The Politics of Health at Midyear

The Politics of Health at Midyear

Author: KFF Health News July 9, 2026 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, Congress is taking aim at nonprofit hospitals. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Victoria Knight of Bloomberg Government join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Samantha Liss, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” story, about a woman who changed Medicare Advantage plans and found herself at a disadvantage. 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’ “Chinese Fentanyl Makers Find New U.S. Market in Peptides,” by Tina Reed.   Shefali Luthra: Stat’s “Online GLP-1 Prescriptions Are Often Fast, Easy — And Low on Clinical Oversight,” by Katie Palmer.   Rachel Roubein: The New York Times’ “Efforts To Help Smokers Quit Stall Under Trump,” by Chistina Jewett.   Victoria Knight: Stat’s “Booze Schmooze: The Alcohol Industry, Frazzled by Headwinds, Wields Its Power Behind the Scenes,” by Isabella Cueto and Lev Facher.  

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…
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…
Trump Officials Still Delaying Funds  [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:58
With the fiscal year mostly over, hundreds of millions of dollars in health-related grants approved by Congress still have not reached their designated recipients, with the Trump administration again delaying distributio…