HHS Will get Funding, However How Will Trump Spend It?

The Host

Julie Rovner
KFF Health Information

@jrovner

@julierovner.bsky.social

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Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health Information’ weekly Health coverage information podcast, “What the Health?” A famous knowledgeable on Health coverage points, Julie is the writer of the critically praised reference guide “Health Care Politics and Coverage A to Z,” now in its third version.

The Division of Health and Human Companies is funded for the remainder of the fiscal 12 months. However lawmakers stay involved about whether or not the Trump administration will spend the cash as directed.

In the meantime, negotiations over extending expanded subsidies for Inexpensive Care Act plans have damaged down within the Senate, largely over a perennial situation — abortion. The subsidies’ expiration on the finish of 2025 has left tens of millions of People unable to afford their Health insurance coverage premiums.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health Information, Anna Edney of Bloomberg Information, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Faculty of Public Health and Politico Journal, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Name.

Panelists

Anna Edney
Bloomberg Information

@annaedney

@annaedney.bsky.social

Read Anna’s stories.

Joanne Kenen
Johns Hopkins College and Politico

@JoanneKenen

@joannekenen.bsky.social

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Sandhya Raman
CQ Roll Name

@SandhyaWrites

@sandhyawrites.bsky.social

Read Sandhya’s stories.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• President Donald Trump signed authorities spending laws that gives for HHS, in addition to a separate measure that addresses pharmacy profit managers and a few Medicare packages. In the meantime, Trump has but to place out his personal funds — historically a president’s want checklist of priorities. On the Health aspect, that’s prone to embrace acquainted “Make America Wholesome Once more” concepts, corresponding to funding for a brand new company, proposed final 12 months, that will be often known as the Administration for a Wholesome America.
• In Congress, negotiations over renewing more-generous ACA premium tax credit have collapsed. Whereas lawmakers are prone to proceed listening to from constituents concerning the excessive price of Health Care, now Senate negotiators are signaling that the possibilities of renewing the expired tax credit are low.
• A brand new examine in JAMA finds that most cancers sufferers coated by high-deductible Health plans had decrease charges of survival. The analysis suggests that prime out-of-pocket prices discourage preventive and needed care — and IT comes as little shock in an setting the place many People can not afford sudden payments for a couple of hundred {dollars}, not to mention four- or five-figure deductibles.
• And a brand new interview reveals a really totally different mandate for Health and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s remade vaccine advisory panel: to scrutinize the dangers of immunizations, quite than stability their dangers and advantages. The interview with the panel’s chair, printed by Politico, quoted him saying People ought to view them “extra as a security committee,” including, “Efficacy can be secondary.” The notion that the panel will not stability a vaccine’s doubtlessly Health– and lifesaving results towards its potential uncomfortable side effects flies towards a long time of presidency greatest practices.

Additionally this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health Information’ Renuka Rayasam a couple of new reporting challenge, “Priced Out,” which explores the growing unaffordability of insurance coverage and Health Care. When you’ve got a narrative you’d wish to share with us, you are able to do that right here.

Plus, for “further credit score” the panelists counsel Health coverage tales they learn this week that they assume it is best to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: Politico’s “DeSantis’ Canadian Drug Import Plan in Florida Goes From Campaign Trail to Tough Realities,” by Arek Sarkissian.

Sandhya Raman: The Washington Publish’s “Health/2026/02/01/florida-hiv-adap-cuts/”>Free HIV Medicine Save Lives. Why One State Is Proscribing Entry for Hundreds,” by David Ovalle.

Anna Edney: The Atlanta Journal-Structure and Related Press’ “Forever Stained: Inside America’s Carpet Capital: An Empire and its Toxic Legacy,” by Dylan Jackson, Jason Dearan, and Justin Worth.

Joanne Kenen: Inside Local weather Information’ “‘Toxic Colonialism’ on the Bay of Bengal,” by Johnny Sturgeon.

Additionally talked about on this week’s episode:

Credit

Francis Ying
Audio producer

Emmarie Huetteman
Editor

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