The Host
Julie Rovner KFF Well being Information
@julierovner.bsky.social
Learn Julie’s tales.
Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Well being Information’ weekly well being coverage information podcast, “What the Well being?” A famous professional on well being coverage points, Julie is the writer of the critically praised reference e-book “Well being Care Politics and Coverage A to Z,” now in its third version.
The Meals and Drug Administration is again within the headlines, with a political appointee overruling company scientists to reject an software from the drugmaker Moderna for a brand new flu vaccine, and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary persevering with to take criticism from anti-abortion Republicans within the Senate for alleged delays reviewing the security of the abortion capsule mifepristone.
In the meantime, in a not possible pairing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat, and Sen. Josh Hawley, the conservative Republican from Missouri, are co-sponsoring laws aimed toward breaking apart the “vertical integration” of well being care — when a single firm owns well being insurers, drug middlemen, and clinician practices.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Jackie Fortiér of KFF Well being Information, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.
Panelists
Jackie Fortiér
KFF Well being Information
Lizzy Lawrence
STAT Information
@lizzylawrence.bsky.social
Prepared Lizzy’s tales.
Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico
@alicemiranda.bsky.social
Learn Alice’s tales.
Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:
- A high FDA official overruled company employees in refusing to contemplate Moderna’s software for a brand new flu vaccine. The rejection, which Moderna is difficult, comes after the corporate consulted with the company below President Joe Biden on the right way to develop the scientific trial for the vaccine after which spent appreciable money and time. Clear, constant federal steerage is vital to sustaining the drug growth ecosystem, and the choice stands as a warning to different corporations growing new remedies.
- With measles circumstances rising and belief in federal vaccine suggestions falling, the Vaccine Integrity Challenge, based mostly on the College of Minnesota’s Middle for Infectious Illness Analysis & Coverage, and the American Medical Affiliation are launching their very own vaccine assessment course of — a parallel vaccine advice venture providing an alternative choice to what are seen as ideologically pushed federal suggestions.
- President Donald Trump unveiled the brand new TrumpRx web site, billed as serving to individuals lower your expenses on pharmaceuticals. However the web site’s choices are restricted and provide restricted advantages: It serves solely these making an attempt to purchase medicine with out insurance coverage protection, and among the largest financial savings are on well-liked weight problems medicine relatively than different generally wanted remedies. Nonetheless, it affords Trump an opportunity to stamp his title on an effort to decrease drug costs.
- And extra reporting is illuminating the health-related uncomfortable side effects of Trump’s immigration crackdown, together with infectious illness outbreaks at detention facilities. Whereas not less than among the issues should not new to immigration enforcement, the big numbers of individuals being detained are intensifying the issues.
Plus, for “further credit score” the panelists counsel well being coverage tales they learn this week that they suppose you must learn, too:
Julie Rovner: ProPublica’s “The Youngsters of Dilley,” by Mica Rosenberg.
Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico’s “Why Washington’s All-In on Good Rings,” by Amanda Chu.
Lizzy Lawrence: KFF Well being Information’ “US Most cancers Institute Finding out Ivermectin’s ‘Skill To Kill Most cancers Cells,’” by Rachana Pradhan.
Jackie Fortier: Stat’s “The New Childhood Vaccine Tips Have a Paid Depart Downside,” by Ariana Hendrix.
Additionally talked about on this week’s episode:
- Stat’s “Prasad Overruled FDA Workers To Reject Moderna’s Flu Vaccine Utility,” by Lizzy Lawrence.
- KFF Well being Information’ “Public Well being Employees Are Quitting Over Assignments to Guantánamo,” by Amy Maxmen.
- KFF Well being Information’ “‘I Can’t Inform You’: Attorneys, Relations Wrestle To Discover Hospitalized ICE Detainees,” by Claudia Boyd-Barrett.
Credit
Francis Ying Audio producer Emmarie Huetteman Editor
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