Health law expert Katie Keith helps us break down what a pair of big court decisions mean for RFK Jr.’s power and for people's access to abortion, cancer screening and many other kinds of care. Guest: Katie Keith , Director, Health Policy and the Law Initiative at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law 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 t...
Jul 03, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 330
On June 18, Tradeoffs moderated an online event with economists and doctors examining why this legislation could cost so many people their health coverage — or even their lives. Guests: Eric Roberts , Associate Professor, Department of General Internal Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine Aditi Vasan , Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine Rachel Werner , Executive Director, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania Learn more a...
Jun 26, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 329
The White House is asking Congress to sharply roll back federal spending on HIV prevention, a reversal from President Trump’s first term, when he championed investment to end the epidemic in America within a decade. Guests: Hana Fields , outreach manager, Health Outreach Prevention Education Dr. Patrick Sullivan , professor of epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health Brad Sullivan Jeremiah Johnson , executive director, PrEP4All Dr. John T. Brooks , former chief medical offi...
Jun 19, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 328
The Health and Human Services chief’s latest action on vaccinations is unprecedented, and quickly drew condemnation from medical groups who said his dismissal of the vaccine advisory committee put public health at risk. Here’s why the members of that committee are so important. Guest: Ron Balajadia, Hawaii Department of Health immunization branch chief Dorit Reiss , University of California, San Francisco, professor of public health law Dr. Sarah Long, former member of the Advisory Committee on ...
Jun 12, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 327
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, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Toni Copeland , Director of Student Supports a...
Jun 05, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 326
Some patients’ lives are so complicated by trauma, poverty and other social problems that routine conditions like diabetes and asthma regularly turn into $10,000 hospital visits. America’s health care leaders have spent years trying to help this small but costly group of patients. What have they learned? Guests: Jeff Brenner , MD, CEO, The Jewish Board Arthur Brown, Client, Camden Coalition Amy Finkelstein , PhD, Professor of Economics, MIT; Co-Scientific Director, J-PAL North America Allison Ha...
May 29, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 325
As Republicans consider major changes to Medicaid and Obamacare, we asked a leading economist about the shockwaves these sharp policy shifts could send throughout the entire health care system. Guests: Jonathan Gruber , Ford Professor of Economics, MIT 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 of journalism today, with a gift . Hosted on Acast. See acas...
May 22, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 324
Why are a handful of sheriff’s departments in California refusing to respond to some 911 calls that involve a person with mental illness? Guest: Lee Romney , Journalist and co-host of November In My Soul Learn more and read a full transcript on our website . Check out Lee's full coverage for CalMatters. Be sure to listen to Tradeoffs special series The Fifth Branch that examines what it looks like when one community dramatically changes how it responds to people in crisis. Want more Tradeoffs? S...
May 15, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 323
Guests: Torie Bosch , Editor, First Opinion, STAT News Michelle Taylor , Shelby County Division Director for Health Services, Shelby County, Tennessee Raynard Washington , director of Mecklenburg County Public Health, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Learn more here . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news. Support this type of journalism today, with a gift . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 13, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 322
Katherine Wells, the public health director in Lubbock, Texas, describes her fight to stop a multi-state measles outbreak despite a chaotic reorganization of federal health agencies. Guest: Katherine Wells, Director, Lubbock Public Health Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news. Support this type of journalism today, with a gift . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 08, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 321
We talk with Harvard researcher Ari Ne’eman about why the sharp policy shifts underway in Washington pose a unique threat to people with disabilities. Guest: Ari Ne’eman , Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 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 of journalism today, with a gift . Hosted on A...
May 01, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 320
Work requirements led to thousands in Arkansas losing their Medicaid during the first Trump administration. Policymakers say they’ve learned lessons to avoid mistakes this time. Guests: Trevor Hawkins , former Staff Attorney at Legal Aid of Arkansas Angela Rachidi , Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute Ray Hanley , former CEO of the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care Barbara Sears Roshon , Ohio Medicaid Director (2016-2019) Ben Sommers , Huntley Quelch Professor of Health Care Economic...
Apr 24, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 319
The latest threat to the Affordable Care Act could strike down a popular provision that gives 180 million Americans access to free preventive care for conditions including HIV and cancer. Guest: Nicholas Bagley , JD, Professor of Law, University of Michigan 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 of journalism today, with a gift . Hosted on Acast. See...
Apr 17, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 318
Two months on the job, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has plowed forward with mass firings, funding cuts and new policies. The most immediate effect is across state and local health agencies, where officials say they see new cracks in safeguards against diseases. Guests: Dr. Phil Huang , director, Dallas County Health and Human Services Ryan Jury, acting senior deputy, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health Chrissie Juliano, ex...
Apr 10, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 317
Veteran health care reporter Julie Rovner breaks down the massive cuts and reorganization at HHS and answers listeners’ questions about what to expect next. Guest: Julie Rovner , Chief Washington Correspondent, KFF Health News 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 of journalism today, with a gift . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
Apr 03, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 316
Medicare often pays clinics owned by hospitals double the amount it pays independent clinics for the exact same medical care. Ending that practice could save the federal government up to $150 billion over 10 years, but critics say it could push rural hospitals over the brink. Guests: Tim Rye, chief strategic development officer, Peterson Health Carrie Cochran-McClain , chief policy officer, National Rural Health Association Loren Adler, fellow and associate director at the Center on Health Polic...
Mar 27, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 315
A closer look at the surgeon-turned-TV-star President Trump wants in charge of Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare. Guests: Tara Bannow , Reporter, STAT News Tom Scully , CMS Administrator (2001-2004) 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 of journalism today, with a gift . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 20, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 314
A candid conversation between a professor and a Ph.D. candidate about potential NIH funding cuts 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 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. S...
Mar 13, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 313
As adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities strive to live more freely and fully than ever before, many of America’s doctors, hospitals and insurers are getting in the way. We get an inside look at one doctor’s quest to improve health care for people with conditions like Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism. Guests: Alison Barkoff , JD, Administration for Community Living, HHS Kevin Carlson Clarissa Kripke , MD, Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Director ...
Mar 06, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 312
New research sheds light on how many hospitals are using artificial intelligence, what they’re using AI for, and what it means for patients and policymakers. Guest: Paige Nong , PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota School of Public Health 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 of journalism today, with a gift . Hosted on Acast. See acast...
Feb 27, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 311
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 Learn more on our website . Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring t...
Feb 20, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 310
The Trump administration’s swift and sweeping efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development is creating chaos across global public health efforts. One doctor working to halt an Ebola outbreak in Uganda reflects on consequences, now and long-term, of America’s abrupt change in policy. Guest: Dr. James Lawler, Director of International Programs and Innovation, Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Learn more and read a full transcript o...
Feb 13, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 309
The fight to improve Americans’ nutrition could get new momentum from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but he will face practical and political limits to changing U.S. food supply if he’s confirmed to lead the Health and Human Services Department. Guests: Laura Schmidt, professor at the University of California at San Francisco Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies; Department of Humanities and Social Sciences; and School of Medicine. Susan Mayne , former director of the Food and Drug Administ...
Feb 06, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 308
If the Senate confirms Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a vaccine skeptic — to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, he would control a powerful group of federal vaccine advisors. Guests: Ron Balajadia, Hawaii Department of Health immunization branch chief Dorit Reiss , University of California, San Francisco, professor of public health law Dr. Sarah Long, former member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and Drexel University, professor of pediatric infectious disease Dr. Pau...
Jan 30, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 307
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. Read our new story about an obscure but extremely influential vaccine committee that Kennedy, if confirmed. would control. 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 newsl...
Jan 28, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 306
Many Republicans have singled out Medicaid as a policy that could see big changes under the new administration and Congress. We take a closer look at why many conservatives think less Medicaid will mean better Medicaid. Guests: Josh Archambault , Senior Fellow, Cicero Institute Brian Blase , President, Paragon Health Institute Michael Cannon , Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute Elizabeth Matney , Iowa Medicaid Director (2021-2024) Barbara Sears Roshon , Ohio Medicaid Director (201...
Jan 23, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 305
With Medicaid poised for potential cuts from Republicans in Washington, Dan Tsai reflects on what he's learned running Medicaid for the Biden administration — and his hopes and concerns for the program's future. Guest: Dan Tsai , Deputy Administrator and Director of Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, CMS 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 today, with a gi...
Jan 16, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 304
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 Support Specialist, Durham Community Safety Department Sarah Hall, Durham resident David Prater , Peer Su...
Jan 09, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 303
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 Chief, Durham Police Department Christie Thompson , Staff Writer, The Marshall Project EMS, Fire, Police...
Jan 02, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 302
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 Project EMS, Fire, Police and the 911 Call Center make up the existing four branches of the public ...
Dec 26, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 301
