Headless FDA Gets a New Nominee

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Julie Rovner

KFF Health News

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@julierovner.bsky.social

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Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ 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.

Heidi Overton, a physician and White House domestic policy adviser, is President Donald Trump’s choice to be the next head of the Food and Drug Administration. Overton, an abortion opponent and supporter of Trump’s proposed changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, has made enemies while working on health policy from the White House and could face some tough questioning from senators.

Meanwhile, prescription drug prices are dropping for some people, and the wholesale retailer Costco is entering the Medicare market. Still, overall, the problem of healthcare being too expensive remains stubbornly hard to solve.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.

Panelists

Joanne Kenen

Johns Hopkins University and Politico

@JoanneKenen

@joannekenen.bsky.social

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Shefali Luthra

The 19th

@shefali.bsky.social

Read Shefali’s stories.

Alice Miranda Ollstein

Politico

@AliceOllstein

@alicemiranda.bsky.social

Read Alice’s stories.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

• Trump’s selection of Overton to lead the FDA is prompting concerns from a diverse crowd of skeptics that includes Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and adherents to the Make America Healthy Again movement. Her lack of managerial experience and history of controversial writings could be liabilities during the confirmation process, though Trump has a decent track record of clearing nominees through a hesitant Senate.
• Grant money continues to be held up at the National Institutes of Health pending political reviews, and new reporting sheds light on “zombie programs” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where money has been appropriated but there’s no staff to use it. Plus, the trend of declining childhood immunizations continues, with vaccine exemptions for kindergartners jumping to another high.
• New data shows the largest drop in prescription drug prices since the 1960s, and while the Trump administration is taking credit, it’s unclear what exactly caused it. Meanwhile, the federal government is investigating major health companies for allegedly dodging taxes or engaging in anticompetitive practices. And the wholesaler Costco is getting into the health insurance game, partnering with a nonprofit insurer to provide Medicare Advantage or Medigap plans in a few states.

Also this week, as part of the “How Would You Fix It?” series, Rovner interviews billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, who has already reshaped the generic drug market and now has his eye on the rest of the healthcare system.

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

Julie Rovner: Mother Jones’ “The Orwellian Company Behind ICE’s New Electric Shock Gloves,” by Sophie Hurwitz.

Shefali Luthra: The 19th’s “Tik Tok’s Fake GLP-1 Market Preys on Women Trying To Lose Weight,” by Barbara Rodriguez.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The Texas Observer’s “Texas Maternal Mortality Committee’s Next Report Will Skip Post-‘Roe’ Deaths. Lawmakers Suspect Political Influence,” by Mary Tuma.

Joanne Kenen: Politico’s “AI Slop Is Swamping a House Office That Drafts US Laws,” by Owen Dahlkamp.

Also mentioned in this week’s podcast:

• NOTUS’ “‘Graveyard for Grants’: NIH Is Holding Up Medical Research Funding,” by Paige Winfield Cunningham.
• The Associated Press’ “The CDC Has Zombie Programs. Congress Funds Them, but Few People Are Left To Do the Work,” by Mike Stobbe.
• KFF Health News’ “Kennedy’s Quiet Hunt for Autism Culprits Stalls as Trump Orders Baseless Changes to Childhood Shots,” by Amanda Seitz and Stephanie Armour.
• The Wall Street Journal’s “Costco Sells Vacations, Gas and, Soon, Medicare Plans,” by Anna Wilde Mathews.
• Stat’s “Epic’s Alleged Anticompetitive Practices Under Scrutiny From Federal, State Investigators,” by Casey Ross and Brittany Trang.
• Stat’s “UnitedHealth Faces IRS Probe Over Potential Tax Avoidance,” by Bob Herman.

Credits

Zach Dyer

Audio producer

Taylor Cook

Audio producer

Emmarie Huetteman

Editor

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This article first appeared on KFF Health News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.