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\tJulie Rovner
\n\tKFF Health News<\/p>\n
\t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\tJulie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News\u2019 weekly health policy news podcast, \u201cWhat the Health?\u201d A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book \u201cHealth Care Politics and Policy A to Z,\u201d now in its third edition.\t\t<\/p>\n Open enrollment for health plans under the Affordable Care Act began Nov. 1, yet it remains unclear how much the estimated 24 million Americans who purchase from the ACA marketplaces will be expected to pay in premiums starting in January. Unless Congress acts to extend tax credits added to the program in 2021, most consumers will be expected to contribute much more out-of-pocket; in some cases, double or triple what they are paying in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n The politics of this year\u2019s ACA fight are also complicated. Democrats are using the only leverage they have \u2014 a government shutdown \u2014 to try to force Republicans to negotiate over the expiring ACA tax credits. Yet many, if not most, of the people who will face much higher premiums in 2026 are from GOP-dominated states such as Texas and Florida, and belong to professions that tend to be more Republican than Democratic, such as farmers and ranchers, or small-business owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n In this special episode of \u201cWhat the Health?\u201d from KFF Health News and WAMU, host Julie Rovner talks to Cynthia Cox, a vice president at KFF and the director of its Program on the ACA. Cox explains what the nation\u2019s health system looked like before the passage of the health law, how it has contributed to lower health spending and better insurance coverage, and the peculiar politics of the current fight.<\/p>\n \t\t\t \tCynthia Cox \t\t\t \tTaylor Cook \tStephanie Stapleton Click here to find all our podcasts.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n And subscribe to \u201cWhat the Health? From KFF Health News\u201d on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, the NPR app<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Pocket Casts<\/a>, or wherever you listen to podcasts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@jrovner\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t@julierovner.bsky.social\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Julie’s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tGuest\t<\/h3>\n
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\n\tKFF<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tRead Cynthia’s bio.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\tCredits\t<\/h3>\n
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