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KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Biden Social-Spending ‘Framework’ Pulls Back on Key Health Pledges


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Click here for a transcript of the episode.


President Joe Biden unveiled a purported compromise on his social-spending plan shortly before taking off for a series of meetings in Europe. But it remains unclear whether the proposal — which jettisons some of the president’s health priorities — will win the support of enough Democrats to push it over the finish line.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday will hear oral arguments in a case brought by the Biden administration trying to strike down the Texas law that has stopped most abortions in the state since it took effect in September.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Johns Hopkins, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachana Pradhan of KHN.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

Also this week, Rovner interviews Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog about the upcoming Supreme Court arguments over Texas’ controversial abortion law.

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

Julie Rovner: Rewire News Group’s “When a Miscarriage Becomes a Jail Sentence,” by Caroline Reilly.

Joanne Kenen: Nature’s “COVID Vaccine Makers Brace for a Variant Worse Than Delta,” by Emily Waltz.

Rachana Pradhan: KHN’s “3 States Limit Nursing Home Profits in Bid to Improve Care,” by Susan Jaffe.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: KHN’s “‘Down to My Last Diaper’: The Anxiety of Parenting in Poverty,” by Jenny Gold.


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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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