Chaos Continues in Federal Health System

02/06/25 • 33 min

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The Senate has yet to confirm a Health and Human Services secretary, but things around the department continue to change at a breakneck pace to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Payment systems have been shut down, webpages and entire datasets have been taken offline, and workers — including those with civil service protections — have been urged to quit or threatened with layoffs. Meanwhile, foreign and trade policy changes are also affecting health policy.

Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, about a young woman, a grandfathered health plan, and a $14,000 IUD.

Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode.

Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “How R.F.K. Jr. and ‘Medical Freedom’ Rose to Power,” on “The Daily” podcast.

Lauren Weber: CNN’s “Human Brain Samples Contain an Entire Spoon’s Worth of Nanoplastics, Study Says,” by Sandee LaMotte.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The Washington Post’s “Did RFK Jr. or Michelle Obama Say It About Food? Take Our Quiz,” by Lauren Weber.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode.

Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “How R.F.K. Jr. and ‘Medical Freedom’ Rose to Power,” on “The Daily” podcast.

Lauren Weber: CNN’s “Human Brain Samples Contain an Entire Spoon’s Worth of Nanoplastics, Study Says,” by Sandee LaMotte.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The Washington Post’s “Did RFK Jr. or Michelle Obama Say It About Food? Take Our Quiz,” by Lauren Weber.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

RFK Jr. in the Hot Seat

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President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the vast Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faced sharp questioning from senators this week, particularly over his history of vaccine denialism. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s second week has been even more disruptive than its first, with an on-again, off-again funding freeze that left many around the country scrambling to understand what was going on.

Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan law professor, who explains how the federal regulatory system is supposed to operate to make health policy.

Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: 404 Media’s “Medical Device Company Tells Hospitals They’re No Longer Allowed to Fix Machine That Costs Six Figures,” by Jason Koebler.

Sandhya Raman: ProPublica’s “Dozens of People Died in Arizona Sober Living Homes as State Officials Fumbled Medicaid Fraud Response,” by Mary Hudetz and Hannah Bassett.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: CBS News’ “Wind-Blown Bird Poop May Help Transmit Bird Flu, Minnesota’s Infectious Disease Expert Warns,” by Mackenzie Lofgren.

Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Courts Try To Curb Health Cuts

Some of the Trump administration’s dramatic funding and policy shifts are facing major pushback for the first time — not from Congress, but from the courts. Federal judges around the country are attempting to pump the brakes on efforts to freeze government spending, shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, eliminate access to health-related webpages and datasets, and limit grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health. Meanwhile, Congress is off to a slow start in trying to turn President Donald Trump’s agenda into legislation, although Medicaid is clearly high on the list for potential funding cuts.

Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Maya Goldman of Axios News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more.

Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and a former health official during the George W. Bush administration, about the impact of cutting funding to research universities.

Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode.

Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: Axios’ “Nonprofit Hospital Draws Backlash for Super Bowl Ad,” by Maya Goldman.

Shefali Luthra: Politico’s “‘Americans Can and Will Die From This’: USAID Worker Details Dangers, Chaos,” by Jonathan Martin.

Maya Goldman: KFF Health News’ “Doctor Wanted: Small Town in Florida Offers Big Perks To Attract a Physician,” by Daniel Chang.

Jessie Hellmann: NPR’s “Trump’s Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Young People Puts Hospitals in a Bind,” by Selena Simmons-Duffin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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