Explore every episode of the podcast Conversations on Health Care

The common speculation has been that GLP-1s would ultimately save patients and the entire health care system millions of dollars by reducing waistlines and the associated costs with obesity. But research found that during the first year, patients accumulated about $6,500 in GLP-1 spending, while their other medical spending increased by about $585. Much of […]

The post High Cost of Losing Weight With GLP-1s: Researcher Kosali Simon, Ph.D., Explains appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

“I’m quite frankly, flabbergasted…” That’s the reaction of Dr. Reed Tuckson to the White House’s recent decision on childhood vaccines. An Executive Order has called for separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three different single-disease shots and giving all childhood immunizations at separate appointments when possible. Tuckson is the co-founder of both the […]

The post Dr. Reed Tuckson: Health’s Truth Evangelist on MMR, COVID & Flu Vaccines appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

As we get ready to enjoy the Labor Day weekend, author Rowan Jacobsen is taking on dermatologists and the skin care industry. He explains that doctors have long told us to avoid sun exposure, in order to reduce rates of skin cancer. Yet the research indicates that moderate sun exposure leads to lower rates of many diseases, […]

The post Here Comes the Sun — And Is Too Much Exposure a Worry? appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

We’re about four months away from the beginning of the new federal Medicaid rules on Jan. 1 (although some states are allowed to implement them earlier). Earlier, we heard from an Administration leader on efforts to support states with getting the paperwork in order. Now, we have a guest providing a different perspective. Feygele Jacobs, […]

The post Countdown to Crisis? The Looming Community Health Center Budget Threats appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Some people are turning to TikTok and Instagram before seeing or even going to health care providers. Who are these online influencers and who is looking at their content? Pew Research Center identified 6,828 individuals with at least 100,000 followers on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram that regularly post about health and wellness and analyzed their social media […]

The post Who Are the Health Influencers Influencing? New Research Explains appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

This past July was the warmest month on record across the contiguous United States. That’s giving Dr. Lisa Patel and her colleagues even more urgency in their climate change awareness work.   Dr. Patel is the executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, which is focused on “mobilizing health voices for climate […]

The post How Health Care Makes the Climate-Health Connection appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

When there’s a breaking health story, millions of people turn to CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder for her insights. Now, we’re learning about Dr. Gounder’s unique story, which includes co-founding International Health Group, which connects health care providers with opportunities to serve disadvantaged people around the world.  On the news beat, Dr. Gounder […]

The post How Dr. Céline Gounder Reports the Stories Shaping Our Health appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who used to lead the National Institutes of Health, has tough words for those trying to change some of its processes. He’s not in favor of a proposed rule that would switch who decides which federal grants get funded. “What’s the intent here? What’s the good that will come out of this? […]

The post We Have to Fight Back’: Bush NIH Dir Dr. Zerhouni on Challengers appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Right now, the Moses/Weitzman Health System is focused on transforming primary care delivery nationally for the people who need it most.  But it all started over 50 years ago with Community Health Center, Inc. in Connecticut, and three young men who dreamed of making health care “a right, not a privilege.” “Conversations on Health Care” co-host Mark […]

The post Which U.S. Senator in His Early 20s Helped Save a Community Health Center? appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

$100 billion. It’s a huge number but that’s the total amount the Trump Administration believes it can find in fraud across Medicaid and Medicare by 2029. The person helping lead that initiative is Stephanie Carlton, the deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She’s now directing efforts to make CMS an “AI […]

The post Can AI Find Medicaid Fraud? That’s the Mission of Stephanie Carlton, Dep. Admin, CMS appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, it’s important to highlight what makes the country unique. Here’s an example: A group of concerned people set out over 50 years ago to build the community health center movement. Matt Vinikas is among the pioneers who poured his intellect and passion into what has evolved into the Community […]

The post Insights & Inspiration: Building the Community Health Center’s Next Chapter appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

As we celebrate America’s birthday, we should recognize that the founders also revolutionized public health when they formed the United States.   What influenced their thinking and how do these actions still affect health care today? Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter explore these questions with Jeanne Abrams, author of “Revolutionary Medicine: The Founding Fathers and Mothers […]

The post America’s Health Story: 250 Years of Innovation appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

“What is at stake is whether people stay alive, stay in care, stay on medications, stay virally suppressed…these cuts will reverse all the progress we’ve made to date toward ending the HIV epidemic.”  That’s the eye-opening view from Dr. Marwan Haddad as he assesses potential multi-million-dollar cuts to America’s HIV efforts. Dr. Haddad is the […]

The post HIV Funding in Jeopardy: What’s at Stake appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

When we first featured a guest discussing GLP-1 therapies, the public’s understanding of these drugs to treat obesity was still developing. In 2023, our expert was Dr. Jamy Ard, the then-incoming president of The Obesity Society. Even then, Dr. Ard was stressing that more choices would lower prices for consumers. We look back on that […]

The post GLP-1 Therapies: Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Guess what all the following have in common? They are all now available and widely used because of an important step lawmakers in Washington took over 45 years ago. Co-host Margaret Flinter says, “This is the biggest legislative success story that we’ve never heard of.” Join her and co-host Mark Masselli as they discover how […]

The post How a Bill on Capitol Hill Spurred a Health Revolution appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

In one month, we’ll celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. But among the fireworks and festivities, a serious point may get overlooked:  The founders also revolutionized public health when they formed the United States. What influenced their thinking and how do these actions still affect health care today? Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter […]

The post Red, White & You: Your Health & How America’s Founding Made It Better appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Researchers are “fetching” new discoveries about the incredible benefits pets and animals provide for human health. Steven Feldman, a proud feline father, is at the center of these efforts as the president of the Human Animal Bond Research Institute. “Most people probably have a feeling that their pets are good for them, and we’re the […]

The post ‘Fur’ Our Health: New Pet-Human Bond Research appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Right before many of us get ready for a long weekend of hot dogs and potato chips, two health public policy experts are shaking up what we think we know about food. Study after study has found that ultra-processed foods are linked to “heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, and early death, even […]

The post Hot Dogs, Jello, Waffle House: Time to Rethink ‘Bad’ Foods? appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

For more than five decades, Craig Robinson has helped shape the future of community health in West Virginia and beyond. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter talk with the longtime executive director of Cabin Creek Health Systems to reflect on a career spent expanding access to care in rural communities, building innovative community health models, and […]

The post How a West Virginia Community Health Center Leader Inspires the Country appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

The authors of a new book reveal that former President Obama told them that he had an “inability to boil issues down to their essence, to tell a story…” and explained how it hurt him as he tried to pass the Affordable Care Act. This insight and others are at the core of Dr. David […]

The post What Fmr. President Obama Told Our Guests About His Big Health Care Misstep appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

A nurse in a Baltimore laundromat might be testing one of the most important ideas in American health care: what if care started before you ever needed the emergency room? Organizations from NPR to the Milbank Memorial Fund are closely watching the Neighborhood Nursing program that the top-ranked Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has brought […]

The post The Nurse at the Laundromat: An Innovative Model appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Kathleen Sebelius was in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when the Affordable Care Act became law. Now, she and a bipartisan group are putting their best thinking forward for how to fix rural health care. Their report from Aspen Institute’s Health Strategy Group calls the rural mortality gap a “moral […]

The post Kathleen Sebelius Ran HHS. Now, She’s Tackling Rural Health appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Many viewers know Becky Quick as the steady voice on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where she explains what’s happening on Wall Street and interviews the world’s top business leaders.  Now, she joins Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to share a very different story, one she lived privately for years while navigating her daughter’s rare genetic diagnosis. Quick’s […]

The post Why CNBC’s Becky Quick is Bullish on Rare Disease Cures: Her Family’s Story appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Medical experts know that fresh vegetables play a very beneficial role in health but if you can’t afford them, you’re mostly out of luck. Fixing this situation is the latest passion of Mark Masselli, co-host of “Conversations on Health Care” and president, CEO, and founder of Moses/Weitzman Health System. In this special episode, co-host Margaret […]

The post Why is a Health Innovator Growing Fresh Veggies Year-Round? Mark Masselli’s Next Big Vision appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Over 1 million subscribers (and more online) read Dr. Dhruv Khullar’s insightful columns in The New Yorker and now our hosts are asking him the tough questions. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter ask him about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They note that just 8% of the public has faith in the agency’s […]

The post The New Yorker’s Dr. Khullar: Restoring Trust in CDC Could Take “Decades” appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

There are nearly 4,000 mobile healthcare clinics in the U.S. and there’s no reason to stop at that number, according to Driving Health Forward. It’s a new and fast-growing national campaign of organizations and individuals dedicated to promoting healthcare system change to grow the mobile healthcare sector.  Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter discuss with […]

The post Mobile Health Care Works, Why Don’t We See More of It? Answers & Opportunities appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Nearly 70% of young people say they want to quit nicotine this year. But as the market rapidly evolves, quitting is becoming more complicated. Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Kathy Crosby, President and CEO of the Truth Initiative, about a growing disconnect between regulation and reality in the e-cigarette market and what […]

The post Your Role in Truth Initiative’s New Vape Battle  appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

There are 24 states that have legalized recreational marijuana in recent years and a man who once was at the center of the nation’s drug control efforts says he’s “really disturbed” at what he’s seeing as a result. “The health impacts on [people]…the increasing psychosis…the visits to emergency rooms,” says former Acting Drug Czar Richard […]

The post Reefer Madness? Ex-Drug Czar Sounds Alarm on Marijuana Legalization appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Americans have more economic anxiety about health care costs than anything else, according to a KFF poll. “Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter are at the Reporters’ Roundtable to break down the policy debates and real-world impacts behind those concerns. Joining the roundtable are: Nada Hassanein of Stateline, Michael McAuliff of […]

The post Reporters’ Roundtable: High Cost of Health Care appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Research just out shows new blood tests can now detect Alzheimer’s-related changes years before symptoms begin. Dr. Suzanne Schindler says these findings help estimate how long that window may be. Once Alzheimer’s-related changes begin to rise in the blood, “it creates kind of a clock for us,” Schindler, a clinical neurologist at Washington University School […]

The post Alzheimer’s: New Research on When Symptoms Start & Prevention appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Six years after the pandemic began, millions are still living with Long COVID. New research shows why recovery looks so different from person to person. Dr. Bruce Levy and Tanayott Thaweethai, Ph.D., of Mass General Brigham, speak with hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter about their National Institutes of Health-funded RECOVER study published in Nature […]

The post Long COVID Latest: What are the Unique Patterns? appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

A total of $10 billion of federal dollars is flowing to states right now as they seek to implement the first year of the new Rural Health Transformation Program. The early reports from the National Rural Health Association show promise and concerns. Carrie Cochran-McClain, NRHA’s Chief Policy Officer, says, “I’ll be honest. We were hearing […]

The post Rural Health Transformation Program: Latest Details appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

One of the first steps in creating your “digital twin” is already taking place at innovative medical centers across the U.S. Boston Children’s Hospital and 20 other centers like it are using 3D cardiac models to improve pediatric heart surgery and help families better understand their child’s care. The 3D visualization program creates patient-specific digital […]

The post 3D Models to Guide Surgery: Not Science Fiction appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a renowned bioethicist who helped draft the Affordable Care Act, is turning his attention to a new goal: helping us live longer. His new best-selling book is “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life.”  He believes some of the recent federal changes to the food dietary […]

The post Dr. Zeke Emanuel: Tough Talk on Living Longer appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Join “Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to learn why Dr. Dorsey believes cleaning up our environment may be one of the most powerful public health tools we have right now.

The post Is Parkinson’s Preventable? Our Guest Says Yes appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

We’ve invited noted health care leader Dr. Sachin Jain back to “Conversations on Health Care” to share his predictions for the year after many came true last year. 👉 Click the interview to get his take on: Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter also examine why his many fears about DOGE didn’t materialize and why […]

The post 2026 Health Care Predictions: Do You Agree?  appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

The new Rural Health Transformation Program aims to improve “healthcare access, quality, and outcomes” with $50 billion aimed at making changes to the healthcare delivery ecosystem. Keeping an eye on the state applications, the federal money awarded and how it will be used is Sarah Jane Tribble, lead rural health reporter at KFF Health News. […]

The post KFF Health News Covers $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation: Latest Details appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

New research. New technology. New possibilities. On this special 2025 Rewind and Look Ahead episode of “Conversations on Health Care,” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter turn their focus to the breakthroughs, discoveries and innovators shaping what comes next. “Health innovations and breakthroughs that seemed impossible years ago became closer to reality in 2025,” says […]

The post Happy, Healthy New Year: What the Future Holds appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Health care policy faced major upheavals during the past 12 months and the effects are already being felt. On this special 2025 Rewind and Look Ahead episode of “Conversations on Health Care,” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter reflect on the moments that defined the year and what may come next. This episode is Part […]

The post 2025 Rewind: Our guests recount the promises and hurdles appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Eighty percent of maternal deaths in the United States are considered preventable. So why do they keep happening? On this episode of “Conversations on Health Care,” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter are joined by award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Irin Carmon for a thoughtful conversation about pregnancy, care, and what gets […]

The post “Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America”: Author Conversation appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast December 11, 2025 Congress is scrambling to find a solution to the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year. Without action, premiums are set to rise sharply for millions of Americans, creating a major health care cliff as 2026 approaches. Congressional reporters Sandhya Raman (CQ Roll Call) […]

The post Congress Races to Find Obamacare Subsidy Solution: Reporters Examine the Efforts appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast December 4, 2025 The doctor who once led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sees trouble ahead: “It’s not good…what we have seen from Europe is a very early and very severe flu season, something that could mean more hospitalizations.” Dr. Tom Frieden says confusing vaccine guidance, limited access and weakened public […]

The post Flu Cases Rising: “It’s Not Good,” Says Former CDC Dir. Dr. Tom Frieden appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Leading nutritionist Marion Nestle, Ph.D., has a sobering message as we get ready for Thanksgiving: America’s food system delivers twice the calories we need while wasting 40%. “Thanksgiving provides five times the calories we need,” she points out. Her advice? “It is a week in which you just have to do the best you can.” […]

The post Can You Have a ‘Healthy’ Thanksgiving? How the Food Industry Conspires Against Us appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

People around the world are living longer and healthier lives because of an innovative idea that became a global force for change. On this episode of Conversations on Health Care, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome back Dr. Sanjeev Arora, founder of Project ECHO, an approach that has already improved care for more than […]

The post How Dr. Sanjeev Arora Helped Improve Care for 200 Million Patients appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast November 13, 2025 What if health care for moms and babies came with a cash prescription for them? In this Conversations on Health Care episode, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome back Dr. Mona Hanna, the Flint pediatrician whose research exposed the city’s water crisis and sparked a national reckoning on environmental […]

The post “Cash for Moms and Babies”: How it Works & Why   appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast November 6, 2025 Intimate partner violence affects more women in the United States than breast cancer and diabetes combined. Health care providers can be a lifeline for survivors, yet many still struggle to know how to talk about it or where to begin. In this Conversations on Health Care episode, hosts Mark Masselli […]

The post Intimate Partner Violence: Health Care Providers’ Role appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Food insecurity could soon worsen for millions of families and result in devastating health outcomes. American Academy of Family Physicians CEO Shawn Martin joins hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to discuss how the government shutdown is putting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in jeopardy. Beginning on Saturday, Nov. 1, food assistance could end […]

The post Shutdown Threatens Food Benefits: Family Physicians Leader Urges Resolution appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast June 5, 2024. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that several Southeastern states continue to report the highest rates of late-pregnancy fetal death in the country. This is the kind of research that energizes Nurse-Family Partnership supporters to build on their mission to positively impact and transform […]

The post New Research Bolsters Model for Preventing Infant Mortality appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Veterans Day, which is less than a month away, is a time to honor and reflect on those who’ve served. Yet statistics reveal a troubling reality: Veterans are dying by suicide at 1.5 times the rate of the general population. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among veterans under 45. Craig Bryan, […]

The post Preventing Veteran Suicides: Strategies & Tactics appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast October 9, 2025 $44 billion in drugs that help Americans are purchased through a little-known federal discount program called 340B. The program is recognized for successfully helping hospitals, community health centers and others that fund care for low-income patients.   But that program is now facing big challenges from drugmakers, and the current […]

The post Government Shutdown Stalls Drug Discount Program 340B appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.