
A Health Podyssey
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.
Latest episodes

Jun 25, 2024 • 26min
Ross Brownson on The Path to Public Health Transformation
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Ross Brownson of Washington University on his recent paper that details the path towards a transformed public health system and how a focus on social determinants of health and partnerships with diverse sectors can help overcome challenges in the current system.Order the "Reimagining Public Health" 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Jun 18, 2024 • 32min
Nir Menachemi on How States Can Actually Invest in Public Health
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Nir Menachemi of Indiana University on his recent paper that explores how Indiana increased their public health spending, the resulting legislative victories, and how this approach to strengthening funding could offer insights to other states.Order the "Reimagining Public Health" 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Jun 11, 2024 • 27min
Cory Cronin on Hospitals’ Needs Assessments & Community Health In Ohio
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Cory Cronin of Ohio University on his recent paper on identifying opportunities and understanding how to best align hospitals’ needs assessments and community health In Ohio.Order the "Reimagining Public Health" 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Jun 4, 2024 • 23min
Chelsey Kirkland on Building New Models for the Public Health Workforce
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Chelsey Kirkland of the University of Minnesota on her recent paper that explores the development of a new model for the governmental public health workforce in Minnesota.Order the "Reimagining Public Health" 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

May 28, 2024 • 24min
Christopher Cai on Responding To Challenges Posed By Private Equity
Christopher Cai, an expert in private equity acquisitions in healthcare, discusses the risks and challenges posed by private equity ownership in hospitals and nursing homes, including potential cost increases and quality declines. The episode explores the appeal of healthcare to private equity firms, the implications of staffing cuts post-acquisition, and the need for regulatory measures to address transparency and quality metrics in private equity-owned hospitals.

May 21, 2024 • 25min
Christopher Hoover on How Vaccine Targeting in California Improved Equity
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Christopher Hoover of California Department of Public Health on his recent paper that explores how California's COVID-19 vaccine equity policies helped to avert cases, deaths, and hospitalizations in affected communities. Order the May 2024 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

May 14, 2024 • 21min
Maeve Wallace on States’ Abortion Laws Associated With Intimate Partner Homicide Rates
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Maeve Wallace of Tulane University on her recent paper that explores the association between states' abortion restrictions and higher intimate partner homicide rates. Order the May 2024 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

May 7, 2024 • 22min
Charles Stoecker on How Guaranteed Cash Incentives Boosted COVID-19 Vaccinations
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Charles Stoecker of Tulane University on his recent paper that explored how guaranteed cash incentives helped boost COVID-19 vaccinations among young adults in West Virginia.Order the May 2024 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Apr 30, 2024 • 28min
Alison Stuebe on Cultivating Vital Conditions For Perinatal Well-Being
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Alison Stuebe of University of North Carolina School of Medicine on her recent analysis paper exploring what steps to take to cultivate vital conditions for perinatal well-being and how this can lead to a sustained commitment to reproductive justice. Order the "Perinatal Mental Health & Well-Being" 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.

Apr 23, 2024 • 30min
Amy Stiffarm on Supporting Perinatal Mental Health Within Indigenous Communities
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Amy Stiffarm of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies: The Montana Coalition on her recent paper that explores strategies to support perinatal mental health by collaborating with tribal communities in Montana.Order the "Perinatal Mental Health & Well-Being" 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.
Subscribe to UnitedHealthcare's Community & State newsletter.
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