Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: It’s Health Costs, Stupid (2022 Edition)


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Click here for a transcript of the episode.


The pandemic may be showing signs of winding down, but health care costs are not.

In Massachusetts, a fight is shaping up over whether one of the most prestigious hospital systems needs to save money, while antitrust cases against other hospital systems have been filed in California, Connecticut, and North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed Dr. Robert Califf to head the FDA, finally filling out the Biden administration’s health leadership. Califf’s nomination was strongly opposed by anti-abortion groups, but, in the end, he won the votes of several Republicans who are not running for reelection.

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

Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:

Also this week, Rovner interviews Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness about how the pandemic has worsened the nation’s mental health crisis and what can be done about it.

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 “Demand for Service Dogs Unleashes a ‘Wild West’ Market,” by Markian Hawryluk

Sarah Karlin-Smith: Scientific American’s “There Is Nothing Normal About One Million People Dead From COVID,” by Steven W. Thrasher

Tami Luhby: The Philadelphia Inquirer’s “COVID-19 Has Even Ruined Our Feet,” by Sarah Gantz

Rachel Cohrs: Bloomberg’s “Nurses Who Faced Fines, Lawsuits for Quitting Are Fighting Back,” by Josh Eidelson

Also discussed on this week’s podcast:

Stat’s “Private Equity Firms Are Cashing In on the Travel Nursing Business That Has Boomed During the Pandemic,” by Rachel Cohrs

The New York Times’ “Vehicle Crashes, Surging,” by David Leonhardt

CNN’s “More Than 50 Million Households Have Received Free Government Covid-19 Tests,” by Tami Luhby and Naomi Thomas


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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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