Tradeoffs

How one addiction clinic in Baltimore has found success combining addiction care with support for the many other health problems older Americans often face.Guests:Malik Burnett, Medical Director, REACH Health ServicesLisa Clemans-Cope, Senior Research Fellow, Urban InstituteRenee Gray, Patient, REACH Health ServicesPhyllis Lindsay, Peer Recovery Specialist, REACH Health ServicesMaggie Lowenstein, Assistant Professor, Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of MedicineVickie Walters, Executive Director, REACH Health 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.

How Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious plan to force more people into treatment left many families still searching for help.Guest(s):June DudasMarisa Kendall, homelessness reporter, CalMattersRead CalMatters full “Courting Disappointment” series here. 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.

Maryland finds out how much the state will get from a nationwide competition for federal rural health investment.Guest(s):Christina Koontz, paramedic Elizabeth Kromm, assistant secretary for population health and strategic initiatives, Maryland Department of HealthMike Salvadge, chief of emergency medical services, Allegany County, Md. Meena Seshamani, Maryland secretary of healthHemi Tewarson, executive director, National Academy for State Health PolicyLearn 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.

We follow Maryland's 52-day rush to convince the Trump administration to give the state new funding to transform rural health care.Guests:Bonita Baer, Maryland residentMark Boucot, president and CEO of Garrett Regional Medical Center and Potomac Valley Hospital Elizabeth Kromm, assistant secretary for population health and strategic initiatives, Maryland Department of HealthLevi Lantz, ALL Produce & GreenhouseKen Ulman, former executive, Howard County, Maryland; president of Margrave StrategiesLearn 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.

Rural health experts dig into the Trump administration’s effort to transform rural health care.Guests:Kevin Bennett, Director Center for Rural & Primary Healthcare; Professor, Family and Preventative Medicine, School of Medicine Columbia, University of South CarolinaPaula Chatterjee, Director of Health Equity Research, Penn LDI; Assistant Professor, Medicine, Perelman School of MedicineSarah Jane Tribble, Chief Rural Correspondent, KFF Health NewsRachel Werner, Executive Director, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of PennsylvaniaLearn 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.

America pays less, on average, than any other major country for our generic drugs. But selling essential drugs at such low prices comes with hidden costs — from quality problems to frequent shortages.This is the second episode of Race to the Bottom, a three-part series by Tradeoffs on the problems plaguing the generic drugs we all rely on — and how we could fix them.Guests:Christine Baeder, MBA, President, Apotex USALaura Bray, MBA, Founder, Angels for ChangeCraig Burton, Senior Vice President of Policy and Strategic Alliances, Association for Accessible MedicinesIilun Murphy, MD, Director of the Office of Generic Drugs, FDALeslie Walker, Senior Reporter/Producer, TradeoffsMarta Wosińska, PhD, Senior Fellow, Brookings InstitutionLearn 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.

Generic drugs are, in many ways, the unsung hero of America’s health care system, bringing powerful medical innovations within the reach of millions more people. These cheaper copies of brand-name drugs — from pills that stop heart attacks to antibiotics that cure life-threatening infections — save America hundreds of billions of dollars a year. But will affordable, high-quality generic drugs continue to be there when we need them?Some players are abandoning this business while others slash costs by cutting dangerous corners. Shortages of older generic drugs have become the norm, sending doctors scrambling. At the same time, crucial new medicines are proving tougher to copy on the cheap, saddling patients with brand-name prices.Over the course of “Race to the Bottom,” our new three-part podcast series, we’ll explore why this industry that’s so essential to our health is in trouble — and what could change that.In part one, we examine the history of this industry. Forty years ago this month, President Ronald Reagan signed groundbreaking, bipartisan legislation that gave birth to a new drug market. Lawmakers made choices back then that help explain the wild success and also the troubles we see today with generic medicines.Guests:Christine Baeder, MBA, President, Apotex USAAlfred Engelberg, JD, retired attorney and former counsel to the Generic Pharmaceutical AssociationLeslie Walker, Senior Reporter/Producer, TradeoffsLearn more and read a full transcript on our website.Al Engelberg’s recently published memoir, “Breaking the Medicine Monopolies”, digs into the history of generic drugs. 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.

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.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.