The host

Julie Rovner KFF Well being Information @jrovner

Julie Rovner is leader Washington correspondent and host of KFF Well being Information’ weekly well being coverage information podcast, “What the Well being?” A famous skilled on well being coverage problems, Julie is the creator of the seriously praised reference ebook “Well being Care Politics and Coverage A to Z,” now in its 3rd version.

The partisan combat in Congress over how you can lift the country’s debt ceiling to forestall a default has speeded up, because the U.S. Treasury predicted the borrowing prohibit might be reached once June 1. At the desk, probably, are huge cuts to federal spending systems, together with primary well being systems.

In the meantime, legislators in two conservative states, South Carolina and Nebraska, narrowly declined to cross very strict abortion bans, as some Republicans are it appears getting chilly toes in regards to the have an effect on on handle pregnant girls of their states.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg College of Public Well being and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.

Panelists

Some of the takeaways from this week’s episode:

• America is coming near its debt prohibit — a lot quicker than anticipated. And it’s unclear how, or if, lawmakers can unravel their variations over the finances ahead of the country defaults on its money owed. Main points of the impulsively built Area Republican proposal are coming to gentle, together with it appears inadvertent possible cuts to veterans’ advantages and a loss of exemptions protective those that are disabled from shedding Medicaid and diet advantages beneath proposed paintings necessities.
• A reputedly regimen markup of a key Senate drug pricing bundle devolved this week because it turned into transparent the committee’s management workforce, beneath Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), had now not finished its due diligence to make sure participants had been knowledgeable and on board with the regulation. The Senate Well being, Schooling, Hard work and Pensions Committee plans to revisit the bundle subsequent week, hoping to ship it to the total Senate for a vote.
• In additional abortion information, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have agreed on a brand new, 12-week ban, which might additional reduce already bare-bones get admission to to the process within the South. And federal investigations into two hospitals that refused emergency care to a pregnant lady in misery are elevating the chance of but any other abortion-related showdown over states’ rights ahead of the Very best Court docket.
• The collection of deaths from covid-19 continues to dwindle. The general public well being emergency expires subsequent week, and masks mandates are being dropped by way of well being care amenities. There proceed to be problems tallying instances and guiding prevention efforts. What is transparent is the coronavirus isn’t now and would possibly by no means be long past, however issues are getting higher from a public well being perspective.
• The surgeon basic has issued suggestions to fight the rising public well being disaster of loneliness. Structural issues that give a contribution, just like the loss of paid go away and few communal accumulating areas, could also be ripe for presidency intervention. However whilst well being professionals body loneliness as a societal-level drawback, the government’s recommendation in large part goals person behaviors.

Plus, for “additional credit score,” the panelists counsel well being coverage tales they learn this week they suspect you will have to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: The Washington Put up’s “Canine-Strolling Accidents Would possibly Be Extra Commonplace Than You Suppose,” by way of Lindsey Bever.

Joanne Kenen: The Atlantic’s “There Is No Preventing the Hypersensitivity Apocalypse,” by way of Yasmin Tayag.

Rachel Cohrs: ProPublica’s “This Pharmacist Mentioned Prisoners Would not Really feel Ache All over Deadly Injection. Then Some Shook and Gasped for Air,” by way of Lauren Gill and Daniel Moritz-Rabson.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The Wall Side road Magazine’s “Sufferers Lose Get admission to to Unfastened Medications Amid Spat Between Drugmakers, Well being Plans,” by way of Peter Loftus and Joseph Walker.

Additionally discussed on this week’s episode:

Credit

Francis Ying Audio manufacturer Emmarie Huetteman Editor