Tradeoffs

How do you convince police officers that it makes sense to send unarmed mental health workers to some 911 calls?

Guests:

Patrice Andrews, Police Chief, Durham Police Department

Ryan Smith, Director, Durham Department of Community Safety

Sgt. Dan Leeder, Durham Police Department

Abena Bediako, Clinical Manager, Durham Department of Community Safety

Christie Thompson, Staff Writer, The Marshall Project

EMS, Fire, Police and the 911 Call Center make up the existing four branches of the public safety system. A special series from Tradeoffs and The Marshall Project explores how a city radically changes its response to people in crisis, by creating a fifth branch. 

Nearly half of the country’s 50 largest cities - including San Francisco, New York, Houston, Chicago - have launched programs to send unarmed responders to 911 calls historically handled by cops. In the process creating a new generation of first responders made up of clinicians, EMTs and unarmed mental health workers all responding to people who struggle with addiction, homelessness and mental illness. 

To understand this work we head to Durham, North Carolina, which has - in the face of skepticism and downright opposition - built one of the most comprehensive programs in the country.

How did Durham pull off what so many cities have struggled to do? Tradeoffs and The Marshall Project examine this groundbreaking work and the challenges it’s facing, both in Durham and around the country.

Learn more about this series, which first ran in July, 2024, on our website.

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A mandate to make health care prices public was one of President Trump’s signature health policies in his first term. But forcing hospitals to publish prices hasn’t yet helped patients shop around for medical care.

Guest:

Melanie Evans, Producer, Tradeoffs

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

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The murder of UnitedHealthcare's CEO put a violent point on the frustration and rage some Americans feel toward health insurance companies. But insurers are just one piece of America’s broken and expensive health care system.

Guest:

Aaron Carroll, CEO, Academy Health

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

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Businessman and entertainer Mark Cuban has long had an interest in health care, and a mission to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry.

Torie Bosch, host of First Opinion, a podcast from STAT News, speaks with Cuban about one of his latest ventures Cost Plus Drugs - Mark’s efforts to drive down prescription drug prices. 

Guests:

Torie Bosch, Editor, First Opinion, STAT News

Matt Herper, Senior Writer, Medicine, STAT News

Mark Cuban, Co-Founder Cost Plus Drugs Entrepreneur

Learn more and read a full transcript on here.

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Congress banned most surprise medical bills back in 2020, with one major exception: ambulance rides. Most people agree that patients should be shielded from these unexpected charges. But who should pick up the tab instead? As state and federal policymakers grapple with that question, we delve into why finding a fair solution is harder than you’d think.

Guests:

Tara Bannow, Reporter, STAT

Precious Mae Clark, patient

Dia Gainor, Executive Director, National Association of State EMS Officials

Zach Gaumer, Principal, Health Management Associates

James Gelfand, JD President and CEO, ERISA Industry Committee

Bob Herman, Reporter, STAT

Pete Lawrence, Deputy Chief, Oceanside Fire

Butch Oberhoff, President, Texas EMS Alliance

Leslie Walker, Senior Reporter/Producer, Tradeoffs

Matt Zavadsky, At-Large Director, National Association of EMTs

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

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Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius shares what the country’s top health official can and can’t do, and what she wants senators to consider ahead of RFK’s confirmation hearings.

Guest:

Kathleen Sebelius, Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

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Twenty-six states have passed bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, and the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in December about Tennessee's ban. We take a closer look at gender-affirming care and the legal arguments that could influence how accessible that care is.

Meredithe McNamara, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine

Katie Eyer, JD, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School

James Blumstein, LLB, University Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law and Health Law & Policy, Vanderbilt University Law School

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

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It’s Medicare open enrollment season, and in this episode first aired in 2021, we explain why shopping for a new plan is often tougher than it seems.

Guests:

Lilyan Grossman, Medicare beneficiary

Tricia Neuman, ScD, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Program on Medicare Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation

Amal Trivedi, MD, Professor of Medicine and Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

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One of the nation’s leading experts on the Affordable Care Act breaks down its track record and weighs in on the stakes the historic health care law faces in the lead-up to the election.

Guest:

Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy, KFF

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

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The next U.S. president will have to make consequential choices about the Affordable Care Act, prescription drug prices and abortion. We compare the positions of candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on these major health policy issues. (NOTE: This episode has been updated to clarify the number of people who would lose health coverage if Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies expired.)

Guests:

Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute

Ederlina Co, JD, Associate Professor of Law, University of the Pacific

Cynthia Cox, Vice President and Director of Program on the ACA, KFF

Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, Professor of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Benedic Ippolito, PhD, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Ryan Levi, Reporter/Producer, Tradeoffs

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

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