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KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Boosting Confusion


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With covid caseloads rising across much of the country, several governors and mayors are unilaterally expanding access to booster shots, getting out ahead of federal health officials.

Speaking of federal health officials, President Joe Biden has finally selected a nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration. If confirmed by the Senate, it would be Dr. Robert Califf’s second stint at the agency that oversees an estimated one fifth of all products sold in the United States. Califf previously served — for less than a year — under President Barack Obama.

Califf’s nomination, however, could be complicated by the news of a dramatic increase in Medicare premiums for 2022, prompted largely by the FDA’s approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease not yet been proved effective.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Tami Luhby of CNN, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the “An Arm and a Leg” podcast, about his new project, a “first-aid kit” newsletter to help consumers make better decisions about their own health care.

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

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.


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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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