{"id":2144642,"date":"2026-01-22T14:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/?p=2144642&post_type=podcast&preview_id=2144642"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:06:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T23:06:32","slug":"what-the-health-430-congress-hhs-funding-health-policy-bill-january-22-2026","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/podcast\/what-the-health-430-congress-hhs-funding-health-policy-bill-january-22-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Health? From KFF Health News: Health Spending Is Moving in Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\t\tThe Host\t<\/h3>\n\t\t
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Julie Rovner<\/div>\n\t
KFF Health News<\/div>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t@jrovner\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\tRead Julie's stories.\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tJulie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News\u2019 weekly health policy news podcast, "What the Health?" A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book "Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z," now in its third edition.\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Congress appears ready to approve a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services for the first time in years \u2014 minus the dramatic cuts proposed by the Trump administration. Lawmakers are also nearing passage of a health measure, including new rules for prescription drug middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, that has been delayed for more than a year after complaints from Elon Musk, who at the time was preparing to join the incoming Trump administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Congress seems less enthusiastic about the health policy outline released by President Donald Trump last week, which includes a handful of proposals that lawmakers have rejected in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sandhya Raman<\/div>\n\t
CQ Roll Call<\/div>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t@SandhyaWrites\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\tRead Sandhya's stories.\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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Sheryl Gay Stolberg<\/div>\n\t
The New York Times<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\tRead Sheryl's stories.\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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Paige Winfield Cunningham<\/div>\n\t
The Washington Post<\/div>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t@pw_cunningham\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\tRead Paige's stories.\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n\n\n\n