As 2021 draws to a close, the Commonwealth Fund’s Shanoor Seervai and David Blumenthal, M.D., look back on the year’s most notable health care happenings. The coronavirus pandemic dominated the news, ending the year on a sobering note, with more than 800,000 lives lost in the U.S. alone and Omicron cases soaring.
But other events provided reason for hope. One was the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act and its health coverage expansions. Another was implementation of the No Surprises Act, which will protect consumers from surprise medical bills. | 
