Congress is once again considering whether to renew the enhanced premium subsidies for health insurance plans offered through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These subsidies, which were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, expired at the end of 2025. As a result, over 20 million Americans are now facing significantly higher out-of-pocket costs for their health coverage.
At the same time, changes have been announced to the federal vaccine schedule for children. The Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has reduced the number of diseases covered by recommended vaccines from 17 to 11.
These topics were discussed on this week's episode of "What the Health?", a weekly health policy podcast hosted by Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News. Joining Rovner were Sarah Karlin-Smith from Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein from Politico, and Lauren Weber from The Washington Post.
The panelists highlighted several stories for further reading. Julie Rovner pointed to Fred Schulte's article in KFF Health News titled "Advertisements Promising Patients a 'Dream Body' With Minimal Risk Get Little Scrutiny." Alice Miranda Ollstein suggested SFGate's report "A Calif. Teen Trusted ChatGPT for Drug Advice. He Died From an Overdose," by Lester Black and Stephen Council. Sarah Karlin-Smith referenced ProPublica's piece "The End of Aid: Trump Destroyed USAID. What Happens Now?" by Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy. Lauren Weber recommended The Washington Post article "How RFK Jr. Upended the Public Health System," authored by Rachel Roubein, Lena H. Sun, and Lauren Weber.
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