End-of-Year Chaos on Capitol Hill

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?'

Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate successfully negotiated an enormous end-of-Congress health package, including bipartisan efforts to address prescription drug prices — only to see it blown up at the last minute after Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump applied pressure. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court accepted its first abortion-related case of the term, and the attorney general of Texas sued a doctor in New York for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas patient.

Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman about what happened in health policy in 2024 and what to expect in 2025.

Click here for a transcript of the episode.

Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: Vox.com’s “The Deep Roots of Americans’ Hatred of Their Health Care System,” by Dylan Scott.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: KFF Health News’ “Native American Patients Are Sent to Collections for Debts the Government Owes,” by Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts.

Jessie Hellmann: KFF Health News’ “How a Duty To Spend Wisely on Worker Benefits Could Loosen PBMs’ Grip on Drug Prices,” by Arthur Allen.

Victoria Knight: Bloomberg News’ “The Weight-Loss Drug Gold Rush Has a Dangerous Prescription Problem,” by Madison Muller.

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