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KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Un-Trumping the ACA


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The Biden administration this week proposed a series of changes aimed at boosting insurance enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, undoing changes made by the Trump administration and adding a few new ones.

Meanwhile, Congress is launching investigations of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Aduhelm, a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease that may (or may not) slow its progression. The drug’s price — an estimated $56,000 per year — and the fact that most Alzheimer’s patients are on Medicare mean the federal program could end up footing most of the drug’s bill, threatening the finances of the rest of the health program.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Insider and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

Also this week, Rovner interviews Marshall Allen, a reporter for ProPublica, about his new book, “Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win.”

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too:

Julie Rovner: KQED’s “There’s Only 1 Drug for Postpartum Depression. Why Does Kaiser Permanente Make It So Hard to Get?” by April Dembosky.  

Also: KQED’s “She Killed Her Children. Can We Forgive Her?” by April Dembosky.

Kimberly Leonard: Insider’s “Democrats Just Unveiled a $400 Billion Caregiving Bill That Would Supercharge Home Care and Boost Pay for Workers as 820,000 People Wait for Help,” by Kimberly Leonard.

Joanne Kenen: The Incidental Economist’s “Reducing Administrative Costs in US Health Care: Assessing Single Payer and Its Alternatives,” by David Scheinker, Barak Richman, Arnold Milstein, and Kevin Schulman.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: The New York Times’ “It’s Tough to Get Out’: How Caribbean Medical Schools Fail Their Students,” by Emma Goldberg.


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This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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