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\tJulie Rovner
\n\tKFF Health News<\/p>\n
\t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\tJulie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News\u2019 weekly health policy news podcast, \u201cWhat the Health?\u201d A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book \u201cHealth Care Politics and Policy A to Z,\u201d now in its third edition.\t\t<\/p>\n Confusion continues to reign at the Department of Health and Human Services, where policies seem to be changing at a breakneck pace even before a new secretary or other senior officials are confirmed by the Senate. Some federal grantees report payments are still paused, outside communications are still canceled, and many workers are being threatened with layoffs if they don\u2019t accept a buyout offer that some observers call legally dubious.<\/p>\n \u00a0Meanwhile, that new HHS secretary may soon arrive, given the Senate Finance Committee approved Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s nomination this week on a party-line vote \u2014 including an \u201caye\u201d vote from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a doctor who had strongly condemned Kennedy\u2019s anti-vaccine activism.<\/p>\n \u00a0This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post.<\/p>\n \t\t\t \tAlice Miranda Ollstein \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \tLauren Weber \t\t\t \t\t\t Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News\u2019 Julie Appleby, who reported the latest \u201cBill of the Month<\/a>\u201d feature about a young woman, a grandfathered health plan, and a $14,000 IUD. If you have an outrageous or baffling medical bill you\u2019d like to share with us, you can do that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n Plus, for \u201cextra credit,\u201d the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:\u00a0<\/p>\n Julie Rovner:<\/strong> The New York Times\u2019 \u201cHow R.F.K. Jr. and \u2018Medical Freedom\u2019 Rose to Power<\/a>,\u201d on \u201cThe Daily\u201d podcast.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Lauren Weber:<\/strong> CNN\u2019s \u201cHuman Brain Samples Contain an Entire Spoon\u2019s Worth of Nanoplastics, Study Says<\/a>,\u201d by Sandee LaMotte.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Alice Miranda Ollstein:<\/strong> The Washington Post\u2019s \u201cDid RFK Jr. or Michelle Obama Say It About Food? Take Our Quiz<\/a>,\u201d by Lauren Weber.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n \tFrancis Ying \tEmmarie Huetteman To hear all our podcasts,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n And subscribe to KFF Health News\u2019 \u201cWhat the Health?\u201d on\u00a0Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0Apple Podcasts<\/a>,\u00a0Pocket Casts<\/a>, or wherever you listen to podcasts.<\/em><\/p>\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@jrovner\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Julie’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tPanelists\t<\/h3>\n
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\n\tPolitico<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@AliceOllstein\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Alice’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Washington Post<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@LaurenWeberHP\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Lauren’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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\n\tEditor <\/p>\nUSE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n