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The Wheelhouse

The politics of health: Can lawmakers force a reckoning in the insurance industry?

By Frankie Graziano,
Chloe Wynne
Published December 18, 2024 at 7:15 AM EST
U.S. health care spending grew 4.1 percent in 2022, reaching $4.5 trillion or $13,493 per person. As a share of the nation's Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.3 percent.
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U.S. health care spending grew 4.1 percent in 2022, reaching $4.5 trillion or $13,493 per person. As a share of the nation's Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.3 percent.

Health insurance is expensive. The average American spent $13,493 per person in 2022, according to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. And according to national health policy researcher KFF, most insured Americans have experienced a problem using their insurance.

That may explain the complete lack of empathy some people showed online in reaction to the targeted killing of Brian Thompson, CEO of America’s largest private health insurer, UnitedHealthcare.

Lawmakers sprouted into action when Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield considered capping their coverage of anesthesia services for patients during surgeries.

Today on a special Wheelhouse, we’re examining the intersection of politics and the healthcare insurance industry. Plus, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is in-studio to address the insurance issue, as well as concerns related to reproductive rights and the funding of public education in advance of January’s convening of the 2025 legislative session in Connecticut.

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The Wheelhouse 2024 Election
Frankie Graziano
Frankie Graziano is the host of 'The Wheelhouse,' focusing on how local and national politics impact the people of Connecticut.
See stories by Frankie Graziano
Chloe Wynne
Chloe Wynne is a producer for The Wheelhouse and Where We Live. She previously worked as a producer and reporter for the investigative podcast series, Admissible: Shreds of Evidence, which was co-produced by VPM and Story Mechanics and distributed by iHeartRadio. She began her journalism career at inewsource, an investigative newsroom in San Diego, Calif., where she covered housing, education and crime. She earned her master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2021, where she focused on audio storytelling.
See stories by Chloe Wynne
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