Americans frequently boast that we have the best health care in the world. While that may be debated in some quarters, no one doubts that our health care system is the most expensive. What makes American health care so pricey, and is there anything that could be done about it?

One approach that has garnered a lot of attention is the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. It has been five years since this became law. How well are we doing with it? Our guests discuss the pros and cons of Obamacare from different angles.

Stephen Brill is an award-winning journalist, a lawyer and author of America’s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Back Room Deals and the Fight to Fix our Broken Health Care System. 

Jonathan Oberlander, PhD, is professor of social medicine and health policy and management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His book is The Political Life of Medicare. The photo is of Dr. Oberlander.

The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free.

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