logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
42m 13s

Harris in the Spotlight

KFF Health News
About this episode

For the 2024 campaign, Joe Biden is out, and Kamala Harris is in. As the vice president makes moves toward the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, health policy is resurging as a campaign issue. Meanwhile, Congress tries — and again fails — to make timely progress on the annual government spending bills as abortion issues cause delays.


Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Stephanie Armour of KFF Health News, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.


Also this week, Rovner interviews Anthony Wright, the new executive director of Families USA, about his plans for the organization and his history working with Harris on health topics. 


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

Julie Rovner: NPR’s “A Study Finds That Dogs Can Smell Your Stress — And Make Decisions Accordingly,” by Rachel Treisman.  

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Stat’s “A Pricey Gilead HIV Drug Could Be Made for Dramatically Less Than the Company Charges,” by Ed Silverman, and Politico’s “Federal HIV Program Set To Wind Down,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein and David Lim. 

Stephanie Armour: Vox’s “Free Medical School Won’t Solve the Doctor Shortage,” by Dylan Scott.  

Rachel Cohrs Zhang: Stat’s “How UnitedHealth Harnesses Its Physician Empire To Squeeze Profits out of Patients,” by Bob Herman, Tara Bannow, Casey Ross, and Lizzy Lawrence. 






Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Aug 21
Happy 60th, Medicare and Medicaid!
This summer marks the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, the twin government programs that have shaped the health care system into what it is today. In this special episode, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two experts on the history, significance, and future of t ... Show More
56m 19s
Aug 14
Trump Further Politicizes Science
President Donald Trump’s latest executive order about science and medicine seeks to take funding decisions out of the hands of career scientists and give them to political appointees instead. And a gunman, reportedly disgruntled over covid vaccines, shoots at the headquarters of ... Show More
40m 2s
Aug 7
Kennedy Cancels Vaccine Funding
The Health and Human Services secretary is winding down nearly $500 million in mRNA research funding, citing false claims that the technology is ineffective against respiratory illnesses — and notching a victory for critics of the covid vaccines. And President Donald Trump is dem ... Show More
23m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
What Does Harris Need to do to Win?
It's been a cathartic week in Chicago for Democrats, who will wrap their convention tonight with the historic nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris. But well before the last balloon falls, Democrats are steeling themselves for a tough fight ahead, especially when it comes to ... Show More
1h 1m
Jul 2024
Smear Factory Fact Check (feat. Rep. Gloria Johnson)
Wednesday, July 24th 2024Today, fact checking claims and combating misinformation about Kamala Harris; the Trump Campaign has filed a complaint with the FEC over Harris taking over the Biden war chest; the Harris Campaign has requested VP vetting materials for a short list of pot ... Show More
1h 1m
Aug 2024
Harris Chooses Walz
Earlier this summer, few Democrats could have identified Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.But, in a matter of weeks, Mr. Walz has garnered an enthusiastic following in his party, particularly among the liberals who cheer on his progressive policies. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Ha ... Show More
32m 55s
Aug 2024
Money surges into the Harris campaign
Israel’s military launched a wave of air strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday, small-dollar donations surged to Kamala Harris’s campaign after she replaced Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket, and the world’s largest aerospace and defence companies are set to rake in record level ... Show More
11m 54s
Aug 2024
The Story of Kamala Harris
Over the next few days at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination and reintroduce herself to American voters.Astead W. Herndon, a national politics reporter and the host of the politics podcast “The Run-Up,” talks throug ... Show More
42m 22s
Sep 2024
Scenes From A Dystopian Film
Monday, September 9th, 2024Today, a North Carolina court ruling on RFK Jr. disrupts mail in voting; DeSantis’ election police questioned people who signed abortion petitions; NPR names the Trump staffers who assaulted the Arlington Cemetery employee; veterans are turning away fro ... Show More
53m 44s
Jul 2024
Kamala Harris takes the stage
The US Congress interrogated its Secret Service chief yesterday, and Kamala Harris is gearing up her prospective presidential campaign. Plus, the FT’s Christian Davies explains how Samsung’s labour crisis is complicating its efforts to capitalise on a booming market for semicondu ... Show More
11m 9s
Aug 2024
Who Is Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ Pick for Vice President?
P.M. Edition for Aug. 6. Presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris taps Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election. WSJ reporter Ken Thomas breaks down his political record. And markets stabilized after Monday’s losses, but investors remain b ... Show More
13m 46s
Aug 2024
What kind of Democrat should Kamala Harris be?
The last two Democratic presidents took distinct approaches toward leading their party and the nation. New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait explains why he thinks Kamala Harris should embrace Barack Obama’s style of governance over Joe Biden’s.This episode was produced by Miles Bry ... Show More
27m 38s
Jul 2024
The New Hope, and New Worry, of Kamala Harris
As Democrat after Democrat races to anoint Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s presidential candidate, it has become clear that she will face no real challenge for the nomination.Nate Cohn, chief political analyst for The Times, and Reid J. Epstein, a Times reporter cov ... Show More
25m 58s