KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Abortion Heats Up Presidential Race

The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie's stories. 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.

The change at the top of the likely Democratic presidential ticket is prompting both abortion rights and anti-abortion organizations to recalibrate their campaigns, even as they fight over finalizing fall ballot proposals in many states.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trumps campaign is trying to distance itself from Project 2025, the controversial plan reportedly designed for the next GOP administration and put together by the conservative Heritage Foundation and former Trump administration officials. Although the head of the projects policy arm was pushed out this week, the part of the project creating a database of Trump loyalists to staff a potential new administration remains up and running.

This weeks panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet. Panelists Sarah Karlin-Smith Pink Sheet @SarahKarlin Read Sarah's stories. Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico @AliceOllstein Read Alice's stories. Lauren Weber The Washington Post @LaurenWeberHP Read Lauren's stories.

Among the takeaways from this weeks episode: Vice President Kamala Harris is promising to restore reproductive freedom if elected president; her campaign says that means restoring the constitutional right to an abortion under Roe v. Wade. Despite that goal having slim prospects in Congress, some abortion rights supporters are hoping the federal government would expand abortion access even beyond Roe under her presidency. President Joe Biden this week recommended a sweeping overhaul of the Supreme Court, including term limits for justices. Famously an institutionalist, Biden stopped short of embracing the progressive call to add more justices to the high court. Nonetheless, his proposal has been considered politically dangerous, even as the conservative-tilted court has overturned its own precedents and shrugged at its ethics policies and shifts in the national conversation about the court could have a long-term effect. The Trump campaigns attempts to distance itself from the controversial ideas of Heritages Project 2025 are more savvy marketing than anything: Even without adopting the document, the conservative policy personnel behind it could well become the conservative policy personnel of a second Trump administration. GOP state officials and anti-abortion groups are launching their next attempts to block potential abortion rights victories at the ballot box. The next few weeks will reveal whether voters in certain influential states like Arizona and Florida weigh in on abortion this fall.

Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News Elisabeth Rosenthal, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR Bill of the Month installment about a preauthorized surgery that generated a six-figure bill. Email Sign-Up

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

Julie Rovner: The Washington Posts Online Portals Deliver Scary Health News Before Doctors Can Weigh In, by Fenit Nirappil.  

Alice Miranda Ollstein: ProPublicas A Lab Test That Experts Liken to a Witch Trial Is Helping Send Women to Prison for Murder, by Duaa Eldeib.  

Lauren Weber: The Tributarys Testimony: Florida Wrongly Cut People From Medicaid Due to Computer Error, Bad Data, by Charlie McGee.  

Sarah Karlin-Smith: KFF Health News Why Many Nonprofit (Wink, Wink) Hospitals Are Rolling in Money, by Elisabeth Rosenthal; and The Hollywood Reporters New Yorks Largest Hospital System Is Setting Its Sights on the Entertainment Business, by Alex Weprin. 

Also mentioned on this weeks podcast:

Politicos States Break Out New Tactics To Thwart Abortion Ballot Measures, by Alice Miranda Ollstein. Credits Francis Ying Audio producer Emmarie Huetteman Editor

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And subscribe to KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Related Topics Courts Elections Medicare Multimedia Abortion Audio KFF Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcasts Reproductive Health Women's Health Contact Us Submit a Story Tip