Tradeoffs

The Supreme Court just declined to block a controversial abortion ban in Texas. Now an even bigger case looms on their docket, and it could dramatically alter abortion access across the U.S. Guests: Laurie Sobel , JD, Associate Director, Women’s Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation Alina Salganicoff , PhD, Senior Vice President and Director of Women’s Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation The...

Kids are returning to in-person school this fall with increased rates of depression, anxiety and other pandemic-fueled mental health challenges, and schools are leaning on billions in new federal funding to meet the growing need. Guests: Kyron Harvell , Principal, Vivian Riddle Elementary School; Lansing, Michigan Sharon Hoover , PhD, Co-Director, National Center for School Mental Health, Universi...

New national guidelines say millions more Americans should get screened for lung cancer. The test can save lives, but it's inaccessible to many and harmful to some. How should we balance the promise and perils of lung cancer screening? Guests: Otis Brawley, MD , Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Lisa Carter-Harris, PhD, APRN , Behavioral Scientist and Adult Nurse P...

With more employers requiring their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, we dig into the research to help employers weigh the pros and cons. [This episode was originally published on May 20, 2021.] Guests: Sayeh Nikpay , PhD; Tradeoffs Contributing Research Editor; Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota Corey White , PhD; Assistant Professor of Econom...

One of the hardest things about being healthcare workers going through this pandemic is that we've both experienced and borne witness to moments that nobody should have to go through alone. Who do we need by our side when everything falls apart? And what do we do when they can’t be there?  More information about this episode and The Nocturnists project: https://thenocturnists.com/stories-from...

Hosted by Maiken Scott and aired weekly on WHYY and other NPR member stations, The Pulse tells stories at the heart of health, science and innovation. This particular Pulse story, reported by Alan Yu and Nina Feldman, looks at a crisis of maternity ward closures that recently hit the city of Philadelphia, and the surprising alliances and unexpected outcomes that it catalyzed. Dig deeper into...

Health care has long lagged behind other industries when it comes to cybersecurity. But with ransomware attacks against the industry on the rise, providers are quickly trying to close the gap and protect their systems and patients. Guests: Karen Sprenger , CISSP, GCFE, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Ransomware Negotiator, LMG Security M. Eric Johnson , PhD, Ralph Owen Dean and Bruce D. Henderso...

As gun violence continues to soar in U.S. cities, one violence prevention specialist tries to stem the tide of homicides in his hometown. Guest: J ames "JT" Timpson , Director for Community Partnerships and Safety, Roca Maryland and Roca Impact Institute Read a full transcript and dig deeper into the issues explored in today's episode: https://tradeoffs.org/2021/07/22/sacrifices-and-small-wins-the...

A young woman living with cerebral palsy shares the struggles, fears and silver linings she’s experienced during the pandemic. Guest:  Jeiri Flores , disability rights advocate Read a full transcript and dig deeper into the issues explored in today's episode: https://tradeoffs.org/2021/07/15/one-womans-year-surviving-the-pandemic-with-a-disability Sign up for our weekly newsletter to see what...

A congressional ban on removing anyone from Medicaid is likely to expire early next year. What will happen to people who lose their coverage, and how are states preparing for this unprecedented undertaking? Guests: Sara Rosenbaum , JD, Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University Jami Snyder , Director, AHCCCS&nbsp...

Many cities across the United States are rethinking the role of police in responding to mental health emergencies. Miami-Dade County has spent the last two decades revamping their policing — along with many other aspects of how their criminal justice system treats people in crisis. What lessons have they learned? Guests: Steve Leifman , JD, Associate Administrative Judge, Eleventh Judicial Circuit...

How is the pharmaceutical industry reacting to the FDA’s surprising approval of a controversial Alzheimer’s drug, and what do they make of its $56,000 price tag? This is the last episode in our weeklong series examining the potentially sweeping consequences this drug, known as aducanumab, could have on millions of patients’ lives and billions of dollars in health care spending. Guest: Luke Timmerm...

A controversial new $56,000 Alzheimer’s drug could wreak financial havoc on insurers, seniors and taxpayers. This episode is part of a special weeklong series examining the potentially sweeping consequences this drug, known as aducanumab, could have on millions of patients’ lives and billions of dollars in health care spending. Guest: Mark Miller , PhD, Executive Vice President for Health Care, Ar...

Desperate to slow her cognitive decline, one patient shares her hopes and concerns about the first new Alzheimer’s drug in nearly 20 years. This episode is part of a special weeklong series examining the potentially sweeping consequences this drug, known as aducanumab, could have on millions of patients’ lives and billions of dollars in health care spending. Guest:  Arthena Caston , Alzheimer...

A costly, controversial new Alzheimer’s drug is sending shockwaves through the U.S. health care system. How are doctors grappling with questions about its safety and efficacy? This is the first episode in a special conversation series featuring different people reckoning with the potentially sweeping consequences this drug could have on millions of patients’ lives and billions of dollars in health...

Health policy experts are kicking off the summer with back-to-back conferences: AcademyHealth's Annual Research Meeting and the 10th Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon). Hop on the Tradeoffs Tours bus for conference tips, stories and exciting research with a conference veteran, Kosali Simon. Guest: Kosali Simon , PhD, Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor, Associat...

The pandemic forced dentists across the country to shut down last spring. We talk with one dentist about what that meant for her business, her patients, and what it’s been like to open back up. Guest: Stacey Van Scoyoc , DDS, General Dentist, Co-Owner, Bloomington Family Dental Find additional resources and a full transcript of today's episode on our website: https://tradeoffs.org/2021/06/10/drill...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration faces a costly and consequential decision over whether to approve a controversial new Alzheimer’s drug. Guest: Caleb Alexander , Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health View the transcript for today's episode: https://tradeoffs.org/2021/06/03/the-fdas-pressure-packed-alzheimers-drug-decision Take our short listen...

New national guidelines say millions more Americans should get screened for lung cancer. The test can save lives, but it's inaccessible to many and harmful to some. How should we balance the promise and perils of lung cancer screening? Guests: Otis Brawley, MD , Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Lisa Carter-Harris, PhD, APRN , Behavioral Scientist and Adult Nurse P...

With about one-third of Americans still not convinced they need to be vaccinated for COVID-19, many employers are debating whether to require their workers to get vaccinated. We dig into the research to help employers weigh the pros and cons. Guests: Sayeh Nikpay , PhD; Tradeoffs Contributing Research Editor; Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota Corey White...

In this special live episode, policy experts and employers debate the best way to improve the health insurance that 150 million Americans get through work. This session was part of “The Promise of Health Reform and a Public Option in a Biden Administration,” a virtual conference put on by the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and United States...

Racism against people of Asian descent is not a new problem, but it’s been exacerbated lately by politicians using racist rhetoric to describe the coronavirus. Asians in America are now facing a dual pandemic: a heightened fear of racist abuse, from verbal slurs to physical assault, on top of all the anxiety of living through COVID-19. A conversation from our colleagues at The Dose. Guests: Shanoo...

Despite President Biden’s  campaign promise  to create a public option, the policy has been missing from his first 100 days in office. A handful of states, however, are forging ahead with public option legislation. Guests: Heather Howard , Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Sabrina Corlette , JD, Georgetown University Dig deeper into the research and tradeoffs of integr...

After nearly a decade of sky-high prices, generics have sent the price of the HIV prevention drug PrEP plummeting. What kept it so expensive for so long, and will the price drop help us finally eradicate HIV? Guests: Robin Feldman , Professor of Law, UC Hastings; Director of the Center for Innovation Tahir Amin , Co-Executive Director, I-MAK Oni Blackstock, MD , Primary care and HIV physician Tim...

More than 130 hospitals have closed in rural America over the last decade. Reporter Sarah Jane Tribble spent a year embedded in one small Kansas town as they dealt with their own hospital closure. Guest: Sarah Jane Tribble , Senior Correspondent, Kaiser Health News Read a transcript of this conversation: https://tradeoffs.org/2020/10/08/losing-a-hospital/ Hear more of Sarah Jane's reporting about...