Health Care News Podcast

The ideas are not new, and it’s short on specifics, but will President Trump’s “ The Great Healthcare Plan ” lead to serious health reform? AnneMarie Schieber, managing editor of Health Care News and Devon Herrick, of the Goodman Institute Health Blog   discuss the pros and cons of the plan’s “four pillars.” Will price transparency mean anything in a dysfunctional health care system where few peop...

Health economist Devin Herrick joins AnneMarie Schieber to break down the fight over Obamacare subsidies behind the government shutdown, what happens if they expire, and how free-market reforms could reshape health care—from $2 million drugs to Costco’s new Ozempic plan.

Republicans are resisting pressure to include Obamacare premium tax credits in the Stopgap Funding bill which would fund the government until November 21.  In this episode of The Heartland Daily Podcast, AnneMarie Schieber, managing editor of Health Care News and Devon Herrick, of the Goodman Institute Health Blog discuss why Republicans should resist that idea.  Also on tap, how health insurance...

How did Minnesota’s Medicaid program balloon from $2.5 million to $104 million today? Join AnneMarie Schieber , managing editor of Health Care News , and Devon Herrick of the Goodman Institute Health Blog as they discuss how fraud in two programs—both aimed at addressing non-medical “social determinants” of health care—has contributed to this explosive growth. Also in the show: the troubling conne...

HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. is clamping down on removing organs from patients declared “brain dead.” Join AnneMarie Schieber, managing editor of Health Care News and Devon Herrick, of the Goodman Institute Health Blog  to find out starting new facts on, as well as the latest headlines in health care from a free market perspective. Also on tap, Minnesota is encouraging moms on Medicaid to del...

What is next in the fight to manage waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid now that the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) is law ?  Join AnneMarie Schieber, managing editor of Health Care News and Devon Herrick, of the Goodman Institute Health Blog as they discuss the latest headlines in health care from a free market perspective. Will there be an effort to make states more financially responsible for th...

Welcome to another episode of the Heartland Daily Podcast, where Ann Marie Sheber and healthcare economist Devon Herrick unpack this week’s biggest developments in health policy: 🔹 Prior Authorization Reform HHS Secretary RFK Jr. & CMS’s Dr. Oz secured voluntary pledges from major insurers to streamline prior authorization—cutting red tape, boosting transparency, and digitizing approvals by 2...

In this episode of the Heartland Daily Podcast , AnneMarie Schieber and economist Devon Herrick break down the latest health care debates in Washington. They discuss how promised reforms like Medicaid work requirements and health savings account expansions are being stripped from President Trump’s health care package, and what that means for patients and taxpayers. The conversation covers efforts...

The "Big Beautiful Act" turned into a big disappointment for Medicaid reform. Instead of adding ways to improve Medicaid benefits, like cutting non-medical spending, Republicans caved. Work requirements and eliminating provider taxes will help, but the failure to fix Medicaid spending now creates major debt headaches just a few years down the road. AnneMarie Schieber, managing editor of Health Car...

Are hospitals locking out Medicare Advantage enrollees? Find out the likely real reason behind the shutout and why we should be worried if MA can no longer compete with traditional fee-for-service Medicare. Join AnneMarie Schieber, managing editor of Health Care News, and Devon Herrick of the Goodman Institute Health Blog as they discuss the latest headlines in health care from a free-market persp...

Will AI replace your doctor? Bill Gates seems to think so. In today’s podcast, AnneMarie Schieber, managing editor of Health Care News , and Devon Herrick of the Goodman Institute Health Blog discuss where AI can be a benefit—such as reducing medical error. But when it comes to replacing highly trained medical doctors to reduce the doctor shortage and save money for insurance companies, Herrick an...

How can you consent to paying for something if you don’t know the price? In today’s podcast, AnneMarie Schieber of Health Care News and Devon Herrick of the Goodman Institute Health Care Blog talk about New York State’s decision to ban “consent to pay” forms at medical practices. Also on tap: reforming health care without a political fight, the RESULT Act being reintroduced, which fast-tracks succ...

Can you beat a medical bill you feel is unfair?  AnneMarie Schieber and Devon Herrick discuss their personal experience.  Can Congress rein in Medicaid?  Many ideas being consider:  block grants to states, changing funding rates for expanded Medicaid, work requirements.  Do enrollees value Medicaid or waste it?  Schieber and Herrick also discuss “ gutting the FDA .” Herrick discusses why DOGE and...

Hours before his confirmation hearing, former Rep. Dave Weldon’s nomination to head the CDC was withdrawn.   Weldon has been a vaccine critic. How much of a role did Big Pharma play? AnneMarie Schieber and Devon Herrick also talk about the growing focus on vaccines, and the history of vaccine policy . Most recently the Trump’s administration to nix vaccines on chickens for bird flu.  Also in the p...

In this episode of Health Care News, hosts AnneMarie Schieber and Devon Herrick dive into the critical debates shaping health care today. They discuss the potential expansion of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), exploring proposals from Rep. Chip Roy and policy experts who argue HSAs could significantly improve coverage, especially for gig workers and those seeking direct care options. AnneMarie and...

In this episode of The Heartland Daily Podcast, host AnneMarie Schieber is joined by health economist Devon Herrick for an in-depth discussion on the pressing issues in the U.S. healthcare system. Together, they explore the real-life implications of policies like Obamacare, the growing challenges of Medicare, and the evolving landscape of health insurance options. From short-term plans to the pote...

Olympian Mary Lou Retton made a stunning revelation when asked why she didn’t have health insurance while she was in intensive care fighting for her life.  “I couldn’t afford it,” Retton told the Today Show on January 8 when she was faced with a life threating pneumonia recently.  Retton’s daughter started a “Go Fund Me” page to help her mother pay for what was likely to be tens of thousands of do...

You see the reports in the news all the time, a patient on life support has given the “gift of life” by donating organs. Few people realize but organ donors needs to be alive to do this.  Hospitals can legally declare people with a brain death diagnosis allowing them to take their vital organs for transplant.  Dr. Heidi Klessig is author of The Brain Death Fallacy .  She discusses whether brain de...

In this episode of Health Care News , we delve into the recent revelation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that certain over-the-counter decongestants, specifically those labeled with "PE" (phenylephrine), are no more effective than a placebo. Our guest, Dr. Jeffrey Singer, a practicing surgeon from Phoenix, Arizona, and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, sheds light on how these medi...

For years, Medicare has paid hospitals and their affiliates more for services than it has to others. The reasons are complex, but this policy significantly incentivizes hospitals to absorb independent practices, creating “monopolies” that reduce competition and increase prices for everyone. Dr. Richard Kube, M.D., founder and CEO of the Prairie Spine and Pain Institute—an independent practice in I...

For almost 4 weeks, four-year-old Autumn Schall has been virtually trapped at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, in Palo Alto, CA against the will of her parents. Today, mother Hope Schacter joins the program to discuss Autumn’s situation.   Autumn was admitted to the teaching hospital for an e-coli infection but within days, she became critically ill, receiving care in the ICU, being given intra...

Stephen Moses, one of the leading experts on long-term care in the U.S., says the nation can dramatically improve the quality of our health care system if we could get rid of the  loopholes that allow nearly everyone to qualify for Medicaid coverage. The current system encourages few people save for long-term care because it is widely accepted that the government will pick up the tab. While this m...

Join us as Hal Frampton, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom , delves into a pivotal legal case in Michigan's Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. He's representing Christian Healthcare Centers (CHC) and Sacred Heart Academy as they navigate the expanded civil rights protections in Michigan , which now encompass "gender" and "sexual preference." Both institutions could potentially be comp...

Is it possible that Obamacare was intentionally set up to falter, leading frustrated Americans to implore the federal government to assume control of health care? Devon Herrick posits this theory, having recently explored the topic on the Goodman Health Blog. He highlights that without the crutch of subsidies, Obamacare is destined to collapse — a prediction echoed by many during the 2009-2010 deb...

Hidden within the intricacies of Obamacare lies an unsettling truth that many are unaware of. Dive deep with us as we uncover how this renowned health care reform might not be the safety net for the genuinely ill as it's often portrayed. Join Host AnneMarie Schieber and guest John C. Goodman, Ph. D., co-publisher of Health Care News and founder of the Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research,...