What Would a Second Trump Presidency Look Like for Health Care?
By Julie Rovner
January 16, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Health policy during Donald Trump’s tenure was dominated by covid-19 and a failed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. His appointments to the Supreme Court led to the end of national abortion rights, and he took steps to increase hospital price transparency and improve care for veterans.
Candidates Clashed But Avoided Talk of Abortion at 4th GOP Primary Debate
By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs
December 7, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Obamacare had its moment, but not until the faceoff’s final minutes. Front-runner Donald Trump again was not on the debate stage, leaving the other Republican presidential hopefuls to slug it out to break through and gain voters’ attention.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Our 300th Episode!
June 1, 2023
Podcast
When KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” podcast launched in 2017, Republicans in Washington were engaged in an (ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. The next six years would see a pandemic, increasingly unaffordable care, and a health care workforce experiencing unprecedented burnout. In the podcast’s 300th episode, host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explores the past and possible future of the U.S. health care system with three prominent “big thinkers” in health policy: Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania, Jeff Goldsmith of Health Futures, and Farzad Mostashari of Aledade.
With Trump Front of Mind, New Hampshire Voters Cite Abortion and Obamacare as Concerns
By Phil Galewitz
January 24, 2024
KFF Health News Original
New Hampshire’s primary election was dominated by voters’ feelings about Donald Trump. But health care remains a concern — and for Democrats, preserving abortion access is a priority.
America Worries About Health Costs — And Voters Want to Hear From Biden and Republicans
By Julie Appleby and Phil Galewitz
Updated March 8, 2024
Originally Published March 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The presidential election is likely to turn on the simple question of whether Americans want Donald Trump back in the White House. But health care tops the list of household financial worries for adults from both parties.
What Would a Nikki Haley Presidency Look Like for Health Care?
By Lauren Sausser
January 12, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s tenure in the Palmetto State — which overlapped with several tumultuous years of health care reform — and her recent comments offer clues to how her presidency might affect national health care policy.
Everything Old Is New Again? The Latest Round of Health Policy Proposals Reprises Existing Ideas
By Julie Appleby
July 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
House Republican legislation promises more health insurance options but fewer protections, even as the Biden administration seeks to rein in short-term plans, which were expanded in the Trump era.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Trump Puts Obamacare Repeal Back on Agenda
November 30, 2023
Podcast
Although Republicans have never united behind a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, 2024 GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump said this week he wants to put the issue back on the national agenda. That delights Democrats, who have won at least two elections partly by defending the now-popular health law. Meanwhile, the Texas Supreme Court takes up a case brought by women who say their pregnancy complications further endangered their health due to the vagueness of Texas’ near-total ban on abortions. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Victoria Knight of Axios News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Rachana Pradhan, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Democrats See Opportunity in GOP Threats to Repeal Health Law
December 7, 2023
Podcast
Sensing that Republicans are walking into a political minefield by threatening once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Biden administration is looking to capitalize by rolling out a series of initiatives aimed at high drug prices and other consequences of “corporate greed in health care.” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court hears a case that could determine when and how much victims of the opioid crisis can collect from Purdue Pharma, the drug company that lied about how addictive its drug, OxyContin, really was. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann of KFF Health News’ sister podcast, “An Arm and a Leg,” about his investigation into hospitals suing their patients over unpaid bills.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': A Not-So-Health-y GOP Debate
August 24, 2023
Podcast
The first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 cycle took place without front-runner Donald Trump — and with hardly a mention of health issues save for abortion. Meanwhile, in Florida, patients dropped from the Medicaid program are suing the state for not giving them enough notice or a way to contest their being dropped from the program. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Booster Time
August 19, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As the delta variant continues to spread around the U.S., the Biden administration is taking steps to authorize covid vaccine boosters, require nursing home workers to be vaccinated and protect school officials who want to require masks despite state laws banning those mandates. Meanwhile, the U.S. House is returning from its summer break early to start work on its giant budget bill, which includes a long list of health policy changes. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Back to the Future: Trump’s History of Promising a Health Plan That Never Comes
By Victoria Knight
August 13, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Even before he was elected, the president talked about a plan that would be released soon. Now he is saying the end of August.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Health Enters the Presidential Race
January 25, 2024
Podcast
New Hampshire voters have spoken, and it seems increasingly clear that this November’s election will pit President Joe Biden against former President Donald Trump. Both appear to be making health a key part of their campaigns, with Trump vowing (again) to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and Biden stressing his support for contraception and abortion rights. Meanwhile, both candidates will try to highlight efforts to rein in prescription drug prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sarah Somers of the National Health Law Program about the potential consequences for the health care system if the Supreme Court overturns a key precedent attempting to balance executive vs. judicial power.
Obamacare Takes A Back Seat In Midterm Campaign
October 21, 2022
Morning Briefing
After a decade of pledging to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, Republicans this year are not talking much about the health law. Meanwhile, efforts at the CDC to improve responses to crises are lagging.
Biden Quietly Transforms Medicaid Safety Net
By Noam N. Levey and Phil Galewitz
June 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
In a sharp shift from Trump-era policies, President Joe Biden looks at expanding Medicaid eligibility to new mothers, inmates and undocumented immigrants and adding services such as food and housing.
Biden’s Got a New Set of Orders for Obamacare. Is It His Last?
By Julie Appleby
December 1, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The Biden administration has issued its latest official wish list for Obamacare insurance plans, potentially one of the last major Affordable Care Act health policy efforts in the president’s first term. Changes on tap for 2025? For one, the administration wants states that run their own ACA marketplaces to crack down on what’s called “network […]
Opposition to Obamacare Becomes Political Liability for GOP Incumbents
By Markian Hawryluk
August 28, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Control of the U.S. Senate this election hinges on a handful of vulnerable GOP incumbents. Their opposition to the Affordable Care Act could be their undoing.
Trump Administration Approves First Medicaid Block Grant, in Tennessee
By Phil Galewitz
January 8, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The plan, long endorsed by conservatives, would give the state broad authority in running the health insurance program for the poor in exchange for capping its annual federal funding.
Why Biden Has a Chance to Cut Deals With Red State Holdouts on Medicaid
By Noam N. Levey
February 17, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The pandemic and economic crisis give states new incentives to extend health coverage to their uninsured residents.
Democratic Convention, Night 2: Defending the ACA and Attacking Trump on Pandemic
August 19, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Democrats continued the virtual extravaganza. Health care was a hot topic.