Amid covid-19, the potential overturn of Roe v. Wade, and a war in Europe, the Affordable Care Act has been flying under the radar in 2022. But this will be a pivotal year for the federal health law. Unless Congress acts, millions of Americans could see their costs for coverage rise dramatically as expanded subsidies expire. At the same time, the end of the public health emergency could boost the uninsured rate as states disenroll people from Medicaid. Peter Lee, who recently stepped down as the first executive director of the largest state-run ACA insurance marketplace, Covered California, has thought long and hard about how the ACA came to be, how it’s been implemented, and what should happen to it now. He joins host and KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of the ACA.

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Congress is in recess, so the slower-than-average news week gives us a chance to catch up on underreported topics, like Medicare’s coverage decision for the controversial Alzheimer’s disease drug Aduhelm and ominous new statistics on drug overdose deaths and sexually transmitted diseases.

Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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

Julie Rovner: Politico’s “Mice Occupy FDA Offices After Food Left Behind in Pandemic,” by David Lim and Lauren Gardner

Margot Sanger-Katz: Health Affairs’ “Many Medicare Beneficiaries Do Not Fill High-Price Specialty Drug Prescriptions,” by Stacie B. Dusetzina et. al

Joanne Kenen: Vox’s “America Needs More Doctors and Nurses to Survive the Next Pandemic,” by Dylan Scott

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico’s “Republicans See CDC’s Policy Change as ‘Massive Political Loser for Democrats,’” by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Krista Mahr

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President Joe Biden welcomed former President Barack Obama back to the White House this week to announce a new policy for the Affordable Care Act that would make subsidies available to more families with unaffordable employer coverage.

Meanwhile, Congress struggled to find a compromise for continued federal funding of covid-19 vaccines, testing, and treatments.

Tami Luhby of CNN, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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 “Losing Sleep Over the Pandemic? Work Flexibility May Be a Boon for Night Owls’ Health,” by Krishna Sharma

Shefali Luthra: The Washington Post’s “With Roe Endangered, Democrats Divide on Saying the Word ‘Abortion’,” by Caroline Kitchener

Tami Luhby: Health Affairs’ “Health Care Is Now Healthcare,” by Alan Weil

Jessie Hellmann: KHN’s “$11M for North Carolina Work-Based Rehab Raises Concerns,” by Aneri Pattani and NC Health News’ Taylor Knopf

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In his proposed budget, President Joe Biden called for a boost in health spending that includes billions of dollars to prepare for a future pandemic. But that doesn’t include money he says is needed immediately for testing and treating covid.

Also this week, federal regulators authorized a second booster shot for people over age 50 yet gave little guidance to consumers about who needs the shot and when.

Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post, Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more.

Plus, Julie Rovner interviews KHN’s Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a very expensive air ambulance ride.

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

Mary Agnes Carey: The New Yorker’s “A Freelancer’s Forty-Three Years in the American Health-Care System,” by David Owen

Amy Goldstein: Stat’s "NIH’s Identity Crisis: The Pandemic and The Search for a New Leader Leave the Agency at a Crossroads," by Lev Facher

Jen Haberkorn: The New York Times’ "F.D.A. Rushed a Drug for Preterm Births. Did It Put Speed Over Science?" by Christina Jewett

Rachana Pradhan: The Washington Post’s "‘Is This What a Good Mother Looks Like?’” by William Wan

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Although its fate was in doubt more than a few times, the Affordable Care Act turned 12 this week. Year 13 could be pivotal in determining how many Americans receive ACA health insurance, and at what price.

Meanwhile, three leading credit bureaus agreed to stop using most medical debt to measure U.S. consumers’ credit-worthiness. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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 “As States Impose Abortion Bans, Young Doctors Struggle – And Travel Far—To Learn the Procedure,” by Sarah Varney.

Anna Edney: Politico’s “’We’ve Learned Absolutely Nothing’: Tests Could Again Be in Short Supply if Covid Surges,” by David Lim.

Rachel Cohrs: The Guardian’s “‘Betting Against the NHS’: £1bn Private Hospital to Open in Central London,” by Julia Kollewe.

Mary Agnes Carey: KHN’s “Covid’s ‘Silver Lining’: Research Breakthroughs for Chronic Disease, Cancer, and the Common Flu,” by Liz Szabo.

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The White House makes a move as a new wave of covid threatens. President Joe Biden brings in Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, to take over the executive branch effort.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear if and when Congress can come up with the funds to continue much of the federal anti-covid effort.

Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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 “‘American Diagnosis’: A Fuller Moon Rising – Revised ‘Violence Against Women Act’ Offers Hope,” hosted by Dr. Céline Gounder

Joanne Kenen: The Washington Post’s “Disease Took My Brother. Our Health-Care System Added to His Ordeal,” by Karen Tumulty

Sandhya Raman: The New York Times’ “As a Crisis Hotline Grows, So Do Fears It Won’t Be Ready,” by Steve Eder

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico’s “Covid Chaos Fueled Another Public Health Crisis: STDs,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein

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The Biden administration’s request for billions more in funding to fight covid-19 hit a snag on Capitol Hill this week, as Democrats objected to Republican demands that money allocated to states but not yet spent be reclaimed.

Meanwhile, the big annual spending bill about to cross the finish line addresses other health policy changes, such as giving the FDA authority to regulate “synthetic” nicotine.

Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Jessie Hellmann of Modern Healthcare join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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

Julie Rovner: The Atlantic’s “How Did This Many Deaths Become Normal?” by Ed Yong

Joanne Kenen: Politico’s “‘I Almost Lost My Baby’: Parents Demand Answers From FDA,” by Helena Bottemiller Evich

Rachel Cohrs: Vox.com’s “Maternity Wards Are Shuttering Across the US During the Pandemic,” by Dylan Scott

Jessie Hellmann: NPR’s “Delaware Is Shrinking Racial Gaps in Cancer Death. Its Secret? Patient Navigators,” by Yuki Noguchi

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President Joe Biden spent a large portion of his first State of the Union address talking about foreign affairs, but he also spent time on an array of health topics, including mental health, nursing home regulation, and toxic burn pits.

Also this week, the administration unveiled a strategy to address the covid pandemic going forward.

Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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

Julie Rovner: The Wall Street Journal’s “Why Is Everyone Standing So Close? Personal-Space Boundaries Shifted During the Pandemic,” by Alex Janin.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times’ “Time Is Running Out to Avert a Harrowing Future, Climate Panel Warns,” by Brad Plumer, Raymond Zhong and Lisa Friedman.

Amy Goldstein: The Washington Post’s “Ukraine Conflict Could Spark Surges of Covid, Polio, Other Diseases, Say Experts,” by Loveday Morris and Dan Diamond.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: KHN’s “Covid Expert Joins Exodus Into Business, Where Science Parlays Into Profits,” by Jay Hancock.

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In anticipation of the Supreme Court rolling back abortion rights this year, both Democrats and Republicans are arguing among themselves over how best to proceed to either protect or restrict the procedure. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are at risk of losing their health insurance when the federal government declares an end to the current “public health emergency.” Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Jay Hancock, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a couple whose insurance company deemed their twins’ stay in intensive care not an emergency.

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

Julie Rovner: The Scientist’s “Robert Malone Targets Physician Who Alerted Medical Board to Misinformation,” by Catherine Offord

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times’ “A Key to Returning to Normal Is Paid Sick Leave, Democrats Say,” by Claire Cain Miller

Shefali Luthra: KHN’s “Other States Keep Watchful Eye on Snags in Washington’s Pioneering Public-Option Plan,” by Markian Hawryluk

Rachana Pradhan: KHN’s “’Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain,” by Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold

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As the pandemic wanes, for now, the ever-rising cost of health care is again taking center stage.

Meanwhile, a year into the Biden administration, the FDA finally has a Senate-confirmed commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf.

Tami Luhby of CNN, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

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

Click here for a transcript of the episode.

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