the host
Repeal of the Affordable Care Act appears to be off Congressional Republican to-do lists for 2023, but plans to cut Medicare and Medicaid are back. Republicans want Democrats to agree to cut spending on both programs in exchange for a vote to prevent the government from defaulting on its debt.
Meanwhile, the country’s health workers, from nurses to doctors to pharmacists, are aware not only of the growing number of insured patients seeking care, but also of the more serious conditions that are difficult to treat and sometimes even violent. I feel the burden of caring for sick patients.
This week’s panelists are KHN’s Julie Rovner, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico’s Joanne Kenen, CNN’s Tami Luhby, and Axios’ Victoria Knight.
This week’s episode takeaways:
- Conservative House Republicans hope to use the new legislative power to cut government spending.
- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Republicans would protect Medicare and Social Security, but the elevation of conservative agitators like the new chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee meant that those programs would be “protected” for Republicans. It raises questions about what it means to “do”.
- A record number of Americans were insured under the Affordable Care Act this year. Years after Republicans in Congress last tried to repeal it, the once highly controversial program, also known as Obamacare, appears to be following in the footsteps of other established federal qualification programs. .
- A recent report found that Americans had less trouble paying for medical care last year, but many still delay treatment because of the cost. It emphasizes that having insurance alone is not enough to keep care affordable.
- Nursing strikes in New York City and recent reports of pharmacist burnout have prompted health care workers to demand better staffing. There is a bipartisan agreement in Congress to address the nurse shortage, but what they will do is another matter.
Plus, as extra credit, the panelists recommended their favorite health policy articles of the week that they think you should read.
Julie Robner: Roll Call “NIH Missing Top Leadership at Start of a Divided Congress” by Ariel Cohen
Tamil Bee: CNN’s “ER on the Field: An Inside Look at How NFL Medical Teams Prepare for Gameday Emergencies,” by Nadia Counan and Amanda Seeley
Joanne Kennen: The Atlantic’s “Don’t Fear the Handshake” by Catherine J. Wu
Victoria Knight: “The ‘Last of Us’ Zombie Germs Are Real and Found in Dietary Supplements,” Mike Hume, The Washington Post
Also mentioned in this week’s podcast:
New York Times “Older workers are confused as France delays retirement” Liz Alderman
“Congressional Medicare Advisors Warn of Higher Drug Prices Despite New Price Negotiations,” by John Wilkerson in Stats
Click here to listen to all podcasts.
And subscribe to KHN’s What the Health? Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
