Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Autumn of Democrats’ Discontent


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Democrats in Congress and the White House are feverishly negotiating to pass as much of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda as they can agree on, even as Republicans who oppose much of the increased spending threaten to shut down the government and default on the nation’s debt.

Meanwhile, confusion over so-called booster shots for covid-19 continues, and advocates on both sides of the abortion debate try to test Texas’ novel abortion law that the Supreme Court allowed to take effect Sept. 1.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

Also this week, Rovner interviews Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. He has a new book, titled “Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic.”

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

Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “Their Baby Died in the Hospital. Then Came the $257,000 Bill,” by Sarah Kliff

Joanne Kenen: The New Yorker’s “The Struggle to Define Long Covid,” by Dhruv Khullar

Mary Ellen McIntire: KHN’s “Will ‘Dr. Disinformation’ Ever Face the Music?” by Victoria Knight

Sarah Karlin-Smith: The Washington Post’s “The World’s Tallest Populace Is Shrinking, and Scientists Want to Know Why,” by Rachel Pannett


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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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