KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Change Is in the Air


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Assuming former Vice President Joe Biden becomes President-elect Joe Biden and Republicans retain control of the Senate, the health agenda could be very different from what Democrats campaigned on. A GOP Senate is unlikely to want to pursue many of Biden’s agenda items, including expanding eligibility for Medicare, boosting financial assistance for people who buy insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and creating a federal “public option” insurance plan.

Meanwhile, no matter who is elected, the ACA is on the line next week as the more conservative Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a case that could potentially result in its total overturn. A decision in that case is not expected until sometime next year.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call.

Among the takeaways from this week’s podcast:

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

Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “A New Item on Your Medical Bill: The ‘Covid’ Fee,” by Sarah Kliff and Jessica Silver-Greenberg

Joanne Kenen: PBS NewsHour’s “Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Wisconsin Voters Choose Biden Over Trump,” by Laura Santhanam

Kimberly Leonard: The Wall Street Journal’s “States Hire Consultants for Covid-19 Help, With Mixed – and Expensive – Results,” by Jean Eaglesham and Kirsten Grind

Mary Ellen McIntire: The AP’s “Counties With Worst Virus Surges Overwhelmingly Voted Trump,” by Carla K. Johnson, Hanna Fingerhut and Pia Deshpande


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This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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