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
Can Congress Reconcile Trump’s Wishes With Medicaid’s Needs? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:57
When Congress returns from spring break next week, its first order of business 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…
On Autism, It’s the Secretary’s Word vs. CDC’s [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:45
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, Pres…
The Dismantling of HHS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:51
A week after the announcement of the reorganization and staff cuts ordered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the scope of the reductions is only starting to crystallize. Across such agencies a…
American Health Gets a Pink Slip [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:27
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…
The Ax Falls at HHS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:29
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a proposed reorganization for the department — which, counting those who already have left the agency, amounts to about a 25% cut in its workforce —…
Federal Health Work in Flux [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:08
It’s the Trump administration vs. the federal courts, as the Department of Government Efficiency continues to try to cancel federal contracts and programs and fire workers — while federal judges continue to label those e…
The Dr. Oz Show [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:22
The Senate Finance Committee got its chance March 14 to question Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the vast Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the largest agency within the Department of Health a…
The Cutting Continues [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:15
The Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal government continue, with both personnel and programs being cut at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Socia…
The State of Federal Health Agencies Is Uncertain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:24
The Supreme Court opined for the first time that Trump administration officials may be exceeding their authority to reshape the federal government by refusing to honor completed contracts, even as lower-court judges star…
House GOP Plan Targets Medicaid [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:24
The House passed a budget plan that likely would result in major cuts to the Medicaid program. But the plan now faces a battle in the Senate, where even Republicans seem reluctant to dramatically reduce a health program…