Democratic negotiators on Capitol Hill appear to be nearing a compromise on President Joe Biden’s social spending agenda, spurred partly by Democratic losses on Election Day in Virginia. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court hints it might allow abortion providers to sue Texas over its restrictive new ban. But the relief, if it comes, could be short-lived if the court uses a second case, challenging a law in Mississippi, to weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade.

Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Rae Ellen Bichell, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about an emergency bill for a nonemergency birth.

And here are the panelists' favorite health policy stories of the week:

Julie Rovner: KHN’s “Labs With No One to Run Them: Why Public Health Workers Are Fleeing the Field,” by Anna Maria Barry-Jester.

Margot Sanger-Katz: The New York Times’ “If Only Laws Were Like Sausages,” By Robert Pear.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: ProPublica’s “Babies Are Dying of Syphilis. It’s 100% Preventable,” by Caroline Chen.

Mary Ellen McIntire: STAT’s “‘There Was No Plan’: Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall to Overcome Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy,” by Theresa Gaffney. 

Click here for a transcript of the episode.

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