Reporting on health care’s toughest choices.
How RFK Jr. is Upending Public Health
Two months on the job, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has plowed forward with mass firings, funding cuts and policy shifts. The most immediate effect is across state and local health agencies, where officials say they see new cracks in safeguards against diseases.
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Making Sense of Sweeping Cuts at HHS
Veteran health care reporter Julie Rovner breaks down the massive cuts and reorganization at HHS and answers listeners’ questions about what to expect next.
This Budget Cut Would Save Medicare Patients Money. But Can Rural Hospitals Afford It?
Medicare often pays clinics owned by hospitals at least double the amount it pays independent clinics for the exact same medical care. Ending that practice would save money for taxpayers and patients, but critics say it could also push rural hospitals to cut services or close.
Medicare and Medicaid Under Dr. Oz: What to Expect
A closer look at the surgeon-turned-TV-star President Trump wants in charge of Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare.
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The Fifth Branch: Convincing the Cops
How do you convince police officers that it makes sense to send unarmed mental health workers to some 911 calls?
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The Fifth Branch: Keeping People Safe
How do you keep crisis responders and the people they’re helping safe?
We look at HEART’s impact on the safety of Durham residents in crisis, the mental health workers responding, and the police.
The Fifth Branch: The Last Line of Care
We explore how Durham grapples with connecting people to long-term care and support, and where the city draws the line between crisis response and social services.
Sending Unarmed Responders Instead of Police: What We’ve Learned
There are more than 100 response teams nationwide, but experts say more research on their impact is needed.
In-Depth Reporting
Race to the Bottom
A special series from Tradeoffs examining the problems undermining the generic drugs we all rely on — and how we could fix them.
Racial Bias in Health Care AI
Tradeoffs talks to experts to unpack why hospitals are excited about AI, why it’s so hard to root out bias, and how hospitals and federal regulators are trying to keep biased algorithms from getting to the bedside.
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More From Tradeoffs
Patients and Employers Support This GOP Budget Cut. Hospitals Say It’s Too Risky.
Medicare would save billions of dollars changing how it pays for routine medical care. Patients would save, too, but rural hospitals could see financial losses.
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Former CMS Chief Advises Dr. Oz: ‘Go Have Lunch’ with Democrats
Tom Scully, who led Medicare and Medicaid for George W. Bush, says Oz is well-suited to be a spokesman for Trump’s health care agenda, despite Oz’s lack of health policy experience.
The Cost of Cutting NIH Research: Voices from the Frontlines
A candid conversation between a professor and a Ph.D. candidate about potential NIH funding cuts and their impact on the future of medical research.
Lots of Hospitals Are Using AI. Few Are Testing For Bias
New research sheds light on how many hospitals are using artificial intelligence, what they’re using AI for, and what it means for patients and policymakers.
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