The bipartisan budget deal that passed the U.S. Congress this week includes enough health policy changes to keep reporters and analysts busy for months.

In addition to renewing funding for community health centers for two more years, the bill extends funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program for four years beyond the six approved last month, repeals the controversial (but never implemented) Independent Payment Advisory Board for Medicare and permanently repeals Medicare’s caps on certain types of outpatient therapy.

Also, the final enrollment numbers for individual insurance purchased under the Affordable Care Act came out this week. Spoiler: They are higher than most analysts expected.

Plus, Andy Slavitt, former acting head of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Barack Obama, talks about his new group, the United States of Care.

This week’s panelists for Kaiser Health News’ “What the Health?” are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times.

Among the takeaways from this week’s podcast:

• The budget bill signed by President Donald Trump on 9 February provides a lot of funding for health programs, but it also takes money away from others. It takes a big chunk of funding out of the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund and raises premiums for some wealthier Medicare beneficiaries.
• That bill could make a number of changes to how Medicare works, including some new rules for accountable care organizations and more flexibility in telemedicine rules.
• Trump’s proposed budget for next year, which came out on 12 February, offers a number of options to bring down drug prices. Some of them might be possible through the regulation process rather than requiring congressional action.
• A data analysis this week of the Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollment numbers points out big variations among states.
• The panel takes on a listener’s question about the possibility that states could let insurers charge higher premiums to marketplace customers who didn’t have insurance before.
• In the recent debate about the administration’s approval of work requirements for some Medicaid enrollees, officials often talk about ‘able-bodied’ adults. That term has little definition and goes back to Elizabethan England.
• Plus, for ‘extra credit,’ the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner:
Vox, “Why a Simple, Lifesaving Rabies Shot Can Cost $10,000 in America,” by Sarah Kliff

Alice Ollstein:
The New York Times, “In Sweeping War On Obesity, Chile Slays Tony The Tiger,” by Andrew Jacobs

Joanne Kenen:
Politico, “Trump’s Controversial New Health Care Idea,” by Sarah Karlin-Smith

Margot Sanger-Katz:
Harvard Business Review, “What Could Amazon’s Approach to Health Care Look Like,” by Robert S. Huckman

To hear all of Kaiser Health News’ podcasts, click here. And subscribe to “What the Health?” on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play.

This story originally appeared on Kaiser Health News. It has been slightly modified to reflect Spectrum’s style. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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