The Peculiar Politics of Hospitals

The Peculiar Politics of Hospitals

Author: KFF Health News April 30, 2026 Duration: 31:47
Democrats and Republicans on one of the House committees that oversees the Medicare program had strong words about high hospital pricing at a hearing on Capitol Hill this week, but it remains unclear whether the reality will match their rhetoric when it comes to reining in those prices.  Meanwhile, some good health policy news: A study found the 988 suicide prevention hotline reduced suicides significantly in its first two years of operation.  Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.  Visit our website for a transcript of this episode. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists share their favorite health policy stories of the week that they think you should read, too.  Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “While Advising Kennedy, Top Aide Had More Than $25 Million Stake in Wellness Company,” by Christina Jewett and Benjamin Mueller.   Joanne Kenen: ProPublica’s “Unfounded Health Concerns Are Powering a Solar Backlash,” by Anna Clark.   Rachel Roubein: KFF Health News’ “Big Companies Position Themselves for Payday from $50B Federal Rural Health Fund,” by Sarah Jane Tribble.   Shefali Luthra: The Atlantic and KFF Health News’ “A ‘Barbaric’ Problem in American Hospitals Is Only Getting Bigger,” by Elisabeth Rosenthal. 

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: 50

What the Health? From KFF Health News
Podcast Episodes
Anger Over Health Costs Clouds Midterms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:13
Amid a campaign already focusing on affordability, anxious voters are unlikely to be assuaged by headlines about healthcare costs rising even more next year. And a lawsuit that could cut off access nationwide to the abor…
Summer’s Health Policy Themes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:40
As summer comes to a close, some of the season’s major health policy stories continue to simmer, including declining insurance coverage, increasing measles cases, and cuts to federal health programs. Margot Sanger-Katz o…
Headless FDA Gets a New Nominee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:33
President Donald Trump is nominating Heidi Overton, a physician who is currently a White House policy adviser, to lead the FDA, which has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since May. Overton has a controversial hist…
Trump’s Vaccine Agenda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:22
President Donald Trump is trying to unilaterally change the number and schedule of childhood vaccines in the U.S., though it remains unclear how much of an impact his orders will have. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya…
The Return of ‘Medicare for All’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:18
Michigan voters this week chose former Detroit public health director Abdul El-Sayed as the Democratic nominee for the state’s open Senate seat. El-Sayed has made “Medicare for All” a major part of his campaign and furth…
The Politics of Grant Cuts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:16
The revelation in court documents that the Trump administration used politics alone to decide which grants to fund and which to cancel has provoked surprisingly little outcry from Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Republicans ren…
A Shrinking Safety Net [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:56
A new report finds that participation in the federal food stamp program is down far more than was predicted when the Republican-led Congress approved cuts in 2025. That portends a similar fate for Medicaid, as states rea…
States Start Their Medicaid Cuts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:07
Most of the federal cuts to the Medicaid program don’t take effect until 2027, but many states are already cutting their own budgets in anticipation of getting fewer health dollars from Washington. Meanwhile, Congress is…
The Politics of Health at Midyear [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:57
About halfway through 2026 — and just a few months before the critical midterm elections — Democrats appear to be doubling down on healthcare as a campaign issue as costs rise and insurance coverage declines. Meanwhile,…
Supreme Court Makes Health Policy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:30
The Supreme Court handed down its last decisions of its 2025-26 term this week, including in an immigration case that could result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of workers in nursing homes and other long-term care…