The government shutdown continues with no obvious end in sight, and while it theoretically should not affect entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid, the lapse of some related authorizations — like for Medicare telehealth programs — is leaving some doctors and patients high and dry. Meanwhile, the FDA quietly approved a new generic abortion pill, prompting a not-so-quiet reaction from anti-abortion groups. 

Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sarah Grusin of the National Health Law Program about the GOP’s misleading claims that Democrats shut down the government in pursuit of free health care for immigrants who are in the country illegally.   

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 Post’s “How Some Veterans Exploit $193 Billion VA Program, Due to Lax Controls,” by Craig Whitlock, Lisa Rein, and Caitlin Gilbert.  

Tami Luhby: The Washington Post’s “Trump Plan Would Limit Disability Benefits for Older Americans,” by Meryl Kornfield and Lisa Rein.  

Sarah Karlin-Smith: The New York Times’ “It’s Just a Virus, the E.R. Told Him. Days Later, He Was Dead,” by Lisa Miller.  

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The 19th’s “Ice Fears Put Pregnant Immigrants and Their Babies at Risk” by Mel Leonor Barclay and Shefali Luthra.

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