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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
Trump Administration
Abortion
Congress
Supreme Court
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
FDA
Health Insurance
Mifepristone
Covid-19
Health Policy
Reproductive Health
Donald Trump
Health Care Policy
HHS
Department Of Health and Human Services

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.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes464Founded9 years ago
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Artwork for What the Health? From KFF Health News

Latest Episodes

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 Goldman of Axios, and Sandhya ... more

YouTube

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 further elevated the issue. 

Alice... more

YouTube

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 renewed their campaign against An... more

YouTube

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 ready comparable changes. 

Margo... more

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Recent Guests

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
Anna Edney
Bloomberg News reporter joining via video conference
Bloomberg News
Episode: States Start Their Medicaid Cuts
Sandhya Raman
Bloomberg Law reporter joining via video conference
Bloomberg Law
Episode: States Start Their Medicaid Cuts
Elizabeth Mitchell
President and CEO of the Purchaser Business Group on Health
Purchaser Business Group on Health
Episode: States Start Their Medicaid Cuts
Samantha Liss
KFF Health News journalist featured for Bill of the Month interview
KFF Health News
Episode: The Politics of Health at Midyear
Lizzy Lawrence
Statistics health policy reporter
Stat News
Episode: Supreme Court Makes Health Policy
Amanda Seitz
KFF Health News health policy correspondent
KFF Health News
Episode: Supreme Court Makes Health Policy
Elizabeth Fowler
Distinguished scholar at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; former CMS/Medicare official
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Episode: Democrats Keep Healthcare at Fore

Host

Julie Rovner
Host of the show; chief Washington correspondent with extensive policy reporting.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 646 ratings
  • 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 States2 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 States4 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 States6 months ago
  • Smug, oblivious, and incurious

    Typical legacy media outlet gaslighting people about what’s really in their best interest. Captured by big pharma, love to belittle thoughtful educated advocates for children as “anti-vaxxer”. 🤮

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    dancrash81
    United States8 months ago
  • Smart and accessible

    This podcast keeps me up to speed on health policy happenings in a really accessible way. Really admire Julie and the reporters she has on!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Accessible and informative
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

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

Thoughtful, data-driven coverage of health policy with accessible explanations.
High-quality guests and rigorous reporting that connects policy to real-world impacts.
Occasional perceived bias or partisan framing in some episodes, per listener reviews.
Trusted source for staying up-to-date on federal health policy and funding decisions.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
The Return of ‘Medicare for All’
Q: So how would this bill work?
The MediKids proposal guarantees health care from birth to 26 by automatic enrollment into Medicaid; it uses Medicaid as a base rather than creating a new bureaucracy, with a focus on continuous coverage and removing burdensome recertification paperwork.
Democrats Keep Healthcare at Fore
Q: Why do you think reforming this exclusion could be a starting point for broader health reform?
Because the exclusion drives a large portion of health coverage, especially for higher-income workers, reforming it could shift how benefits are structured, influence coverage stability across jobs, and potentially unlock other cost-control measures in the health system.
Democrats Keep Healthcare at Fore
Q: Can you explain what the Employer Health Insurance Tax Exclusion is and why it exists?
It began when Congress created a tax preference to exclude employer-provided health insurance from taxable income, boosting employer-sponsored coverage and shaping how people access health care, with the incentive often outweighing direct wage considerations.
More Kids Without Coverage
Q: So how is this different from, you worked in one of the past Ebola outbreaks. This one people seem to think is more serious than the last couple that we've seen.
Céline explains that the current outbreak resembles past patterns with urban spread and cross-border movement, but emphasizes greater regional risk, ongoing transmission risk, and the complications from weakened health infrastructure and policy changes.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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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-forward show that dissects health policy developments in Washington with a roundtable of experienced reporters and policy experts. Episodes routinely cover FDA leadership, Medicaid and ACA dynamics, vaccine policy, health care costs, and the interplay between politics and health outcomes, often featuring interviews with policy insiders and subject-matter experts. The pacing is brisk, the analysis is data-informed, and the panelists frequently translate complex legislation into actionable implications for patients and providers. A standout aspect is the blend of hard-edged reporting with accessible explainers and occasional longer-form interviews that contextualize policy changes through real-world patient experiences.

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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. Public Health On Call
3. An Arm and a Leg
4. The Daily
5. Why Should I Trust You?

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 464 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. Andy Kim
2. Bill Cassidy
3. Anna Edney
4. Sandhya Raman
5. Elizabeth Mitchell
6. Samantha Liss
7. Lizzy Lawrence
8. Amanda Seitz

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