KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Trump Turns To Medicare


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President Donald Trump tried to change the subject from his impeachment investigation by going to Florida to unveil changes to the Medicare program before an audience of seniors. The changes consist largely of enhanced benefits in private Medicare Advantage plans, which Republicans have long championed as replacements for government-run Medicare benefits.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration this week also issued guidance allowing states to add “wellness” programs to plans on the individual insurance market. The program, part of the original Affordable Care Act, was never implemented by the Obama administration. However, numerous studies have shown that wellness programs that raise or lower premiums based on participation or health goals neither save money nor improve health significantly.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call.

Among the takeaways from this week’s podcast:

Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Cara Anthony, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a biopsy that was more expensive than expected. If you have an outrageous medical bill you would like to share with us, you can do that here.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too:

Julie Rovner: NPR’s “Workers Are Falling Ill, Even Dying, After Making Kitchen Countertops,” by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Alice Miranda Ollstein: AL.com and ProPublica’s “These Sheriffs Release Sick Inmates to Avoid Paying Their Hospital Bills,” by Connor Sheets

Kimberly Leonard: The Los Angeles Times’ “The FDA Tried to Ban Flavors Years Before the Vaping Outbreak. Top Obama Officials Rejected the Plan,” by Emily Baumgaertner

Rebecca Adams: The Washington Post’s “With the Affordable Care Act’s Future in Doubt, Evidence Grows That It Has Saved Lives,” by Amy Goldstein


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This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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