The Wall Street Journal
High Drug Prices: What's the Solution?
High U.S. prices for prescription drugs have triggered a backlash from patients, health insurers and politicians. How can the health industry fund R&D while also delivering drugs that patients-and the health-care system-can afford?
Healthcare Triage
Blood Clots, FDA Approval, and the AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine
There’s a lot of anxiety about the AstraZeneca vaccine thanks to recent reports of incomplete data, as well as reports on blood clot risks. Let’s take a look at both issues in context, understanding the efficacy data before and after...
Healthcare Triage
AIDS Research and Cool Jobs in the Midwest/East Africa, featuring Dr. Rachel Vreeman
This week on the HCT podcast, we're talking to Dr. Rachel Vreeman, who is going to tell us about her super cool job. She works on a partnership between a hospital in Indiana and a hospital in Kenya, and researches AIDS treatment in...
Healthcare Triage
That Pricey New Alzheimer's Drug? Still Not Great
We really need good treatments for Alzheimer's. But Biogen's very expensive and maybe not that effective drug Aduhelm is not the treatment we're looking for. Today we look at the saga of Adulhelm's approval and it's road to acceptance...
Healthcare Triage
It Turns Out, Medicare IS Socialized Medicine.
Florida Governor Rick Scott tries to scare voters by claiming that Democrats are going to undertake socialist experiments with Medicare, which is in itself a socialized medicine program. Also, a surprising entrant into the opioid...
Healthcare Triage
Prescription Opioids: Balancing Short Term Pain and Long Term Gain
A new simulation study published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that reducing opioids for short-term pain saves lives in the long run, even as it leaves some patients experiencing more pain. This is the fundamental...
Healthcare Triage
Can We Do Anything About Childhood Obesity?
Between 2017 and 2018, obesity affected about 14.4 million children and adolescents in the United States. In order to create treatments, interventions, and health policies to adequately address this issue, we need solid data from...
Healthcare Triage
Premiums for CHIP and Medicaid Lead to Lower Enrollment and Uninsured Kids
I have written before about the use of premiums in Medicaid programs across the United States. But a new study in Pediatrics collects the evidence, and it's worth a look. "Medicaid and CHIP Premiums and Access to Care: A Systematic...
Healthcare Triage
Should I disinfect my Amazon Deliveries? More Coronavirus Q&A: 4-1-2020
We're answering 40 more coronavirus and COViD19 questions from viewers! You can go to the timecode below to see an answer to a specific question. Stay safe! Wash your hands! 0:00 - Intro 1:47 - Please explain the rationale behind the...
Healthcare Triage
The Trump Admin is Back to Sabotaging Obamacare
Last week, we gave the Trump department of Health and Human Services some credit for approaching the administration Obamacare as honest brokers. This week, it's back to sabotaging the ACA.
Healthcare Triage
Teeth Aren't Just for Chewing. So Why Doesn't Medicaid Cover Dental?
Medicaid doesn't cover dentistry. But dental health affects many different aspects of a person's life. Bad teeth can cause social difficulty, and make it hard to find employment, aside from the fact that an unhealthy mouth can lead to or...
Healthcare Triage
Does Supplemental Vitamin D Help Prevent Covid-19?
Ah, Vitamin D, back again. We’ve made our case on how unnecessary Vitamin D supplements are for outcomes like diabetes, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, and overall mortality. But what about its effect on viral infections like...
Healthcare Triage
Acetaminophen, Risk-Taking, and Covid-19
Does the world’s most common pain relief drug do more than just reduce pain? Recent headlines would have you believe that it also reduces your perception of risk, resulting in more risk-taking behaviors. We think it’s time to take a...
Healthcare Triage
If Economists Chose the Health Care System
Health economists study the economic determinants of health. They also analyze how health care resources are utilized and allocated, and how health care policies and quality of care can be improved. In this episode, we discuss what...
Healthcare Triage
There's a New Drug for Postpartum Depression and it is EXPENSIVE
Postpartum depression is depressingly common, and it has lots of terrible consequences for moms, for kids, and for families. A new drug is about to hit the market, but it's not a great fit for everyone, and it is PRICEY.
Healthcare Triage
Coronavirus Update - March 7, 2020
The spread of the new Coronavirus has continued, with a number of cases showing up in countries like Iran, Italy, and South Korea. Coronavirus information is changing by the minute, so we’re back with another update.
Healthcare Triage
Can Marijuana Help with Opioid Addiction?
Part 3 of our opioid series supported by the NIHCM Foundation looks at the potential for marijuana to improve outcomes in opioid addiction therapy. Some studies have shown that prescribing marijuana can ease the path to shaking an opioid...
Global Health with Greg Martin
AI and Health
Artificial Intelligence is being used in healthcare in an array of clinical settings. This video explores AI and Health in terms of the application of machine learning to diagnostic problems and long term clinical decision making through...
Healthcare Triage
Covid Vaccine Facts with the WHO's Dr. Kate O'Brien
We recently talked with Dr. Kate O'Brien, director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at the World Health Organization. We spoke with Dr. O'Brien about how the Covid vaccine works, how it gets distributed, and...
Healthcare Triage
How Accurate are Mail-in DNA Tests?
Mail-in DNA tests have been in the news recently. Test results can be over the map, with even identical twins getting some widely variable results. What's the deal with that?
Healthcare Triage
Ending Risk Adjustment Payments Will Further Undermine Obamacare
The Trump administration announced its intent to stop making risk adjustment payments to insurers on the ACA marketplaces.
Healthcare Triage
Later School Day Starts Make Economic Sense
Last week, we talked about why it's good for students' health to push school start times back to later in the morning. There's also an economic argument for it. Today, Aaron talks about how starting school later benefits the economy in...
Healthcare Triage
Bariatric Surgery for Kids?
Childhood obesity is a rapidly growing problem in the United States, and one of our best tools for treating obesity in adults is bariatric surgery. So should this procedure become common in kids as well?
Healthcare Triage
Should You Panic about the Breast Cancer/Birth Control Stories?
No. It turns out, media outlets sometimes sensationalize connections like this. Hormonal birth control is safe, and while it does come with some risks, the benefits very often outweigh the downsides. Aaron has the numbers on just how...