
Tradeoffs
Tradeoffs is an award-winning nonprofit news organization on a mission to help America have smarter, more honest health policy conversations.Tradeoffs explores the toughest choices in health care, diving into issues like the cost of care, health equity, insurance, mental health and artificial intelligence. We connect policy to practice, uncovering the data and personal stories that help audiences understand the stakes — and the potential solutions.Learn more about us, find transcripts for each episode and additional reporting at https://tradeoffs.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Jun 5, 2025 • 26min
How Treating Teens’ Trauma Is Stopping Violence in Chicago
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 LabCharles Branas, Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public HealthToni Copeland, Director of Student Supports and Violence Prevention Programs, Chicago Public SchoolsJennifer Doleac, Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice, Arnold VenturesJasper Guilbault, Therapist, BrightpointGary Ivory, President and CEO, Youth Advocate ProgramsJulie Noobler, Director of Mental Health and Wellness, BrightpointT-ManLearn 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.

May 29, 2025 • 30min
Helping Some of America’s Costliest Patients Could Get A Lot Harder
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 BoardArthur Brown, Client, Camden CoalitionAmy Finkelstein, PhD, Professor of Economics, MIT; Co-Scientific Director, J-PAL North AmericaAllison Hamblin, MSPH, President and CEO, Center for Health Care StrategiesPaula Lantz, PhD, Professor of Health Policy, University of MichiganLarry Moore, Client, Camden CoalitionKathleen Noonan, JD, President and CEO, Camden CoalitionDottie Scott, Community Health Worker, Camden CoalitionBrian Thompson, Housing Coordinator, Camden CoalitionLeslie Walker, Senior Producer/Reporter, TradeoffsLearn more and read a full transcript on our website.Join us for a virtual discussion with Penn LDI on June 6 at 12 pm ET, where Penn experts will help us understand the programs targeted by federal cuts to violence prevention programs, the lessons we’ve learned about how to prevent gun violence, and what the administration’s actions could mean for communities impacted by this uniquely American epidemic. Learn more and register 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 22, 2025 • 26min
What Cuts to Medicaid and Obamacare Could Mean for Hospitals, Insurers and You
Jonathan Gruber, Ford Professor of Economics at MIT, dives into the potential fallout of proposed cuts to Medicaid and Obamacare. He reveals how these changes might leave millions without coverage and strain hospitals with increased uncompensated care. The discussion emphasizes the financial ramifications for insurers and consumers alike, including rising premiums and accessibility issues. Gruber also addresses the exploitation of Medicaid funding loopholes and warns of broader public health risks if these vital programs are compromised.

May 15, 2025 • 21min
What Happens When Cops Refuse to Respond to Mental Health Calls?
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 SoulLearn 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.Join us for a virtual discussion with Penn LDI on May 16 at 2 pm ET about the changes to the vaccine approval processes that were announced this month by the Trump administration requiring that all “new” vaccines be tested against a placebo. Learn more and register 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 • 33min
Presenting: First Opinion: The Invisibility of Good Public Health Work
Guests:Torie Bosch, Editor, First Opinion, STAT NewsMichelle Taylor, Shelby County Division Director for Health Services, Shelby County, TennesseeRaynard 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 8, 2025 • 20min
Fighting Measles and Anti-Vax Views in West Texas
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 HealthLearn more and read a full transcript on our website and join us for a virtual discussion with Penn LDI on May 16 at 2 pm ET about the changes to the vaccine approval processes that were announced this month by the Trump administration requiring that all “new” vaccines be tested against a placebo. Learn more and register 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 1, 2025 • 25min
What Republican Health Cuts Could Mean for People with Disabilities
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 HealthLearn 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.

Apr 24, 2025 • 29min
Medicaid Work Requirements Are Back. What You Need To Know
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 ArkansasAngela Rachidi, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise InstituteRay Hanley, former CEO of the Arkansas Foundation for Medical CareBarbara Sears Roshon, Ohio Medicaid Director (2016-2019)Ben Sommers, Huntley Quelch Professor of Health Care Economics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical SchoolMaureen Corcoran, Ohio Medicaid DirectorRyan Levi, Reporter/Producer, TradeoffsLearn 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.

Apr 17, 2025 • 17min
Obamacare Heads to the Supreme Court … Again
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 MichiganLearn 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.

Apr 10, 2025 • 20min
How RFK Jr. is Upending Public Health
Melanie Evans, a Producer at Tradeoffs, dives into the tumultuous changes under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She discusses the mass firings and budget cuts impacting public health, particularly during a measles outbreak. Guests highlight concerns over weakened health infrastructures and the challenges posed by Kennedy's controversial views on vaccines. The episode sheds light on the tension between public health advocates and Kennedy's influence on nutrition and vaccination debates, raising questions about the future of healthcare.