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Supporters say Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is fulfilling his vision to be “pro-safety,” not anti-vaccine. His recent actions have included restricting COVID eligibility, dissolving expert panels, installing skeptical voices and defunding mRNA development.  Michael Osterholm, Ph.D., director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, is pushing back and […]

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Originally broadcast Wednesday, August 27 Dr. Victor Montori, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, internationally recognized researcher, and author of “Why We Revolt,” joins hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to talk about what it really means to fix a health care system that he believes has lost its way. Montori leads The Patient Revolution, a global […]

The post Mayo Clinic Doctor Leads The Patient Revolution: Insights & Tools to Improve Health Care appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s FitnessGram is on the ropes. President Trump recently reestablished the Presidential Fitness Test; over 10 years ago, the government replaced the test with Dr. Cooper’s FitnessGram, “the first student fitness report card.” Dr. Cooper has a cautious reaction. “Whether they’re going to be using exactly as the test [in the new process] […]

The post “Father of Aerobics” at 94: Dr. Cooper’s Unrelenting Health Advocacy appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast August 14, 2025 One in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness, yet only a fraction of philanthropic dollars goes toward mental health, addiction, and well-being. Alyson Niemann, CEO of Mindful Philanthropy, joined Conversations on Health Care hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to share how her organization is closing this gap […]

The post America’s Mental Health Crisis: Philanthropy’s Bold Action Plan appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast August 7, 2025 Experts who believe in the “food is medicine” concept say recent decisions made in Washington could have a devastating effect. Dr. Hilary Seligman, a nationally recognized expert on food insecurity and health outcomes at the University of California San Francisco, spoke to “Conversations on Health Care.” The interview highlighted that […]

The post Food is Medicine Advocate Urges Evidence-Based Solutions Amid SNAP Cutbacks appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Americans are living longer for many reasons and experts credit Medicare and Medicaid for some of this success. This week, these federal programs are celebrating their own birthdays. Sixty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. However, recent moves are expected to result in decreased enrollment and payments to health […]

The post 60 Years of Medicaid & Medicare: Health Care Challenges & Opportunities appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

“I would have never, ever in my whole life have said, ‘we’re going to cure addiction.’ I think we now have knowledge and tools that could potentially, definitely lead us to a cure for addiction.” —  Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse Dr. Volkow shared her attention-getting belief with “Conversations on Health” […]

The post NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow: Curing Addiction a Real Possibility appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Dr. Betancourt, president of the influential The Commonwealth Fund, is committed to “Affordable, quality health care. For everyone.” Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter interviewed him at Aspen Ideas: Health at the Aspen Institute. Here are some of the Fund’s top concerns right now: Dr. Betancourt, the first Latino to lead the Fund, is also […]

The post Pretend You Have Millions to Fix Health Care: What Would You Do? A Doctor Gives His Answer appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law on July 4 and now leaders such as Stephanie Carlton are in charge of implementing it. She’s the deputy administrator and chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Carlton and the administration see the law’s benefits because Medicaid reimbursement rates […]

The post Dr. Oz’s Second-in-Command Explains Need for Medicaid Reimbursement Cuts as “Big Beautiful Bill” Passes appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

ENCORE – Originally aired November 7, 2024 There’s a lot of attention right now around “super agers.” Yet the facts are that current life expectancy at birth is 74.8 years for males and for females it’s 80.2 years in the U.S. Does it catch your eye when you hear about predictions we’ll be able to […]

The post How Realistic is Super Aging? Research-Based Answers (Encore) appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.