The Host
Julie Rovner
KHN
Julie’s stories are worth reading.
Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KHN’s 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.
A number of states have taken on the daunting task of determining whether the 85 million Americans who are currently enrolled in the Medicaid program and receiving coverage under their health insurance policies are still eligible. States were required to ensure that all enrollees had coverage during the pandemic in order to receive federal covid-19 relief funds. As many as 15 million people could be struck from the program’s rolls — many of whom are still eligible, or are eligible for other programs and need to be steered to them.
The Medicare trustees report that the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will be solvent through 2031, three more years than was projected last year. While this allows lawmakers to postpone difficult political decisions that they may regret, they will ultimately have to face them.
