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Artwork for What the Health? From KFF Health News

What the Health? From KFF Health News

KFF Health News
Affordable Care Act
Medicaid
Medicare
Public Health
Abortion Rights
Abortion
Trump Administration
Congress
Supreme Court
FDA
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Health Insurance
Mifepristone
Covid-19
Health Policy
Reproductive Health
Donald Trump
Health Care Policy
HHS
National Institutes Of Health

Join Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News, along with top health policy reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico and other media outlets to discuss the latest news and explain what the health is going on here in Washington, D.C.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes472Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
News

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Artwork for What the Health? From KFF Health News

Latest Episodes

As early voting begins in some states, the Trump administration is working to keep its crackdown on healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse in the headlines. Also, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled a new initiative to ... more

A new poll from KFF suggests that rising health costs are still a top concern for voters this November and that Democrats have a substantial edge over Republicans on the issue. In an apparent attempt to close the gap, President Donald Trump is sendin... more

YouTube

The “Make America Healthy Again” movement held a big shindig in Washington, D.C., this week. But rather than moms arguing to get pesticides and processing chemicals out of their kids’ food, the room was full of Trump administration officials and indu... more

YouTube

Healthcare in general, and health costs in particular, are a top issue for voters in 2026. But it remains unclear exactly how voters want lawmakers to fix the problem. As a result, candidates in both parties are offering a wide variety of possible so... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Michelle Andrews
Reporter who wrote the latest KFF Health News Bill of the Month
KFF Health News
Episode: Midterm Madness
Dr. Aaron Carroll
President and CEO of AcademyHealth
AcademyHealth
Episode: The MAHA Metamorphosis
Tami Luhby
CNN health policy correspondent joining remotely for this episode
CNN
Episode: Healthcare a Vague but Potent Issue for Election 2026
Sabrina Corlette
Research professor, founder and co-director of Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms
Georgetown University
Episode: The Health Risks of AI
Dean Rosen
Partner at Melman Consulting; former top health aide on Capitol Hill
Melman Consulting
Episode: Summer’s Health Policy Themes
Mark Cuban
Businessman and entrepreneur
Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company
Episode: Headless FDA Gets a New Nominee
Paula Andalo
KFF Health News journalist, Bill of the Month contributor
KFF Health News
Episode: Trump’s Vaccine Agenda
Andy Kim
New Jersey Democratic Senator, proponent of MediKids
U.S. Senate
Episode: The Return of ‘Medicare for All’
Bill Cassidy
Louisiana Republican Senator, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
U.S. Senate
Episode: A Shrinking Safety Net

Hosts

Julie Rovner
Host with long‑standing role as Washington policy correspondent, frequently guiding panel discussions and interviews.
Alice Miranda Ollstein
Co-host/reporter on health policy discussions; provides policy analysis and reporting contributions.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 657 ratings
  • Great Topics But Biased

    As a liberal myself, I still want to seek out unbiased sources for news and especially healthcare news. This is not that.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    SkateSteele
    United States2 months ago
  • Informative but with a side of snide

    This podcast offers a lot of good, timely information. The discussion led by Rovner, however, is typically one-sided and can not be counted on to present all sides of an issue or its nuances. It feels partisan and left leaning, making me trust the information less. But again, it’s informative and gives me a launching pad for my own research on an issue.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Policy, policy, policy
    United States2 months ago
  • Great Intersection of Politics and Public Health

    This is a great podcast. It covers an interesting topic in depth and also covers the wide breadth of what’s happening in Public Health News. Plus I love the links to stories you share at the end.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    DrDK2
    United States4 months ago
  • Excellent podcast

    This is a good podcast especially in the current situation we find ourselves in. It is thought provoking and makes me want to do additional reading.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    grngrl55
    United States6 months ago
  • Excellent!

    This podcast is perfect length, perfect depth, perfect content, and the hosts stay on task. Can’t recommend enough for anyone in medicine and/or public health

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Leigh-Lew
    United States8 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Critiques often center on perceived biases or editorial tone in coverage of health policy.
Some listeners call for more coverage of marginalized groups and inclusive health issues.
Nutrition, science, or public health crises are less frequent but noted when central to policy debates.
Many reviewers appreciate expert guest insights and rigorous reporting.
Listeners praise clear, policy-focused storytelling that ties politics to real-world health outcomes.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The MAHA Metamorphosis
Q: Shefali, what's been the impact of the Hyde Amendment on the ground? What does it actually mean for people seeking reproductive care?
The Hyde Amendment restricts federal funding for abortion, which means coverage depends on state decisions; for many low-income patients, Medicaid coverage is not available, making abortion unaffordable even where it is legally allowed, though some states fund through their own resources; undoing this policy is more politically complex than it might appear.
Midterm Madness
Q: So this month's patient was sent to the emergency room by an urgent care doctor for a migraine, tell us who she is and how she ended up at the hospital.
Autumn Daniels from Champaign, Illinois, had a seven-day migraine; after initial urgent care, she was told to go to the ER if symptoms persisted, waited four hours in triage without care, then sought treatment at another ER, and was billed $410 for a level one ER visit despite not receiving provider-delivered treatment.
Summer’s Health Policy Themes
Q: Tell us about Nancy Kassebaum's leadership and the bipartisan approach to health reform in the 1990s.
Rosen describes Kassebaum as an incrementalist who preferred step-by-step legislation and collaboration with Ted Kennedy, highlighting the cross-party effort that led to HIPAA and the broader lesson that bipartisan progress requires willingness to compromise without sacrificing core principles.
Summer’s Health Policy Themes
Q: But that's not how it started out, right? Talk about HIPAA's origins and bipartisanship.
Dean Rosen explains HIPAA began as a bipartisan, incremental effort focused on portability and pre-existing conditions protections, emerging from a collaboration between Kassebaum and Kennedy to create a more modest, workable health reform before Congress struggled with broader reform.
The Return of ‘Medicare for All’
Q: What is the vision for this country in health care reform, beyond incremental changes?
The idea is to push bold, implementable changes that expand coverage for kids through an existing system (Medicaid) and then extend that foundation toward broader coverage, while maintaining political feasibility and bipartisan dialogue.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About What the Health? From KFF Health News

What is What the Health? From KFF Health News about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A policy-focused health news show that brings Washington reporting to life by unpacking how federal health policy, funding, and regulation affect patients, providers, and payers. Episodes routinely weave together breaking policy moves, legislative dynamics, and regulatory actions with expert analyses from reporters across major outlets, plus interviews with policymakers, researchers, and industry observers. Listeners can expect clear explanations of complex health policy battles—Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA, drug pricing, FDA leadership, vaccine policy, and public health funding—often framed through real-world implications, cost concerns, and accountability angles. A standout trait is the mix of sharp policy scrutiny with business-minded ref... more

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Which podcasts are similar to What the Health? From KFF Health News?

These podcasts share a similar audience with What the Health? From KFF Health News:

1. Tradeoffs
2. An Arm and a Leg
3. Health Affairs This Week
4. Public Health On Call
5. The Ezra Klein Show

How many episodes of What the Health? From KFF Health News are there?

What the Health? From KFF Health News launched 9 years ago and published 472 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on What the Health? From KFF Health News?

Recent guests on What the Health? From KFF Health News include:

1. Michelle Andrews
2. Dr. Aaron Carroll
3. Tami Luhby
4. Sabrina Corlette
5. Dean Rosen
6. Mark Cuban
7. Paula Andalo
8. Andy Kim

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