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KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Manchin Blows Up Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’


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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dashed the hopes of President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats for passage of the giant “Build Back Better” bill before the end of the year, when he announced his opposition to the measure in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” Democrats still hope to salvage at least some pieces of the bill, but the effort will drag into the 2022 midterm election year.

Meanwhile, the omicron variant is spreading exponentially around the U.S., potentially threatening the ability of the nation’s health care system to tend to patients with ailments other than covid.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

Also this week, Rovner interviews Ceci Connolly, president and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, about the perilous state of the nation’s health care system.

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 “Crash Course: Injured Patients Who Sign ‘Letters of Protection’ May Face Huge Medical Bills and Risks,” by Fred Schulte

Rachel Cohrs: NBC’s “‘Get That Money!’ Dermatologist Says Patient Care Suffered After Private Equity-Backed Firm Bought Her Practice,” by Gretchen Morgenson

Joanne Kenen: ProPublica’s “This Scientist Created a Rapid Test Just Weeks Into the Pandemic. Here’s Why You Still Can’t Get It,” by Lydia DePillis

Sarah Karlin-Smith: The Atlantic’s “I Canceled My Birthday Party Because of Omicron,” by Ed Yong


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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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