Tradeoffs

Our friends at An Arm and a Leg dig into why Medicare Advantage plans that cover millions of seniors are disappearing from the market. This story was produced for An Arm and a Leg by Emily Pisacreta, with help from Lynn Barbera and Dan Weissmann. It was edited by Ellen Weiss and mixed by Adam Raymonda. Izabella Kulkarni provided additional production help. Music by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Session...

The Trump administration’s decimation of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has many academics deeply concerned. Guests: Aaron Carroll , President and CEO, Academy Health Sebastian Tong , Family Physician and Associate Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine Learn more: Read the full reporting and explore additional resources on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Join mo...

In the second episode of our special series on medical debt, we explore lessons from Oregon’s aggressive legislation to push hospitals to prevent patients from falling into medical debt. Guests: Sara R. Collins , Senior Scholar, Commonwealth Fund Lawrence J. Furnstahl , Former Chief Financial Officer, Oregon Health & Science University Sean Kolmer , Executive Vice President, External Affairs,...

Hospitals can automatically wipe out the cost of care for low-income patients. A Tradeoffs analysis finds that hospitals in Texas could be doing more to protect people from unaffordable bills. See the full series at tradeoffs.org/hiddenhelp . Guests: Erin Fuse Brown, professor of health services, policy and practice, director of the health policy and law lab, Brown University Aimee Carlock, Grapev...

As millions of Americans are expected to lose health insurance coverage following federal cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, states are searching for new ways to prevent medical debt before it starts. In this episode of Tradeoffs, economist Neale Mahoney explains the research into strategies for relief from high healthcare costs and evaluates policy fixes to protect consumers. Guest: Ne...

A live conversation with a bipartisan group of state Medicaid leaders on the impact of the Trump administration’s aggressive anti-fraud push. Guests: Amir Bassiri , Medicaid Director, New York State Department of Health Paula Chatterjee , Director of Innovation, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine Drew Gonshorowski , Former Medi...

911 calls related to mental health are the most likely to involve police use of force. A new book offers a blueprint for a 911 redesign that could save lives. Guests: Rebecca Neusteter , Executive Director, University of Chicago Health Lab; Author of “911, What’s Your Emergency? The Promise and Peril of Crisis Response” Ed Gonzalez , Sheriff, Harris County, Texas Learn more: Read the full reportin...

Cash-strapped states and struggling families are wrestling with the consequences of major reforms to the SNAP program passed as part of Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill. Guests: Romina Boccia , Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy, Cato Institute Chloe East , Associate Professor of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder Joël McClurg , former SNAP compliance officer Leslie Walker, senior rep...

In a live conversation recorded at Aspen Ideas: Health, executives from a hospital, insurer and pharmacy join a top Trump administration official and leading health economist to discuss how to collectively bring down health care costs. Guests: Stephanie Carlton , Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Brendan Carr , CEO, Mount Sinai Health System David Cutler , Professo...

A candid conversation between a professor and a Ph. D. candidate about potential funding cuts from the National Institutes of Health and their impact on the future of medical research. Guests: Yvonne Commodore-Mensah , Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Research, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Laura Mata López , PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing This episode was produced by Ryan...

President Trump has nominated former health care executive Chris Klomp to help RFK Jr. get his health agenda back on track. Guest: Dan Diamond , White House Reporter, Washington Post This episode was produced by Ryan Levi, edited by Dan Gorenstein and Leslie Walker, and mixed by Andrew Parrella and Cedric Wilson. The Tradeoffs theme song was composed by Ty Citerman. Additional music this episode f...

A conversation with an 18-year-old and her dad about how anti-trans policies have impacted their lives during the second Trump administration. Guests: Harleigh Walker Jeff Walker Learn more: Read the full reporting and explore additional resources on our website . This episode was produced by Ryan Levi, edited by Dan Gorenstein and mixed by Cedric Wilson and Andrew Parrella. The Tradeoffs theme so...

Physician and New Yorker writer Dhruv Khullar says artificial intelligence is a powerful tool to get quicker and more accurate diagnoses. But it can also be dangerous. Guest: Dhruv Khullar , Physician, Weill Cornell Medical College; Contributing Writer, The New Yorker Learn more: Read the full reporting and explore additional resources on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Join more than 5,500 rea...

Nebraska Medicaid Director Drew Gonshorowski says the state’s data capabilities put it in a strong position to quickly implement the historic changes. Advocates and researchers warn that eligible people may still fall through the cracks. Guest(s): Drew Gonshorowski , Director of Medicaid and Long Term Care, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Benjamin Sommers , Huntley Quelch Professo...

Four years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the fight over abortion access continues to rage. In Wyoming, where abortion is still legal but under constant legal challenge, OB-GYN and abortion provider Giovannina Anthony is helping lead the fight to keep it that way. In this episode of Tradeoffs , Dr. Anthony shares what it's like to provide abortion care in a time of so much legal u...

A deep dive on the unique mental health challenges faced by immigrants in America, produced by Call to Mind from American Public Media. Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . This episode was produced by Call to Mind, American Public Media's initiative to foster new conversations about mental health. The program was produced and written by senior producer Jessica Bari, edited by St...

We talk with STAT News reporter Lizzy Lawrence about the agency’s recent turmoil and its hunt for a new leader. Guest: Lizzy Lawrence , FDA Reporter, STAT News Learn more: Read the full reporting and explore additional resources on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Join more than 5,500 readers who trust Tradeoffs for clear, deeply reported health policy insights. Sign up for our free weekly newsl...

Two physicians and an ethicist discuss how to make the best decisions in areas like artificial intelligence and gender-affirming care when there is limited evidence in a live conversation recorded at Aspen Ideas: Health. Guests: Ishani Ganguli , Primary Care Physician, Associate Professor of Medicine; Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital Christine Yu Moutier , Chief Medical Offi...

As millions of Americans are expected to lose health insurance coverage following federal cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, states are searching for new ways to prevent medical debt before it starts.  In this episode of Tradeoffs, economist Neale Mahoney explains the research into strategies for relief from high healthcare costs and evaluates policy fixes to protect consumers. Gue...

Washington is one of 19 states that have received federal approval to enroll people in Medicaid before they leave jail or prison — a radical change in Medicaid policy that health care and law enforcement leaders believe will save lives.  But this experiment in bringing Medicaid behind bars is now colliding with H.R. 1, the sweeping federal law that is forcing states to make major changes to M...

The No Surprises Act was designed to protect patients from unexpected medical bills, but nearly four years after the law took effect, many experts say parts of its implementation aren't working as intended. Insurers, hospitals, physician groups and federal regulators continue to battle over the law's payment dispute process, raising questions about whether one of the nation's most significant heal...

Hundreds of U.S. courts offer treatment over prison for some defendants with mental illness. But critics say mental health courts have outpaced research on their effectiveness. Guest(s): Grace Hauck , Investigative reporter, Illinois Answers Project  Debra Pinals , Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School and Law School Learn more on our website . Check...

Every year, millions of people’s medical care runs into the roadblock known as prior authorization, which requires an insurer to sign off before chemotherapy, surgery or countless other services can proceed. Who does this often onerous process help, who does it hurt and how could it work better for everyone? Guests: Tom Roberts , Oncologist, Mass General Cancer Center Aaron Schwartz , Assistant Pr...

President Trump and other leading conservatives are pushing policies they hope will empower patients to shop more wisely for the health care they need. Guests: Brian Blase , President, Paragon Health Institute Sherry Glied , Professor of Public Service, New York University Adam Leive , Assistant Professor of Public Policy, UC Berkeley Jason Levitis , Senior Fellow, Urban Institute Tony Lo Sasso ,...

New research from leading health economist David Cutler explores what’s behind a historic slowdown in health spending, even as millions of Americans struggle to afford their care. Guest: David M. Cutler , Dean of Social Science, Professor of Economics, Harvard University Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring our...