
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

Mar 23, 2023 • 27min
When Home Becomes a Hospital
The pandemic pushed Medicare to start paying for “hospital-at-home” care for the first time, launching the largest test ever of home-based hospital care. This week, we look at what we’ve learned from the hospital-at-home explosion and questions about home-based care remain unanswered.Guests: Bruce Leff, MD, Director, The Center for Transformative Geriatric Research, Johns HopkinsDavid and Melanie MercurioConstantinos “Taki” Michaelidis, MD, Medical Director, Hospital at Home Program, UMass Memorial HealthMichelle Mahon, RN, Assistant Director of Nursing Practice, National Nurses UnitedNathan Starr, DO, Medical Director for Home Services, Castell; Director of Telehospitalist Program, Intermountain HealthcareLearn 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 16, 2023 • 23min
‘A Shocking Amount of Misery’: Medical Debt in America
Even though more Americans than ever have health insurance, medical debt is a pervasive problem in the United States.Guests: Noam Levey, Senior Correspondent, Kaiser Health NewsWesley Yin, PhD, Associate Professor of Economics, UCLALearn 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 9, 2023 • 22min
The Conservative Clash Over Abortion Bans
Less than a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some states are rethinking their abortion bans.This week, reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein introduces us to a Republican lawmaker pushing to add exceptions to the ban he helped pass, and we consider how well exceptions work - or don't - in practice. Guests:Alice Miranda Ollstein, Health Care Reporter, PoliticoState Sen. Richard Briggs, MD, Tennessee General AssemblyYarnell Beatty, JD, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Tennessee Medical AssociationWill Brewer, JD, Director of Government Relations, Tennessee Right to LifeKatrina Kimport, PhD, Associate Professor, ANSIRH, University of California San FranciscoKatie MayLearn 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.Follow us on Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 7, 2023 • 7min
BONUS: The Return of Our Research Newsletter
Meet the man behind our revamped research newsletter bringing you the latest health policy studies, original analysis, interviews with leading researchers and more every Tuesday.Subscribe at tradeoffs.org/researchGuest: Soleil Shah, Research Reporter, TradeoffsWant 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.Follow us on Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 2, 2023 • 14min
SCOTUS Weighs Medicaid Recipients' Right to Sue
Later this year the Supreme Court is set to decide whether to close a legal pathway that Medicaid recipients have used for more than 50 years. This week, we talk with Farah Yousry about the potential consequences of this decision.Guests:Farah Yousry, Health Equity Reporter, Side Effects Public Media Susie Talevski, patientChris Schandevel, Senior Counsel, Alliance Defending FreedomJane Perkins, Litigation Director, National Health Law ProgramLearn 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.Follow us on Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 23, 2023 • 29min
The Push to Bring Medicaid Behind Bars
People leaving jail and prison are at extremely high risk of hospitalization and death. This week, why policymakers from deep blue California to solidly red Utah think bringing Medicaid behind bars could help.Guests:Lee ReedShira Shavit, MD, Professor of Family and Community Medicine, University of California San Francisco; Executive Director, Transitions Clinic NetworkJacey Cooper, Director, California Medicaid ProgramCindy Beane, MSW, LCSW, Commissioner, West Virginia Bureau of Medical ServicesAmy Katzen, JD, MPP, Director of Policy and Strategy, Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human ServicesMike Levine, Medicaid Director, MassHealthDana Flannery, Former Senior Policy Advisor, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment SystemKhalil Cumberbatch, MSW, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Council on Criminal JusticeLearn 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.Follow us on Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 16, 2023 • 16min
Medicare Director Meena Seshamani on CMS' New Drug Pricing Powers
Medicare’s historic plan to slow prescription drug spending is taking shape. Last Thursday federal health officials began detailing how one of two major drug price reforms contained in the Inflation Reduction Act will work and who it will affect. This week, we talk with Medicare director Meena Seshamani about the “opportunity of a lifetime” to put these unprecedented policies into action.Guest:Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Medicare and Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ServicesLearn 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.Follow us on Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 9, 2023 • 20min
States’ Uphill Battle to Stop Runaway Health Care Costs
One year of health insurance premiums for a family of four now costs as much as a car. Nine states are trying to lower those costs in an aggressive way - by holding hospitals and insurance companies accountable for high spending. In this episode we look to see if any of those efforts have bent the cost curve.Guests: Leemore Dafny, PhD, Harvard University economistMichael Bailit, MBA President and Founder Bailit HealthDavid Seltz, Executive Director Massachusetts Health Policy CommissionAmy Rosenthal, MPH, MPA Executive Director Health Care For AllLearn 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.Follow us on Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 2, 2023 • 23min
One Doctor’s Crusade to Improve Health Literacy
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 to buy in.Guests:Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, MPA, Founder and CEO, Grapevine HealthKeith Maccannon, Director of Marketing, Outreach and Community Relations, AmeriHealth Caritas District of ColumbiaYvonne Smith, Grapevine ClientKaren Dale, RN, MSN, Market President, AmeriHealth Caritas District of ColumbiaLearn 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.Follow us on Twitter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 27, 2023 • 2min
BONUS: CMS Approves Medicaid Coverage for Inmates
Popping into the feed with a bit of breaking news on a story we've been reporting on for months: For the first time ever, some people incarcerated in jail or prison will have access to Medicaid. We'll have a full episode on this dramatic policy change in February.Sign up for our weekly newsletter to see what research health policy experts are reading right now, plus recommendations from our staff.Support this type of journalism today, with a gift.Follow us on Twitter @tradeoffspod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.