Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dealt a blow to congressional efforts to pass President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda bill, forcing Democrats to regroup starting in 2022.

Meanwhile, the omicron covid variant spreads rapidly in the U.S., threatening the stability of the nation’s health care system.

Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more, plus a look back at the year in health policy.

Also this week, Rovner interviews Ceci Connolly, president and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans.

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

Click here for a transcript of the episode.



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