Steven Parente on How Transparency Can Fix U.S. Healthcare Costs
Steven Parente, former White House Chief Economist for Health Policy and current Minnesota Insurance Industry Chair of Health Finance and Associate Dean at the Carlson School of Management, joins host Joe Grogan to discuss the state of healthcare transparency. They dive into the pros and cons of price transparency, the impact of the No Surprises Act, challenges for insurers and providers, and what transparency means for healthcare costs and future policy. Parente also hosts the On Background podcast, where he explores key issues in health finance and public policy.
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59:57
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59:57
How to Rescue Medicare and Rebuild America’s Health Insurance Market with Michael Cannon
In this episode, Michael F. Cannon, the Cato Institute’s Director of Health Policy Studies, dives into the policy decisions that shaped Medicare and fundamentally distorted the U.S. health insurance market. From how tax incentives nudged Americans into employer-sponsored plans to the unintended consequences that left many seniors uninsured, Cannon breaks down the government’s role in creating systemic challenges in health care. He also explores how tax policy has long been used as a tool to mandate certain health behaviors, and what a less distorted, freer market might look like. If you want to understand the policy roots behind today’s health care complexities, this conversation is a must-listen.
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58:56
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58:56
Michael Cannon on How to Fix Medicare and Restore Choice in America’s Health Insurance Market
In this episode, Michael Cannon dives into the policy decisions that shaped Medicare and fundamentally distorted the U.S. health insurance market. From how tax incentives nudged Americans into employer-sponsored plans to the unintended consequences that left many seniors uninsured, Cannon breaks down the government’s role in creating systemic challenges in health care. He also explores how tax policy has long been used as a tool to mandate certain health behaviors, and what a less distorted, freer market might look like. If you want to understand the policy roots behind today’s health care complexities, this conversation is a must-listen.
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1:00:43
Peter Pitts on Navigating FDA Bureaucracy and Unlocking Health Innovation
In this conversation, Joe Grogan interviews Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and current president of the Center for Medicine and the Public Interest. They discuss the role of FDA advisory committees, the importance of transparency in regulatory processes, and the intersection of vaccination and nutrition in public health. Pitts emphasizes the need for better dosing guidelines for obese patients and the significance of user fees in ensuring predictable FDA reviews. The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities within the FDA and the broader healthcare landscape.
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Tevi Troy on Power, Politics, and the Fight to Reclaim Big Pharma’s Image
In this episode of DC EKG, host Joe Grogan interviews historian and political veteran Tevi Troy about the complex relationship between U.S. presidents and powerful industries. They discuss themes from his book The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry and his op-ed In Defense of Big Pharma. The conversation explores why pharmaceutical companies are often political targets and the impact on innovation, how historical antitrust cases shape today’s tech and biotech battles, insights on Trump’s leadership and the future of the GOP, the importance of communication skills in politics and business, and behind-the-scenes stories from the Trump administration, offering valuable leadership lessons. This episode provides important insights for policymakers, investors, and anyone interested in the intersection of health, economics, and democracy.
Join former White House policy experts Joe Grogan and Eric Ueland as they cut through the complexities of healthcare legislation and its real-world implications. Each episode of DC EKG aims to demystify the policies shaping our healthcare system, uncovering how these changes impact patients, providers, and payers across the country. New episodes drop every Monday.
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