

A Health Podyssey
Health Affairs
Each week, Health Affairs' Rob Lott brings you in-depth conversations with leading researchers and influencers shaping the big ideas in health policy and the health care industry.
A Health Podyssey goes beyond the pages of the health policy journal Health Affairs to tell stories behind the research and share policy implications. Learn how academics and economists frame their research questions and journey to the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Health policy nerds rejoice! This podcast is for you.
A Health Podyssey goes beyond the pages of the health policy journal Health Affairs to tell stories behind the research and share policy implications. Learn how academics and economists frame their research questions and journey to the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Health policy nerds rejoice! This podcast is for you.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 9, 2025 • 30min
Nora Volkow on the Science, Stigma, and Future of Addiction Research
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health, to discuss addiction as a brain disorder, treatments for opioid use disorder, and what’s next in addiction research. Order the September 2025 issue of Health Affairs, which focuses on insights on the opioid crisis.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

Sep 2, 2025 • 26min
Brendan Saloner Explains the Opioid Crisis & What Can Be Done
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Brendan Saloner of Brown University about his recent paper exploring how scaling up opioid treatment and harm reduction programs could reach more people. Order the September 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

Aug 26, 2025 • 45min
Kenton Johnston on Value-Based Payment Clinician Participation Trends
On August 12, A Health Podyssey's Rob Lott chatted with Kenton Johnston of Washington University about his paper in the August 2025 edition of Health Affairs that explores changes in clinician's participation across Medicare value-based payment models.Order the August 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 everyone.

Aug 19, 2025 • 19min
Cal Fang on Wage Gaps Between Nonprofit Hospital CEOs & Employees
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Cal Chengqi Fang of the University of Chicago about his recent paper that explores how pay gaps grew between nonprofit hospital CEOs and employees from 2009–23. Order the August 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

Aug 12, 2025 • 28min
Steven Lieberman on The Meteoric Rise Of Medicare Advantage
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Steven M. Lieberman of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles on his recent paper that explores how Medicare Advantage has seen significant enrollment growth and what reform efforts can be attempted to rebalance traditional Medicare and MA.Order the August 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

Aug 5, 2025 • 37min
Jonathan Perlin on Today's Fight to Improve Health Care Quality & Standards
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Jonathan Perlin of The Joint Commission about the origins of this commission, the impacts made on health care through quality improvement and patient safety, the role of accreditation, the public policy levers that drive change, and more. 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

Jul 29, 2025 • 26min
Margaret Sieger on How a Novel Policy Shift Reduced Child Protective Services Reports & Foster Placements
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Margaret Sieger of the University of Kansas Medical Center about her recent paper that reviews how Connecticut's novel prenatal substance exposure policy was associated with declining Child Protective Services reports and foster placements. Order the July 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

Jul 22, 2025 • 21min
J. Wyatt Koma on the Latest Medicare Enrollment Patterns
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews J. Wyatt Koma of Harvard University about his recent paper that explores enrollment trends and characteristics of low-income beneficiaries within Medicare Savings Programs.Order the July 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

Jul 15, 2025 • 23min
Bohan Li on Two Decades of Medicaid Managed Care Market Changes
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Bohan Li of Harvard University about her recent paper that explores substantial shifts in market landscape and acquisitions in Medicaid managed care.Order the July 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

Jul 8, 2025 • 28min
Paula Chatterjee on Rural Hospital Finances Under Pennsylvania's Health Model
Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Paula Chatterjee of the University of Pennsylvania about her recent paper that explores whether or not rural hospitals saw financial improvements from participation in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model.Order the July 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