Tradeoffs

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...

Rural health experts dig into the Trump administration’s effort to transform rural health care. Guests: Kevin Bennett , Director Center for Rural & Primary Healthcare; Professor, Family and Preventative Medicine, School of Medicine Columbia, University of South Carolina Paula Chatterjee , Director of Health Equity Research, Penn LDI; Assistant Professor, Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine S...

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...

Black Americans report higher levels of mistrust in the health care system than white Americans and suffer worse outcomes in everything from maternal mortality to life expectancy. What if improving health literacy and demystifying health information could be the part of the solution? This week, one doctor’s crusade to help more people understand their own health care and why insurers are starting...

A Chicago violence prevention program is pairing cognitive behavioral therapy with intensive mentoring and wraparound support to help high-risk teens avoid incarceration. Guests: Nour Abdul-Razzak , Research Associate, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy; Research Director, University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab Charles Branas , Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology...

A leading addiction expert explains how he’s driven by the memory of a friend who died, and why he believes giving data on the drug supply to people on the street is more important than using it to inform national drug policy. Guest: Nabarun Dasgupta , Epidemiologist, University of North Carolina Street Drug Analysis Lab and Opioid Data Lab Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . He...

A group of nurses in Baltimore wants to bring basic care to every person in a neighborhood regardless of age, health, income or insurance. Can this idea from abroad take root in the United States? Guests: Dawn Alley , PhD, Head of Scale, IMPaCT Care Asaf Bitton , MD, MPH, Executive Director, Ariadne Labs Regina Hammond, Founder, Rebuild Johnston Square Neighborhood Organization Chris Koller , Pres...

Economist Amy Finkelstein has studied America’s patchwork of health insurance policies for more than 20 years. In a forthcoming book she concludes it’s time tear the whole system down. This week, Dan talks with Amy about how she came to that conclusion and what a better system could look like.  Guest: Amy Finkelstein , PhD, Professor of Economics, MIT Learn more and read a full transcript on...

Several cities and counties are addressing street homelessness with a new approach, which experts say can clear encampments while protecting the health of people who are forced to move. Guests: Josh Barocas , Associate Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine Marc Dones , Policy Director, Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, University of California San Francisco Ryan...

Facing mounting financial pressures, insurance companies are changing the prescription drug coverage available to many consumers in Medicare Part D. Guests: Stacie Dusetzina , Professor of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Steven Hadfield , Medicare beneficiary Mark Newsom , Managing Director, Avalere Health Erin Trish , Co-Director, USC Schaeffer Center Cindy Trish , Medicare beneficiary Lesli...

Higher premiums and penalties have made shopping for Obamacare plans more confusing this year. Federal funding cuts have left consumers in many states with fewer guides to help them navigate their options. “I don’t want people to just feel ghosted,” a West Virginia navigator told Tradeoffs. Guest: Jeremy Smith, director, West Virginia navigator program, First Choice Services. Learn more and read a...

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 and read a full transcript on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the la...

Facing unprecedented pressure from the Trump administration, some of the world’s top drugmakers promise to cut prices. But experts say the savings might not be what they seem. Guests: Michael Cannon , Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute Stacie Dusetzina , Professor of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Darius Lakdawalla , Chief Scientific Officer, USC Schaeffer Center Pete Loftus ,...

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...

What happens if President Trump cuts billions from research on how to make our health care system work better? Guest(s): Aaron Carroll , President and CEO, Academy Health Stuart Buck , Executive Director, Good Science Project Learn more on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news. Support this type of journalism...

It's been 90 days since Congress passed Trump’s megabill slashing health care spending and reshaping the Medicaid program. States are already knee-deep in dealing with the fallout. Guests: Hemi Tewarson , Executive Director, National Academy for State Health Policy Leslie Walker, Senior Producer, Tradeoffs Learn more on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter feat...

Excerpts of a live conversation with two top health economists about how extra federal support has helped millions of Americans access health insurance, and what would happen if that aid went away. Guests: Katherine Baicker , Provost and Emmett Dedmon Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago Jonathan Gruber , Ford Professor of Economics, MIT Learn more on our website , and watch the...

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...

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Sarah Stillman explains why so many people with mental illness are starving to death in U.S. jails, who is profiting, and what can be done to prevent it. Guest: Sarah Stillman , Staff Writer, New Yorker; Founder, Yale Investigative Reporting Lab Learn more on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health poli...

Federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans are scheduled to shrink next year. Many shoppers are expected to be priced out of the market, leaving those who stay with higher premiums. It’s a dynamic that threatens to repeat, leaving markets with fewer and more expensive options as insurers exit, too. How did we get here? Guest(s): Jonathan Kolstad , professor, Haas School of Business, Un...

As states struggle to meet the needs of people with serious mental illness, some are signing on to a federal pilot project that’s funneling new funding into institutional care. Guests: Alex Barnard , Assistant Professor of Sociology, New York University Danny Pasquini, patient Teresa Pasquini , Advocate Tyler Sadwith , Medicaid Director, California Department of Health Care Services Morgan Shields...

Worrying about deportation can literally make people sick. Health care providers are scrambling to cut through their undocumented patients’ panic about President Trump’s new immigration policies. Guests: Maria Steph Willding , CEO, CommunityHealth Emily Hendel , Director of Clinical Services, CommunityHealth Samantha Artiga , Vice President and Director for Racial Equity Health Policy Program, KFF...

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 . Support this type of journalism today, with a gift . Follow us on Twitter .  Hoste...

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...