dead Zone

Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care

Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patient care.

By Sarah Jane Tribble, Holly K. Hacker, and Caresse Jackman, InvestigateTV

April 9, 2025

A photo of an older man standing for a portrait in a hospital corridor.

The House Speaker’s Eyeing Big Cuts to Medicaid. In His Louisiana District, It’s a Lifeline.

The GOP-controlled Congress is weighing cuts to Medicaid, the government health program that covers millions of Americans — including nearly 40% of Louisianans represented in the House by Speaker Mike Johnson.

By Phil Galewitz

April 7, 2025

A woman with dark brown hair sits at a table and touches her face to the face of a girl wearing a pink bow in her hair

Immigration Crackdowns Disrupt the Caregiving Industry. Families Pay the Price.

Families, nursing facilities, and home health agencies rely on foreign-born workers to fill health care jobs that are demanding and do not attract enough American citizens. The Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies threaten to cut a key source of labor for the industry, which was already predicting a surge in demand.

By Vanessa G. Sánchez and Daniel Chang

April 4, 2025

DOGE Job Cuts Hit Federal Workers’ Finances and Mental Health

President Donald Trump’s rapid downsizing of the federal government and attacks on the character of public workers have taken a toll on the mental health of some employees. That’s been felt especially in Washington, D.C., where nearly 50,000 people work for the federal government.

By Rachana Pradhan

April 4, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

American Health Gets a Pink Slip

Episode 391

April 3, 2025

The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of combined years of health and science expertise. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this enormous breaking story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature about a short-term health plan and a very expensive colonoscopy.

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