Kff Health News' 'what The Health?': Kennedy Cancels Vaccine Funding

The host

Emmarie Huetteman KFF Health News Emmarie Huetteman, senior editor, oversees a squad of Washington reporters, arsenic good arsenic "Bill of nan Month" and KFF Health News' "What nan Health?" She antecedently spent much than a decade reporting connected nan national government, astir precocious covering astonishment aesculapian bills, supplier pricing reform, and different wellness argumentation debates successful Washington and connected nan run trail. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s announcement that nan national authorities will cancel astir $500 cardinal successful mRNA investigation backing is unnerving not only for those who create vaccines, but besides for nationalist wellness experts who spot nan exertion down nan first covid-19 shots arsenic nan nation's champion dream to combat a early pandemic.

And President Donald Trump is demanding that awesome pharmaceutical companies connection galore American patients nan aforesaid prices disposable to patients overseas. It isn't nan first clip he's made specified threats, and drugmakers — who scored a mates of wins against Medicare negotiations successful nan president's taxation and spending rule — are improbable to unpaid to driblet their prices.

This week's panelists are Emmarie Huetteman of KFF Health News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of nan Pink Sheet, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post.

Panelists

• Sarah Karlin-Smith Pink Sheet @SarahKarlin @sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social
• Sandhya Raman CQ Roll Call @SandhyaWrites @SandhyaWrites.bsky.social
•  Lauren Weber The Washington Post @LaurenWeberHP

Among nan takeaways from this week's episode:

• Explaining nan determination to cancel immoderate mRNA vaccine funding, a privilege for vaccine critics, Kennedy falsely claimed that nan exertion is ineffective against respiratory illnesses. Researchers person been making headway into mRNA vaccines for maladies specified arsenic vertebrate flu and moreover cancer, and nan Trump administration's guidance to backing vaccine improvement weakens nan prospects for early breakthroughs.
• Trump's insistence that big-name drugmakers voluntarily little their prices underscores really fewer devices nan presidency has to present results connected this important pocketbook rumor for galore Americans. Medicare's expertise to discuss supplier prices took a deed nether Trump's large tax-and-spending law, which included 2 provisions advocated by nan pharmaceutical manufacture that would hold aliases exclude immoderate costly narcotics from nan dealmaking process.
• A twelvemonth aft Trump promised connected nan run way to unafraid sum of successful vitro fertilization, nan White House reportedly is not readying to compel insurers to salary for those pricey reproductive services — a alteration that would require an enactment of Congress and could raise costs overall.
• And pinch Congress backmost location for its August recess and a precocious September deadline looming, nan yearly authorities backing process is successful advancement — but improbable to resoluteness quickly aliases cleanly. Senate appropriators are further on successful their activity than usual, but nan House of Representatives has yet to merchandise its version, which is expected to trim deeper and deed societal issues for illustration abortion harder.

Plus, for "extra credit" nan panelists propose wellness argumentation stories they publication (or wrote) this week that they deliberation you should read, too: 

Emmarie Huetteman: KFF Health News' "New Medicaid Federal Work Requirements Mean Less Leeway for States," by Katheryn Houghton and Bram Sable-Smith. 

Sarah Karlin-Smith: Slate's "Confessions of a Welfare Queen," by Maria Kefalas. 

Sandhya Raman: CQ Roll Call's "Sweden's Push for Smokeless Products Leads Some To Wonder About Risks," by Sandhya Raman. 

Lauren Weber: The New York Times' "'Hot Wasps' Found astatine Nuclear Facility successful South Carolina," by Emily Anthes. 

Also mentioned successful this week's podcast:

• The Washington Post's "How RFK Jr.'s mRNA Crackdown Affects Vaccinemaking and Future Pandemics," by Carolyn Y. Johnson and Lauren Weber.
• The AP's "Fact Focus: Trump Says He's Cut Drug Prices By Up to 1,500%. That's Not Possible," by Melissa Goldin.
• The Washington Post's "Medicare, Medicaid Plan To Experiment pinch Covering Weight Loss Drugs," by Paige Winfield Cunningham.
• The Washington Post's "White House Has No Plan To Mandate IVF Care, Despite Campaign Pledge," by Riley Beggin and Jeff Stein.

Credits

• Francis Ying Audio producer
• Stephanie Stapleton Editor