• One State's Sprint for its Share of $50 Billion for Rural Health: Part 2
    Jan 29 2026

    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 Health
    • Mike Salvadge, chief of emergency medical services, Allegany County, Md.
    • Meena Seshamani, Maryland secretary of health
    • Hemi Tewarson, executive director, National Academy for State Health Policy


    Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.


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    24 mins
  • One State's Sprint for its Share of $50 Billion for Rural Health: Part 1
    Jan 22 2026

    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 resident
    • Mark 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 Health
    • Levi Lantz, ALL Produce & Greenhouse
    • Ken Ulman, former executive, Howard County, Maryland; president of Margrave Strategies


    Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.


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    28 mins
  • Race to the Bottom: Where's the Cavalry?
    Jan 15 2026

    Many potent new medicines pose a host of challenges for drug companies trying to copy and sell similar versions on the cheap. Can those companies find a sustainable path forward, or will patients get left stuck paying exorbitant prices?


    Guests:

    Christine Baeder, MBA, President, Apotex USA

    Alfred Engelberg, JD, retired attorney and former counsel to the Generic Pharmaceutical Industry Association

    Jeremy Greene, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and the History of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University

    Candy Meyer, Patient

    Bhaven Sampat, PhD, Professor, Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society

    Marta Wosińska, PhD, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

    Leslie Walker, Senior Reporter/Producer, Tradeoffs


    Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.


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    29 mins
  • Breaking Down Trump’s $50 Billion Rural Health Fund
    Jan 12 2026

    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 Carolina
    • Paula Chatterjee, Director of Health Equity Research, Penn LDI; Assistant Professor, Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
    • Sarah Jane Tribble, Chief Rural Correspondent, KFF Health News
    • Rachel Werner, Executive Director, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania


    Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.


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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Race to the Bottom: Hard Bargain
    Jan 8 2026

    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 USA

    Laura Bray, MBA, Founder, Angels for Change

    Craig Burton, Senior Vice President of Policy and Strategic Alliances, Association for Accessible Medicines

    Iilun Murphy, MD, Director of the Office of Generic Drugs, FDA

    Leslie Walker, Senior Reporter/Producer, Tradeoffs

    Marta Wosińska, PhD, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution



    Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.


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    30 mins
  • Race to the Bottom: Boom Times
    Jan 1 2026

    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 USA

    Alfred Engelberg, JD, retired attorney and former counsel to the Generic Pharmaceutical Association

    Leslie Walker, Senior Reporter/Producer, Tradeoffs


    Learn 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.


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    29 mins
  • One Doctor’s Crusade to Improve Health Literacy
    Dec 25 2025

    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 Health

    Keith Maccannon, Director of Marketing, Outreach and Community Relations, AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia

    Yvonne Smith, Grapevine Client

    Karen Dale, RN, MSN, Market President, AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia


    Learn 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.


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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    25 mins
  • How Treating Teens’ Trauma Is Stopping Violence in Chicago
    Dec 18 2025

    A Chicago violence prevention program is pairing cognitive behavioral therapy with intensive mentoring and wraparound support to help high-risk teens avoid incarceration.


    Guests:

    Nour Abdul-Razzak, Research Associate, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy; Research Director, University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab

    Charles Branas, Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Toni Copeland, Director of Student Supports and Violence Prevention Programs, Chicago Public Schools

    Jennifer Doleac, Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice, Arnold Ventures

    Jasper Guilbault, Therapist, Brightpoint

    Gary Ivory, President and CEO, Youth Advocate Programs

    Julie Noobler, Director of Mental Health and Wellness, Brightpoint

    T-Man


    Learn 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.


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    28 mins