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In President Donald Trump鈥檚 second term, federal data shows, the National Institutes of Health has lost about 4,400 workers. Scientists say the departures harm the nation鈥檚 ability to respond to disease outbreaks, develop treatments, and confront public health problems. 吃瓜不打烊 spoke with six scientists about why they left.
A federal judge in Massachusetts this week sided with public health groups to block changes to the federally recommended schedule of childhood vaccines, dealing at least a temporary setback to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 efforts to remake the schedule. Meanwhile, Congress has put its debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act on the back burner, but the issue of rising health care costs is still front and center for the voting public. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman to kick off a new series looking at health care solutions, called 鈥淗ow Would You Fix It?鈥
On 鈥淲hat the Health? From 吃瓜不打烊,鈥 distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and host Julie Rovner sat down with Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF, to talk about the likelihood of a national health care debate.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had another tough week. In addition to Kennedy having rotator cuff surgery, the nomination of his ally to become surgeon general is teetering, the controversial head of the FDA's vaccine center is resigning next month, and a new survey shows Americans trust government health officials less than they do former Biden official Anthony Fauci. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Government data shows the National Institutes of Health lost about 4,400 people 鈥 more than 20% of its staff 鈥 as the Trump administration slashed the federal workforce. Hear from six scientists on why they walked out the door and the work they left behind.
Cancer treatments, disease outbreaks, addiction science: Scientists say an exodus from the National Institutes of Health will harm the nation's ability to respond to illness.
This month is 40 years since host Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for 吃瓜不打烊, began reporting on health policy in Washington. To mark the anniversary, Rovner is joined by two longtime sources to discuss what has 鈥 and has not 鈥 changed since 1986.
President Donald Trump鈥檚 immigration crackdown in Minneapolis forced families into hiding and catalyzed informal medical networks to deliver critical health care services.
2026 has been a challenging year to buy health insurance. Contributing factors include changes to the Medicaid program and hikes to the cost of Obamacare plans. But doctors and researchers say there are ways people without insurance can find affordable care.
Mobile crisis units are trained to respond to emergency calls when people are experiencing delusions or hallucinations. But unlike police departments, which are generally funded by local taxpayers, mobile crisis teams don鈥檛 have a single, reliable funding source. As a result, some are closing down, despite successful operations and local support.
A Massachusetts woman knew the medicine her doctor prescribed required preauthorization, but she didn鈥檛 realize the approval had an expiration date. It took nearly three weeks of phone calls and paperwork to get her prescription refilled.
Health care got barely a mention in President Trump鈥檚 State of the Union address. Ahead of the midterms, the Trump administration has presented few concrete plans to address what Americans say is the biggest problem with health care: its skyrocketing costs. Meanwhile, Trump鈥檚 pick for surgeon general, Casey Means, got her long-delayed nomination hearing in the Senate, where she faced skeptical questions from Democrats and Republicans alike. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.
Louisiana is one of the worst-performing states when it comes to health outcomes of mothers and infants. New Orleans is trying to catch health issues early and get families off to an easier start by adding health visits during the crucial first months of life.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized the broadening use of anxiety medications, claiming they鈥檙e harmful. Doctors and researchers say the MAHA movement is misrepresenting drugs that have been proved to safely treat chronic anxiety and point to broader social changes to explain their increased use.
The twists and turns continue at the nation鈥檚 health agency, where this week鈥檚 announcements included notice that the FDA will review Moderna鈥檚 new flu vaccine after all and that a handful of top agency officials are getting new jobs. Those developments and others can be traced to a White House looking to shake things up before the midterms 鈥 and win over voters on health care. Tami Luhby of CNN, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more.
Ron Lieber, the 鈥淵our Money鈥 columnist for The New York Times, shares ideas about how insurance companies, doctors, and patients can better handle prior authorization denials.
When the doctor says you need a prescription or treatment, sometimes you need approval from your health insurance first. Without it, they won鈥檛 pay. Health reporter Sarah Boden joins 鈥淟ife Kit鈥 host Marielle Segarra to discuss prior authorization.
It鈥檚 been a busy week at the FDA, with a political appointee overruling agency scientists to reject an application for a new flu vaccine. Meanwhile, anti-abortion Republicans on Capitol Hill complain the agency is dragging its feet on reviewing the abortion pill mifepristone. Jackie Forti茅r of 吃瓜不打烊, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
With fractures emerging in the Make America Great Again movement, some Republicans are looking to capitalize on its 鈥淢AHA鈥 counterpart ahead of the midterms.
PrEP has been available for more than a decade, but billing mistakes, lack of awareness, and lingering stigma keep many people from getting the lifesaving HIV prevention medication.
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