Podcast

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


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The covid-19 pandemic is now entering its third year, and the ever-evolving health advice to combat an ever-evolving virus is leaving Americans more cranky and confused than ever.

Meanwhile, covid isn’t the only health agenda item slipping from 2021 into 2022. Democrats on Capitol Hill are trying to figure out how to salvage President Joe Biden’s huge health and social spending bill, and the rise of prescription drug prices still angers many Americans.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Tami Luhby of CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call.

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Victoria Knight, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a costly mix-up in the billing for a newborn intensive care unit. If you have an outrageous medical bill you’d like to send us, you can do that here.

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

Julie Rovner: The Washington Post’s “Men Across America Are Getting Vasectomies ‘as an Act of Love,’” by Emily Wax-Thibodeaux

Tami Luhby: The Washington Post’s “Nursing Home Staff Shortages Are Worsening Problems at Overwhelmed Hospitals,” by Lenny Bernstein and Andrew Van Dam

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The 19th’s “ACA Health Insurance Plans Need More Protections for LGBTQ+ People, White House Says,” by Orion Rummler

Mary Ellen McIntire: The New York Times’ “When They Warn of Rare Disorders, These Prenatal Tests Are Usually Wrong,” by Sarah Kliff and Aatish Bhatia


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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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