A New CDC Nominee, Again

A New CDC Nominee, Again

Author: KFF Health News April 17, 2026 Duration: 40:26
President Donald Trump tapped a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director — a former deputy surgeon general and vaccine supporter. Meanwhile, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the rounds on Capitol Hill to testify about the president’s budget request, though the topics lawmakers wanted to discuss ran the gamut.  Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Emmarie Huetteman of KFF Health News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Michelle Canero, an immigration attorney, about how Trump’s policies affect the medical workforce. Visit our website to read a transcript of this episode. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read (or wrote) this week that they think you should read, too:  Mary Agnes Carey: Politico’s “‘A Crisis in the Making’: Nebraska Races To Impose Work Requirements on Medicaid,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein.  Joanne Kenen: The New York Times’ “He Warned About the Dangers of A.I. If Only His Father Had Listened,” by Teddy Rosenbluth.  Anna Edney: Bloomberg’s “Hormone Drugs Make $6.3 Billion Comeback After FDA Nixes Safety Warnings,” by Anna Edney.  Emmarie Huetteman: KFF Health News’ “Your New Therapist: Chatty, Leaky, and Hardly Human,” by Darius Tahir. 

Ever feel like the latest health policy headlines are written in a language you don't quite speak? What the Health? From KFF Health News translates the whirlwind of Washington into something you can actually use. Hosted by Julie Rovner, the chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News, this isn't a dry lecture. It's a weekly conversation where Rovner is joined by the journalists from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, and elsewhere who are actually writing the stories. Together, they pull back the curtain on how decisions on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies get made, who they impact, and what they mean for your care and your wallet. You'll hear the inside perspective on everything from drug pricing battles and insurance market shifts to the future of Medicare and the politics of public health. This podcast cuts through the jargon and the spin, offering clarity and context on the forces shaping American healthcare. For anyone trying to understand not just what happened, but why it matters, this is an essential guide to the system. Tune in for smart, accessible analysis that makes sense of the news you need.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

What the Health? From KFF Health News
Podcast Episodes
Live From Aspen — Governors and an HHS Secretary Sound Off [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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In this special episode taped before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, three former governors — one of whom also served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services — have a wide-ranging discussion a…
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Duration: 37:34
The Supreme Court this week said Tennessee may continue to enforce its law banning most types of gender-affirming care for minors. The ruling is likely to greenlight similar laws in two dozen states. Meanwhile, the Senat…
RFK Jr. Upends Vaccine Policy, After Promising He Wouldn’t [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:57
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week did something he had promised not to do: He fired every member of the scientific advisory committee that recommends which vaccines should be given to wh…
Live From AHCJ: Shock and Awe in Federal Health Policy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Duration: 43:49
After an unusual all-night session, the House narrowly passed a budget reconciliation bill, including billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy, along with billions of dollars in spending cuts to Medicaid, the Affo…
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Duration: 27:13
Today we’re sharing something different with you: an episode of the “First Opinion Podcast” from our friends at Stat. In this episode, host and Stat opinion editor Torie Bosch talks to a veterinarian and epidemiologist a…
GOP Poised To Cut Billions in Health Benefits [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:47
GOP-controlled House committees approved parts of President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” this week, including more than $700 billion in cuts to health programs over the next decade — mostly from Medicaid, whi…
Cutting Medicaid Is Hard — Even for the GOP [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:42
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…
100 Days of Health Policy Upheaval [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:17
Congress is back in Washington this week, and Republicans are struggling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending without cutting benefits, as the program has grown in popularity and relevance with their voters. Meanwhil…