Tradeoffs

How do you convince police officers that it makes sense to send unarmed mental health workers to some 911 calls? Guests: Patrice Andrews , Police Chief, Durham Police Department Ryan Smith , Director, Durham Department of Community Safety Sgt. Dan Leeder , Durham Police Department Abena Bediako , Clinical Manager, Durham Department of Community Safety Christie Thompson , Staff Writer, The Marshall...

A mandate to make health care prices public was one of President Trump’s signature health policies in his first term. But forcing hospitals to publish prices hasn’t yet helped patients shop around for medical care. Guest: Melanie Evans , Producer, Tradeoffs Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health...

The murder of UnitedHealthcare's CEO put a violent point on the frustration and rage some Americans feel toward health insurance companies. But insurers are just one piece of America’s broken and expensive health care system. Guest: Aaron Carroll , CEO, Academy Health Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the la...

Businessman and entertainer Mark Cuban has long had an interest in health care, and a mission to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry. Torie Bosch, host of First Opinion, a podcast from STAT News, speaks with Cuban about one of his latest ventures Cost Plus Drugs - Mark’s efforts to drive down prescription drug prices.  Guests: Torie Bosch , Editor, First Opinion, STAT News Matt Herper, S...

Congress banned most surprise medical bills back in 2020, with one major exception: ambulance rides. Most people agree that patients should be shielded from these unexpected charges. But who should pick up the tab instead? As state and federal policymakers grapple with that question, we delve into why finding a fair solution is harder than you’d think. Guests: Tara Bannow , Reporter, STAT Precious...

Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius shares what the country’s top health official can and can’t do, and what she wants senators to consider ahead of RFK’s confirmation hearings. Guest: Kathleen Sebelius, Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the lat...

Twenty-six states have passed bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, and the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in December about Tennessee's ban. We take a closer look at gender-affirming care and the legal arguments that could influence how accessible that care is. Meredithe McNamara , MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine Katie Eyer , JD, Professor of...

It’s Medicare open enrollment season, and in this episode first aired in 2021, we explain why shopping for a new plan is often tougher than it seems. Guests: Lilyan Grossman, Medicare beneficiary Tricia Neuman , ScD, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Program on Medicare Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation Amal Trivedi , MD, Professor of Medicine and Health Services, Policy, and Prac...

One of the nation’s leading experts on the Affordable Care Act breaks down its track record and weighs in on the stakes the historic health care law faces in the lead-up to the election. Guest: Larry Levitt , Executive Vice President for Health Policy, KFF Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health...

The next U.S. president will have to make consequential choices about the Affordable Care Act, prescription drug prices and abortion. We compare the positions of candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on these major health policy issues. (NOTE: This episode has been updated to clarify the number of people who would lose health coverage if Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies expired.) Guests:...

Journalist Paula Span, who writes The New Old Age column for the New York Times, shares what she’s learned about how to age well. Guest: Paula Span , reporter and The New Old Age columnist for the New York Times Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news. Support this type o...

U.S. companies spend more than $1 trillion annually on health care for their employees. To get this budget-busting figure under control, some companies are experimenting with cutting out insurers, and investing in primary care clinics at the office.  Guests: Amy Cooper , NP, Vera Whole Health Bob Galvin, MD, former Chief Medical Officer, General Electric and Board Chairman, Catalyst for Payme...

For decades, the most effective treatment for addiction to methamphetamine or cocaine has been mired in stigma and mostly limited to small research studies. But with deaths involving meth and cocaine on the rise, policymakers across the country are turning to gift cards to fight drug use. This story has been updated to clarify the research on long-term effects of contingency management and the eli...

Many potent new medicines pose a host of challenges for drug companies trying to copy and sell similar versions on the cheap. Can those companies find a sustainable path forward, or will patients get left stuck paying exorbitant prices? Guests: Christine Baeder , MBA, President, Apotex USA Alfred Engelberg , JD, retired attorney and former counsel to the Generic Pharmaceutical Industry Association...

America pays less, on average, than any other major country for our generic drugs. But selling essential drugs at such low prices comes with hidden costs — from quality problems to frequent shortages. This is the second episode of  Race to the Bottom , a three-part series by Tradeoffs on the problems plaguing the generic drugs we all rely on — and how we could fix them. Guests: Christine Baed...

Generic drugs are, in many ways, the unsung hero of America’s health care system, bringing powerful medical innovations within the reach of millions more people. These cheaper copies of brand-name drugs — from pills that stop heart attacks to antibiotics that cure life-threatening infections — save America hundreds of billions of dollars a year. But will affordable, high-quality generic drugs cont...

One organization turns to a game to get employees to debate and decide together what health care they most value.  Guests: Paul Fronstin, Ph. D., Director, Health Benefits Research, Employee Benefits Research Institute  Jeanette Janota, Senior Research Associate, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Tavril Saint Jean, Senior Research Associate, American Speech-Language-Hearing As...

A handful of states allow terminally ill people to take life-ending medications prescribed by a doctor instead of waiting for death. This week, we talk with journalist Steven Petrow about his sister’s choice to use medical aid in dying. Guest: Steven Petrow , Journalist and author Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter fea...

In The Fifth Branch , Tradeoffs explored new ways to respond to people in a mental health crisis, this week we have look at another area of the mental health crisis the country is grappling with. 'Lost Patients', a new podcast from KUOW and The Seattle Times, dives into why so many people with mental illness live on the streets, and lack long-term care. Heidi Aurand has watched her son Adam spiral...

The Inflation Reduction Act gave Medicare historic new power to directly negotiate the prices of some of the costliest prescription drugs. Now the federal agency must grapple with a difficult question: What makes a drug price fair? This week, we revisit our 2023 episode explaining how this negotiation process works and the impact it could have. Guests: Anton Avanceña , PhD, Assistant Professor of...

Companies claim they can catch cancer sooner with new blood tests and full-body MRI scans. What are the risks and benefits? Guest: Ishani Ganguli , MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; primary care physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the late...

Alternative response teams are being asked to tackle vexing problems: mental illness, homelessness, addiction. How much can they actually do? We explore how Durham grapples with connecting people to long-term care and support, and where the city draws the line between crisis response and social services. Guests: Ryan Smith , Director, Durham Community Safety Department Sammetta Cutler , Peer Suppo...

How do you keep everyone safe? We look at HEART’s impact on the safety of Durham residents in crisis, the mental health workers responding, and the police. Guests: David Prater , Peer Support Specialist, Durham Department of Community Safety Ryan Smith , Director, Durham Department of Community Safety Yolanda, Durham resident Sgt. Dan Leeder , Durham Police Department Patrice Andrews , Police Chie...

How do you convince police officers that it makes sense to send unarmed mental health workers to some 911 calls? Guests: Patrice Andrews , Police Chief, Durham Police Department Ryan Smith , Director, Durham Department of Community Safety Sgt. Dan Leeder , Durham Police Department Abena Bediako , Clinical Manager, Durham Department of Community Safety Christie Thompson , Staff Writer, The Marshall...

EMS, Fire, Police and the 911 Call Center make up the existing four branches of the public safety system. A special series from Tradeoffs and The Marshall Project explores how a city radically changes its response to people in crisis, by creating a fifth branch.  Nearly half of the country’s 50 largest cities - including San Francisco, New York, Houston, Chicago - have launched programs to se...