Health Spending Is Moving in Congress

The host

Congress appears poised to approve a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services for the first time in years — not counting the drastic cuts proposed by the Trump administration. Lawmakers are also poised to pass a health measure, including new rules for prescription drug middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers, that was delayed for more than a year after complaints from Elon Musk, who was preparing at the time to join the new Trump administration.

However, Congress appears less enthusiastic about the health policy outlines released last week by President Donald Trump, which include a handful of proposals that lawmakers have rejected in the past.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times and Paige Winfield Cunningham of the Washington Post.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

• Congress is poised to pass a new appropriations bill for HHS, with current short-term funding set to expire next week. The bill provides a small increase for some agencies and, notably, does not include the significant cuts requested by Trump. But with the administration’s stated willingness to ignore congressionally mandated spending, the question arises: Will Trump follow Congress’ instructions on how to spend the money?
• A health plan with bipartisan support is expected to accompany the spending bill, after being abandoned in late 2024 under pressure from Musk, then a Trump adviser. However, the president’s recently released list of health care priorities is largely not reflected in the package. The GOP faces midterm headwinds after allowing the Affordable Care Act’s expanded premium tax credits to expire, a change expected to cost many Americans their health insurance.
• A year into the second Trump administration, its policies are particularly evident in the political takeover of the nation’s public health infrastructure, the growing number of uninsured Americans, and the rampant brain drain in U.S.-based scientific research.
• And Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired members of a committee overseeing the federal vaccine injury compensation program. Kennedy is expected to reconstitute the panel in an effort to expand the list of injuries for which the government will compensate Americans. The current list does not include autism.

Also this week, Rovner interviews oncologist and bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel to discuss his new book, Eat your ice cream: six simple rules for a long and healthy life.

And KFF Health News’ annual Health Policy Valentines contest is now open. You can enter the competition here.

Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy articles they read this week that they think you should also read:

Julie Rovner: “Minnesota Residents Delay Medical Care for Fear of Encountering ICE” from CIDRAP, by Liz Szabo.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg: “Rolling Stone’s HHS Awarded $1.6 Million Grant to Controversial Vaccine Study. These Emails Show How It Happened,” by Katherine Eban.

Paige Winfield Cunningham: “RFK Jr. Brings Together the GOP and the Trial Bar” from Politico, by Amanda Chu.

Sandhya Raman: “ICE Stopped Paying for Detainees’ Medical Treatment,” by Judd Legum.

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