Tradeoffs

A leading addiction expert explains how he’s driven by the memory of a friend who died, and why he believes giving data on the drug supply to people on the street is more important than using it to inform national drug policy.Guest:Nabarun Dasgupta, Epidemiologist, University of North Carolina Street Drug Analysis Lab and Opioid Data LabLearn more and read a full transcript on our website.Help us unlock a $5,000 match by becoming one of 200 new donors at tradeoffs.org/donate.Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news.

A group of nurses in Baltimore wants to bring basic care to every person in a neighborhood regardless of age, health, income or insurance.Can this idea from abroad take root in the United States?Guests:Dawn Alley, PhD, Head of Scale, IMPaCT CareAsaf Bitton, MD, MPH, Executive Director, Ariadne LabsRegina Hammond, Founder, Rebuild Johnston Square Neighborhood OrganizationChris Koller, President, Milbank Memorial FundTerry Lindsay, Community Health Worker, Sisters Together and Reaching, Inc. (STAR)Sarah Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing; Founder, Neighborhood NursingLearn more and read a full transcript on our website.Help us unlock a $5,000 match by becoming one of 200 new donors at tradeoffs.org/donate.Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news.

Economist Amy Finkelstein has studied America’s patchwork of health insurance policies for more than 20 years. In a forthcoming book she concludes it’s time tear the whole system down.This week, Dan talks with Amy about how she came to that conclusion and what a better system could look like. Guest:Amy Finkelstein, PhD, Professor of Economics, MITLearn more and read a full transcript on our website.Help us unlock a $5,000 match by becoming one of 200 new donors at tradeoffs.org/donate.Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news.

Several cities and counties are addressing street homelessness with a new approach, which experts say can clear encampments while protecting the health of people who are forced to move.Guests:Josh Barocas, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz School of MedicineMarc Dones, Policy Director, Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, University of California San FranciscoRyan Levi, Managing Editor, TradeoffsMatt Mahan, Mayor, City of San JoseJazmine MapesPeter Radu, Neighborhood Services Manager, City of BerkeleyLearn more and read a full transcript on our website.Help us unlock a $5,000 match by becoming one of 200 new donors at tradeoffs.org/donate.Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news.

Facing mounting financial pressures, insurance companies are changing the prescription drug coverage available to many consumers in Medicare Part D.Guests:Stacie Dusetzina, Professor of Health Policy, Vanderbilt UniversitySteven Hadfield, Medicare beneficiaryMark Newsom, Managing Director, Avalere HealthErin Trish, Co-Director, USC Schaeffer CenterCindy Trish, Medicare beneficiaryLeslie Walker, Senior Reporter, TradeoffsLearn more and read a full transcript on our website. If you know someone on Medicare, please encourage them to give their coverage a closer look before open enrollment ends on Dec. 7! People can find unbiased enrollment counseling through the federal SHIP program or review their options on Medicare.gov.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.

Higher premiums and penalties have made shopping for Obamacare plans more confusing this year. Federal funding cuts have left consumers in many states with fewer guides to help them navigate their options. “I don’t want people to just feel ghosted,” a West Virginia navigator told Tradeoffs.Guest:Jeremy Smith, director, West Virginia navigator program, First Choice Services.Learn 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.

Physician and New Yorker writer Dhruv Khullar says artificial intelligence is a powerful tool to get quicker and more accurate diagnoses. But it can also be dangerous.Guest:Dhruv Khullar, Physician, Weill Cornell Medical College; Contributing Writer, The New YorkerLearn 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.

Facing unprecedented pressure from the Trump administration, some of the world’s top drugmakers promise to cut prices. But experts say the savings might not be what they seem.Guests:Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato InstituteStacie Dusetzina, Professor of Health Policy, Vanderbilt UniversityDarius Lakdawalla, Chief Scientific Officer, USC Schaeffer CenterPete Loftus, Reporter, Wall Street JournalBen Rome, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical SchoolLeslie Walker, Senior Reporter, 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.

Journalist Paula Span, who writes The New Old Age column for the New York Times, shares what she’s learned about how to age well.Guest:Paula Span, reporter and The New Old Age columnist for the New York TimesLearn 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.