The episode on USAID cuts is superb. Every American with a heart should listen to this first-hand explanation of how the cuts are impacting global health now, with implications for future US health. In surgery, a scalpel is more useful than a buzzsaw.

I went back and actually re-reviewed the New England Journal paper. If you see the population that they enrolled using the lottery, this was a healthy population to start with. They did not have hypertension, and they had no diabetes. It would’ve been very unlikely that Medicaid would’ve made them healthier. Also note they were only 10% African-Americans. This is a bio study from a relatively healthy. Population and should not be used to judge whether Medicaid makes people healthy or not. I would’ve appreciated if the podcast had pointed this out. There was still time to rescue yourself.Please amend.

The host is good and the conversations are thought provoking but they are not interested in representing different sides on healthcare issues. They clearly are committed to the liberal/democratic side and not interested in representing alternate viewpoints. They followed an episode on transgendered care which only represented an expert who is pro gender affirming care with an episode with Obama’s former HHS secretary who was highly critical of the new Trump appointees without any pushback. As we learned from the COVID debacle, it is importantly to have journalistic integrity and pushback rather than claiming to own “science.”

I love the health policy “sensemaking” by way of stories! Very timely discussions. Very authentic stories. And not afraid to touch on the controversial aspects of health policy. One of my fave podcasts of all time!

Great insight into important health issues!

I just found this podcast and binge-listened to like 2 years worth and it's TOTALLY important information that I wish made the general news. But you don't ever ask your the reality-check questions that would make them question their own basic assumptions. Like the politician who was kinda feeling guilty about having to vote against continuing a successful Medicaid expansion if the state wasn't allowed to keep charging premiums. He kept talking about "having skin in the game" meaning charging premiums to people who make so little money that they actually qualify for Medicaid. That's pathetic to begin with. But the obvious follow up question to that state legislator who already admitted that the Medicaid expansion actually helped the Montana economy grow in a ton of ways, was to ask, "what percentage of your income do you pay for health insurance?" Or, even better, to ask him if he was serious about having "skin in the game" would he give up his current government health insurance and go on Medicaid, as his currently insurance is also costing state taxpayers alot of money and way more than the average Medicaid patient. Let's get real.

T.O. Continues to be one of the best health care policy pods!

This podcast covers interesting topics but is often oversimplified. Overall I would say it seems substantively pretty good. However, I find it sometimes hard to listen to because the interviews always feel so unnatural and scripted. There’s just something off about the way everyone speaks.

Tradeoffs make complex healthcare matters easy to understand by blending top research with first-person narratives. Healthcare policy impacts all of us and Tradeoffs helps us understand where the challenges are and how to take action to improve upon them.

I get it, if you want to be sexy, you have to be dramatic. But this show almost always fails to keep it real by sensationalizing health care doom and gloom. Most recently, on medical debt, which is supposedly destroying the country, 100 million Americans have $140 Billion in debt!!! Do the math…its an average if $1,400. Not only not destroying us…it’s pocket change.

Tradeoffs has been my favorite podcast for years. They cover a broad range of health policy topics, layering in the human element to complement their research into US healthcare. The Tradeoffs team does a great job creating content that I’m happy to recommend to everyone because of the short format of each episode and the masterful way they make these topics both accessible to non-experts and interesting to those of us who work in the healthcare space. And if you’re here looking for the latest and greatest health policy news and research, absolutely sign up for their research corner newsletter as well!

I am a practicing physician. I listened to this podcast hoping to learn more about the waste and inefficiencies in the Medicare system. Instead, this podcast sounded more like the problem than the solution. It was scripted and narrated like a thinly disguised infomercial for the pharmaceutical industry. Alzheimer’s disease is a terrible problem for which we already have several inexpensive drugs that do next to nothing. How can it be argued that we now need Medicare to cover a new extremely expensive drug that so far has not even been proven to produce clinical outcomes any better than what we have already?!

Thanks to Medicare Advantage, elderly patients can save thousands of dollars a year and obtain some of the best coverage in the country across all age groups. But there are many customizations available, and picking one requires spending 1.5 hour on the phone with bad waiting music once every few years. So really, Medicare Advantage is terrible. This is the angle presented by this podcast. Not a bad podcast, just one that hates patients saving money and having options.

The entire concept that we can only have decent healthcare if there are trade offs is disgusting. Everyone deserves equal access to free healthcare. Why should the rich be taken care of and the poor die young? Listen to The Death Panel.

Excellent podcast. As a retired RN/Public Health Nurse, I find the content to be of great import and interesting. A critique I do have is that I find the voices, contributions and experiences of nurses to be lacking on your broadcast; especially as it pertains to the Covid-19 pandemic. Please amplify the voices and experiences of nurses, along with other health care professionals that serve in the frontline too:365-24-7.

I discovered your pod cast during a Health Law and regulations class and the podcast assigned was about VBID. You have been my staple “wake up” pod cast almost every morning ever since. Great information, perfect amount of time, and engaging interviews. Keep up the fabulous reporting!

I discovered this podcast on the NPR One app, and have heard 2 eps. I’m really impressed by the depth of the conversation and the pace of the host’s delivery. I especially liked the ep from April 1 about a New Era of Gun Violence Research. The interviews were striking and opened up a whole new perspective for me. Keep it up!

Been waiting for a long form platform that dives into the nuances, conflicting incentives and institutionalized barriers to change that are so difficult to resolve in our healthcare system, presented in an accessible, “human” way. Love it; pls keep going!

Some episodes have good content, but any topic on public policy flows like this: 1) Some people are being harmed by X 2) This policy that Democrats like will help 3) Republicans block it because they’re mean Maybe Republicans believe policy X is harmful or counter-productive? There are important TRADEOFFS with these policies. Finding articulate individuals to represent and make each argument would be more successful if enlightenment and progress is the goal. If promoting an agenda is the goal, then never mind.

So far I’ve seen very little risk taking from this podcast. I am a nurse and politics major before that. The economics of healthcare is despicable. Can you please cover issues like uncompensated care, How this leads to kickbacks for insurance companies and hospitals. How insurance companies arrive at the discount rate, how that relates to reimbursements. And how hospitals have massive advertising budgets, Are building huge buildings, Wasting a ton of equipment in every hospital floor, yet pleading poverty to those that work for it. And who are those that are fighting against the single-payer system, name and shame. You have a real platform here please don’t tow the line, go out on a limb. Healthcare needs it

Talks about key information every time

Great episode! Loved this moving story of real people navigating covid.

Just listened to my first episode (March 12, 2020) and I can’t wait to go back and listen to all of the previous ones!

Trade offs has a great approach- storytelling with context and data. It focuses on issues at the heart of our health care challenges. I’m really enjoying it!!

Just finished episode 2, so far I love it!

Tradeoffs has quickly become one of my favorite podcasts. They cover some of the most critical and complicated issues in heath care, but do so in a clear, thoughtful, and engaging way. Love how it seamlessly blends data with the stories of real people impacted by policy. Exactly the kind of work we need right now.

Such an interesting podcast! I'm learning so much and enjoying the interviews and format of the podcast.

Beyond the information conveyed, the inquisitive and honest tone of the podcast allow me to learn about the issues and discuss with friends and family in a way that keeps lines of communication open. Even the opening episode which was directly explaining partisan positions did so in a way that enabled me to truly listen and share with others without planting some flag and insisting everyone agree or disagree with some position. THANK YOU DAN!!

An excellent topic for today. Is there more to be learned about this topic?.

A wonderful exploration of the world of healthcare economics and policy. As a healthcare policy maker I think that the show does an incredible job of illustrating the real world tradeoffs policy makers must grapple with. Thank you!

Podcast has hit its stride right out of the gate with a voice and a tone that just might change some conversations about America’s outlandish health system and the ways we got to now. It’s funny and fast—but has a wealth of inside information that shows these folks have been in media and medicine for a while. Episode 3 is a gem, with moments of wit and pathos.

A great balance of data-driven analysis and stories about the real people affected by health case policy. Each episode stays with me well after it ends, informing how I think about big picture issues like the Democratic primaries, as well as personally reflecting on how I communicate with my doctor (and how they communicate with me). Tradeoffs has come up in multiple conversations with friends, and at our family dinner table. A great investment of 30 minutes!!!

I look forward to listening to this podcast every time a new one comes out. This topic is so complex and Dan Gorenstein really breaks it all down and makes the space needed to really think about all of the different aspects of healthcare in American life. There truly is not one simple answer to the question of how to address healthcare. Thanks for the great reporting!

Tradeoffs is informative and very well produced giving the listener clear, to-the-point, interesting information regarding one of the most important issues for all Americans. Listen! You’ll finally get a factually vs politically presented body of information from credible healthcare professionals.

This show is very well produced and finds angles in important healthcare issues I’ve not heard explored so well elsewhere. Highly recommend!

Real time issues - stuff I can apply at work Now! Great work!

Looking forward for all you have in store!

Enjoyed learning about the march of progress in data analytics toward development of insight into healthcare delivery options. Very cool to learn about that hard long struggle when we usually feel very much at the whim of new tech “sudden” arrival. Thank you for this podcast.

Excellent and sorely needed insight. Cuts to the heart of the issue without spin. Looking forward to the next episode.

Best health policy podcast there is. I would love to see some male guests though. I’m sure there are male health reporters out there doing good work.

Excellent explanation of the processes available to analyze and project costs of competing policy alternatives, though not surprisingly, there is no surefire way to predict and no obvious indicator which would be better overall. I can’t wait for the next episode!

I follow healthcare issues generally on the news, but don’t feel like I’ve ever understood it all in any depth. This podcast was engaging and understandable even for someone with surface level knowledge. I’ll definitely be listening to more episodes as they are released!

Dan Gorenstein does it again! I've been listing to him for over a decade, when he was the Senior Health Care reporter for Marketplace and when he was a beat reporter for NH's public radio. He excels at telling remarkably complex stories in simple and elegant ways, and does not disappoint with his latest project. And health care is such an important (and opaque) topic, he and his team do a great job of breaking down a wonky subject for the lay person.

Beautifully produced, clearly explained, thoughtfully framed, entertaining look at the most challenging questions in health care through the lens of research, data, policy, and people. A must-listen.

Can’t wait to hear the next episode. This is such and important topic that all Americans should learn more about.

A long overdue de-mystification and discussion of the issues central to individual and social well-being

Thus far the trailer was compelling. I’m definitely subscribing.

In times as divisive as these, Tradeoffs is the voice we need to tackle the issue that affects literally everyone: health care. Dan, Sayeh, and Anupam are true experts in the field, helping to clarify and untangle the labyrinthian world of health care policy. Cannot recommend enough — subscribe and educate yourself on the complex industry that affects your physical and mental well being.

it was amazing!!!

I can think of nothing more timely than an honest and comprehensible discussion on Healthcare. We need both the facts and the stories.