KFF Health News' 'What the Health?'

Even before the omicron variant of covid starts to spread widely in the U.S., hospitals are filling up with post-holiday delta cases.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court signals — loudly — that 2022 will be the year it rolls back abortion rights in a big way.Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.Plus for “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.Julie Rovner: KHN’s “West Virginia Sen. Manchin Takes the Teeth Out of Democrats’ Plan for Seniors’ Dental Care,” by Phil GalewitzMargot Sanger-Katz: HuffPost’s “Insulin Prices Could Be in for a Pretty Big Change if Democrats Get Their Way,” by Jonathan CohnAlice Miranda Ollstein: The AP’s “How a Kennedy Built an Anti-Vaccine Juggernaut Amid COVID-19,” by Michelle R. SmithMary Ellen McIntire: CQ Roll Call’s “Burnout Among Pharmacists Slows COVID-19 Booster Shots,” by Emily Kopp and Ariel CohenClick here for a transcript of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fight over covid vaccines continues to intensify, with Republicans on Capitol Hill pushing — with some success — to cancel President Joe Biden’s “test regularly or vaccinate” requirement for private employers.Meanwhile, abortion is not the only health issue before the Supreme Court this term.Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too:Julie Rovner: NPR’s “Inside the Growing Alliance Between Anti-Vaccine Activists and Pro-Trump Republicans,” by Geoff BrumfielJoanne Kenen: Slate’s “We’re Not Going Back to 'Before Roe,'” by Dahlia LithwickSarah Karlin-Smith: Axios’ “Documents Reveal the Secrecy of America’s Drug Pricing Matrix,” by Bob HermanRachel Cohrs: Stat News’ “Biogen’s Reckoning: How the Aduhelm Debacle Pushed a Troubled Company and Its Fractured Leadership to the Brink,” by Adam Feuerstein and Damian GardeClick here for a transcript of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Supreme Court majority appears ready to overturn nearly 50 years of abortion rights, at least judging by the latest round of oral arguments before the justices.And a new covid variant, omicron, gains attention as it spreads around the world.Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Blake Farmer of Nashville Public Radio about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode.Extra credit reads:Julie Rovner: KHN and PBS NewsHour’s “How Unresolved Grief Could Haunt Children Who Lost a Parent or Caregiver to COVID,” by Sarah Varney and Jason KaneAlice Miranda Ollstein: The Washington Post’s “Long Overstretched, Abortion Funds in D.C., Maryland and Virginia Mobilize for an Uncertain Future,” by Rebecca TanSarah Karlin-Smith: Axios’ “The Push to Revive an Industry-Backed Medical Device Rule,” by Bob HermanShefali Luthra: The 19th’s “’Am I Even Fit to Be a Mom?’ Diaper Need Is an Invisible Part of Poverty in America,” by Chabeli CarrazanaClick here for a transcript of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Joe Biden’s social spending budget is on its way to the U.S. Senate, where Democratic leaders are (optimistically) hoping to complete work by the end of the year. Meanwhile, covid is surging again in parts of the country, along with the political divides it continues to cause.Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.Also this week, Rovner previews next week’s Supreme Court abortion oral arguments with Florida State University law professor Mary Ziegler.Extra credit links:Julie Rovner: The Wall Street Journal’s “Telehealth Rollbacks Leave Patients Stranded, Some Doctors Say,” by Stephanie Armour and Robbie Whelan.Margot Sanger-Katz: The New York Times’ “Everything in the House Democrats’ Budget Bill,” by Alicia Parlapiano and Quoctrung Bui.Joanne Kenen: Politico’s “VA Stats Show Devastating Covid Toll at Vets’ Nursing Homes,” by Joanne Kenen, Darius Tahir and Allan James Vestal.Mary Agnes Carey: KHN’s “A Covid Head-Scratcher: Why Lice Lurk Despite Physical Distancing,” by Rae Ellen Bichell.Click here for a transcript of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal health officials appear poised to extend a recommendation for covid boosters to all adults, following moves by some governors and mayors to broaden the eligible booster pool as caseloads rise. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration finally has a nominee to head the agency: former FDA chief Robert Califf. And Medicare premiums for consumers will likely rise substantially in 2022, partly due to the approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease.Tami Luhby of CNN, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the “An Arm and a Leg” podcast. And here are the panelists' favorite health policy stories of the week:Julie Rovner: The Atlantic’s “Why Health-Care Workers Are Quitting in Droves,” by Ed Yong.Also, Stat’s “The Catholic Hospital System Ascension Is Running a Wall Street-Style Private Equity Fund,” by Rachel Cohrs.Tami Luhby: Politico’s “’We Don’t Fix This Because We Just Don’t Care About Old People,’” by Joanne Kenen.Sarah Karlin-Smith: KHN and InvestigateTV’s “As Big Pharma and Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out on Millions in Benefits,” by Sarah Jane Tribble and Emily Featherston.Rachel Cohrs: Modern Healthcare’s “Why the Justice Department Is Targeting Private Equity,” by Tara Bannow. Click here for a transcript of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congress is making slow progress toward completing its ambitious social spending bill, although its Thanksgiving deadline looks optimistic. Meanwhile, a new survey finds the average cost of an employer-provided family plan has risen to more than $22,000. That’s about the cost of a new Toyota Corolla.Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Rebecca Love, a nurse academic and entrepreneur, about the impending crisis in nursing.And here are the panelists' favorite health policy stories of the week:Julie Rovner: Washington Monthly’s “The Doctor Will Not See You Now,” by Merrill Goozner.Alice Miranda Ollstein: NPR’s “Despite Calls to Improve, Air Travel Is Still a Nightmare for Many With Disabilities,” by Joseph Shapiro and Allison Mollenkamp.Rebecca Adams: KHN’s “Patients Went Into the Hospital for Care. After Testing Positive There for Covid, Some Never Came Out,” by Christina Jewett.Anna Edney: Bloomberg News’ “All Those 23andMe Spit Tests Were Part of a Bigger Plan,” by Kristen V Brown.Click here for a transcript of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

In this interview highlight with KHN's Julie Rovner, Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog breaks down the Supreme Court case over Texas’ controversial abortion law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Joe Biden unveiled a compromise “Build Back Better” framework shortly before taking off for key meetings in Europe, but it’s unclear whether the framework can win the votes of all Democrats in the House and Senate, and it leaves out some of the Democrats’ health priorities, notably significant provisions to lower prescription drug prices. Meanwhile, younger children may soon be eligible for covid vaccines.Joanne Kenen of Politico and Johns Hopkins, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.Also this week, Rovner interviews Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog about the upcoming Supreme Court arguments over Texas’ controversial abortion law.And here are the panelists’ favorite health policy stories of the week:Julie Rovner: Rewire News Group’s “When a Miscarriage Becomes a Jail Sentence,” by Caroline ReillyJoanne Kenen: Nature’s “COVID Vaccine Makers Brace for a Variant Worse Than Delta,” by Emily WaltzRachana Pradhan: KHN’s “3 States Limit Nursing Home Profits in Bid to Improve Care,” by Susan JaffeSarah Karlin-Smith: KHN’s “‘Down to My Last Diaper’: The Anxiety of Parenting in Poverty,” by Jenny GoldClick here for a transcript of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Negotiations on the health parts of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda are getting serious but have yet to produce a deal every Democrat can support. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration remains without a nominated leader but manages to take the first steps toward approving over-the-counter hearing aids.Joanne Kenen of Politico and Johns Hopkins, Tami Luhby of CNN and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.Extra credit links:Julie Rovner: KHN’s “Hygienists Brace for Pitched Battles With Dentists in Fights Over Practice Laws,” by Giles Bruce.Tami Luhby: Modern Healthcare’s “Rural Reckoning: COVID-19 Highlights Long-Standing Challenges Facing Rural Hospitals. Will It Create Momentum for Change?” by Jessie Hellmann.Joanne Kenen: The Atlantic’s “‘I Don’t Know That I Would Even Call It Meth Anymore,’” by Sam Quinones.Rachel Cohrs: U.S. News & World Report’s “Debt After Death: The Painful Blow of Medicaid Estate Recovery,” by Sarah True. Click here for a transcript of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.