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Health Affairs This Week

Health Affairswww.healthaffairs.org
Health Affairs This Week places listeners at the center of health policy’s proverbial water cooler. Join editors from Health Affairs, the leading journal of health policy research, and special guests as they discuss this week’s most pressing health policy news. All in 15 minutes or less.
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Episodes

The Big Beautiful Bill: A New Era for Health Policy? w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law and Deputy Editor Chris Fleming to the pod to discuss Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill and how this will affect Medicaid, Medicare, health savings accounts, rural hospitals, and more. Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters. Related Links: The 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' Now Law, Does Not Protect Rural Hospitals ( Health Affairs Forefront ) Rural Health Transformati...

Jul 25, 202518 minEp. 210

HR Policies Health Care Needs to Know Right Now w/ Ryan Golden

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Ryan Golden , Senior Reporter at HR Dive , to the pod to discuss workforce trends within the health care space pertaining to artificial intelligence, recruitment, overtime eligibility requirements, pay transparency, noncompete agreements, remote work, RTO policies, and more. This week, Health Affairs released their second Insider trend report focusing on the health care workforce, titled " The Health Care Workforce: A Challenge In Sustainability ." Become an ...

Jul 18, 202522 minEp. 209

US Health Spending Projections Back on the Rise w/ Michael Chernew

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers is joined by Michael Chernew from Harvard Medical School to discuss the recently released National Health Expenditures Projections for 2024–33 from the Office of the Actuary (OACT) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Related Articles: National Health Expenditure Projections, 2024–33: Despite Insurance Coverage Declines, Health To Grow As Share Of GDP CMS National Health Expenditure Data...

Jun 27, 202520 minEp. 208

Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits: What We've Learned

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad to the pod to discuss the Forefront series, Supplemental Benefits In Medicare Advantage , and how articles from the series elaborated on issues such as challenges in understanding and accessing benefits, CMS requirements to collect encounter data, the intersection of MA supplemental benefits with Medicaid long-term services and supports, and more. Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events, our recent trend report ...

Jun 13, 202516 minEp. 207

Back In Our Budget Reconciliation Bag w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law back to the pod to discuss the House Republican budget reconciliation legislation and what impacts this legislation could have on the Affordable Care Act market, Medicaid beneficiaries, health savings accounts, Medicare, and more. Become an Insider today to get access to exclusive events, our recent trend report on AI in health care, and monthly newsletters from authors such as Stacie Dusetzina , David Simon , Laura Tollen , and ...

Jun 06, 202523 minEp. 206

FDA Vague Efforts to Scale Generative AI Internally By End of June

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the program to discuss the Food and Drug Administration's recent announcement to scale a generative artificial intelligence across its center in the future. Health Affairs released their first Insider trend report. The report focuses on AI in health care and you can get full access to this report by becoming an Insider. Insiders also will receive access to our June 17 event on risk adjustment trends and our July 7 event fe...

May 30, 202512 minEp. 205

Andrew Ryan on State Affordability Standards' Impact on Hospital Prices and Insurance Premiums | A Health Podyssey

On May 13, A Health Podyssey's Rob Lott chatted with Andrew Ryan of Brown University about his paper in the May 2025 edition of Health Affairs that explores how Rhode Island's affordability standards impacted hospital prices and insurance premiums . Order the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs . Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support , we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcasts free for e...

May 28, 202543 min

The Digital Health Industry is So Back w/ Christina Farr

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Christina Farr , advisor, investor, editor-in-chief of Second Opinion Media , to the pod to discuss recent moves by Omada Health and Hinge Health to take the companies public, how the IPOs could impact the digital health market, and what gains her attention when companies make their investment pitches. Health Affairs released their first trend report, which is exclusive for Health Affairs Insiders . The first report focuses on AI in health care and you can ge...

May 23, 202520 minEp. 204

Thomas Buchmueller on Prescription Coverage After Medicaid Unwinding | A Health Podyssey

Health Affairs ' Rob Lott interviews Thomas Buchmueller of the University of Michigan to discuss his recent paper that explores how during the Medicaid 'Unwinding' of 2023, the reduction in Medicaid-paid prescriptions was offset by increased commercial coverage . Order the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs . Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support , we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podca...

May 21, 202519 min

Trump's Deregulation Era & The Big Budget Reconciliation's Health Care Impact w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Katie Keith of Georgetown Law back to the pod to discuss President Trump's potential changes to the rulemaking process, how that may impact rulemaking at HHS, and break down the house Republican budget reconciliation bill and the impacts it could have on Medicaid and more. Become an Insider today to get access to our May 29 event on the FDA under the second Trump Administration as well as our upcoming premiere trend report on AI in health care. Also, join us ...

May 16, 202523 minEp. 203

A Health Podyssey: Caitlin Carroll on Hospital Closures Ultimately Causing Higher Prices

Health Affairs ' Senior Deputy Editor Rob Lott interviews Caitlin Carroll of the University of Minnesota to discuss her recent paper that explores how rural hospital closures led to an increase in prices for nearby remaining hospitals. Order the May 2025 issue of Health Affairs . Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support , we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcast...

May 14, 202521 min

What's On Farzad Mostashari's Mind for Health Policy

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Farzad Mostashari , founder & CEO of Aledade and the former National Coordinator for Health IT, to the pod to break down insights in the latest MedPAC report, quality measurement reform, and areas of opportunity for value-based care. Health Affairs is hosting an Insider exclusive event on May 29 focusing on the FDA's first 100 days under the second Trump administration featuring moderator Rachel Sachs alongside panelists Richard Hughes IV and Arti Rai . R...

May 09, 202523 minEp. 202

A Health Podyssey: Eric Topol on the Science of Super-Aging and Longevity

Health Affairs ' Senior Deputy Editor Rob Lott interviews Eric Topol , Executive Vice President of Scripps Research , on his new book, Super Agers , which provides an evidence-based approach on extending healthy lifespans. Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support , we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcast...

May 07, 202532 min

How Federal Restructuring Affects Data That Affects Health Policy

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Akilah Wise to the program to discuss the impacts of preserving the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the effects of physical exercise on health, and how this type of data helps inform policy making. We are hosting another live podcast recording of A Health Podyssey featuring host Rob Lott and guest Andrew Ryan where they will discuss his paper in the May 2025 edition of Health Affairs and take questions from a live audience. Sign up t...

May 02, 202516 minEp. 201

2020 Vs. 2025: What's Different and the Same in Health Policy - Our 200th Episode!

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Jessica Bylander to the program to celebrate the 200th episode of Health Affairs This Week and take a look back at the health care world of 2020 and see what has changed in terms of COVID-19, vaccinations, telehealth, and more. Health Affairs published an ahead-of-print article this week from Yashaswini Singh and coauthors exploring explore how the expansion of private equity-owned physician practices has led to a decrease in access for certain ...

Apr 25, 202514 minEp. 200

Whether Health Care M&A is Cooked Or Not w/ Bob Herman

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Bob Herman of STAT News to the program to discuss the state of deals in the health care space, how vertical integration and consolidation have played a role in mergers & acquisitions as it relates to hospitals, and what might fly under the radar from even the most savvy of health policy wonks. Health Affairs Insiders can join us April 23 for an exclusive virtual event exploring site-neutral payments with health economist and health services researcher Bra...

Apr 18, 202517 minEp. 199

Food, Nutrition, & Health: A Different Type of Hunger w/ Heather Thomas

Welcome to the final episode in a special four-part series from Health Affairs on the intersection of food, nutrition, and health. This special series compliments the release of a theme issue on food, nutrition, and health, which is currently available to read . In this episode, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Ellen Bayer speak with Heather Thomas from the nonprofit A Place to Stand about her Narrative Matters essay from the issue, " A Different Type of Hunger ." The essay explores Thomas' ...

Apr 16, 202525 min

Elizabeth Popp-Berman on How the U.S. Can Build a Just Political Economy for Health

In a special podcast episode, Health Affairs Scholar Associate Editor Loren Adler interviews Elizabeth Popp-Berman about the Health and Political Economy series of papers recently published in Health Affairs Scholar . The series asks how might the U.S. build a more just and inclusive political economy for health rather than take the status quo for granted. This paper collection was developed in partnership with the The New School’s Health and Political Economy Project (HPEP), a field catalyst in...

Apr 14, 202531 min

Where Tariffs and Health Care Meet w/ David Simon

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes David Simon from The University of Connecticut to the program to discuss the recent news that the Trump administration implemented reciprocal tariffs on imported goods and what this could mean for the health care industry. Become an Insider today to never miss out on David Simon's exclusive newsletter, Economic Intersections . Insiders can join us April 23 for an exclusive virtual event exploring site-neutral payments with health economist and health services...

Apr 11, 202515 minEp. 198

Food, Nutrition, & Health: Behind the Pages

Welcome to the third episode in a special four-part series from Health Affairs on the intersection of food, nutrition, and health. This special series compliments the release of a theme issue on food, nutrition, and health to be released this week . In this episode, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Ellen Bayer discuss the content in the theme issue . Order the Food, Nutrition, and Health Issue ....

Apr 09, 202510 min

The Politics of Alternative Payment Models

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the program to discuss the recent announcement from the Trump administration to cancel certain alternative payment models, their previous impact on health spending, and the difficult task of measuring success over a long period of time and across different administrations. Order the April 2025 theme issue of Health Affairs focusing on food, nutrition, and health. Join us for our theme issue briefing on April 8 featuring pa...

Apr 04, 202513 minEp. 197

Food, Nutrition & Health: Food Support Programs w/ Diane Schanzenbach

Welcome to the second episode in a special four-part series from Health Affairs on the intersection of food, nutrition, and health. This special series compliments the release of a theme issue on food, nutrition, and health to be released April 7, 2025. In this episode, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander speaks with Diane Schanzenbach from Northwestern University on the topic of food support programs and their impacts on very young children. Pre-order the Food, Nutrition, and Health Issue . Relate...

Apr 02, 202521 min

What We Talk About When We Talk About SNAP w/ Seth Berkowitz

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Seth Berkowitz of UNC School of Medicine back to the program to discuss nutrition in the US, the current state of SNAP benefits, and his upcoming paper to be featured in our April 2025 theme issue on food, nutrition, and health. Preorder the April 2024 theme issue of Health Affairs . Join us April 23 for an exclusive Insider virtual event exploring site-neutral payments with health economist and health services researcher Brady Post of Northeastern University...

Mar 28, 202516 minEp. 196

Food, Nutrition, & Health: Water Insecurity w/ Na'Taki Osborne Jelks

Welcome to a special four-part series from Health Affairs on the intersection of food, nutrition, and health. This special series compliments the release of a theme issue on food, nutrition, and health to be released April 7, 2025. In the first episode, Health Affairs' Ellen Bayer speaks with Na'Taki Osborne Jelks from Spelman College on the topic of water insecurity. Pre-order the Food, Nutrition, and Health Issue . Related Links: Water Insecurity and Population Health: Implications for Health ...

Mar 26, 202520 min

Health Policy at a Crossroads: Trump's First 50 Days w/ Katie Keith

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Chris Fleming and Katie Keith of Georgetown Law to the program to discuss the 15th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and the first 50 days of the new Trump administration. Katie Keith is a frequent contributor to the Health Affairs Forefront series Health Policy At A Crossroads . Catch up on what you may have missed . Health Affairs will be hosting a theme issue briefing on April 8 to celebrate the release of our April 2025 issue focusing o...

Mar 21, 202515 minEp. 195

At the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Health Care w/ Brian Anderson

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Brian Anderson , President & CEO of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) , to the program to discuss the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in health care and the future application of these tools. Health Affairs is hosting an Insider-exclusive virtual event on March 19th examining the potential policy and administrative changes surrounding the Medicaid program and what they may mean in terms of coverage, operations, and financing. Sign up today...

Mar 14, 202522 minEp. 194

The Impact of Trump's Known Health Care Agenda w/ Rebecca Pifer

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Rebecca Pifer of Healthcare Dive back to the program to discuss the 2025 budget resolution that passed the House on its way to the Senate, the current administration's health care agenda, and what ripple effects the current actions of DOGE are having on the health care workforce. Health Affairs just released their March 2025 issue focusing on pharmaceuticals, private equity, child health, & more. Order your copy today . Join a live recording of A Health P...

Mar 07, 202520 minEp. 193

Victor Dzau on the Urgent Health Care Priorities Facing the Trump Administration

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers invites Victor Dzau of the National Academy of Medicine to the program to discuss the 2025 Vital Directions paper package and what major takeaways could be found to inform the incoming administration for the future of health care. Join a live recording of A Health Podyssey on March 12 featuring Rob Lott and Yashaswini Singh discussing her recent paper on the effect of private equity on physician turnover. Register for the live taping here . Related Links: Podcast: Don...

Feb 28, 202522 minEp. 192

BREAKDOWN: Health Care Private Equity Federal Reports

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the program to discuss two recent reports exploring the impacts of private equity on the US health care system. Health Affairs published an ahead-of-print article from Michelle S. Rockwell and coauthors exploring demographic variation in COVID-19-associated outpatient hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin use and spending throughout the public health emergency. Also, join a live recording of A Health Podyssey on March 12 feat...

Feb 21, 202515 minEp. 191

What's Happening with Value-Based Insurance Design? w/ Mark Fendrick

Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Mark Fendrick of The University of Michigan's Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) to discuss the recent announcement from CMS that the Medicare Advantage VBID model would be ending after 2025, and what the future holds for VBID moving forward with the new Trump administration. Check out a recently released Health Policy brief from Nathaniel Tran and Gilbert Gonzales exploring LGBTQI+ policies. Join Health Affairs on February 25 for an exclusive Ins...

Feb 14, 202518 minEp. 190
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