In Episode 134 of DC EKG, former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield joins Joe Grogan to discuss his new book, Redfield's Warning, and break down three major threats to public health: Long COVID, Hantavirus, and bird flu. Dr. Redfield explains the persistent viral reservoirs in long COVID patients, the cognitive dysfunction and autonomic dysfunction that devastate these individuals, and why the federal government must partner with the private sector to develop meaningful treatments. He also walks through the current Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, the human-to-human transmission of the Andes virus strain, and why bird flu is the most likely candidate for the next pandemic. Throughout, Dr. Redfield emphasizes the critical importance of antiviral development and the dangers of gain-of-function research.

In This Conversation

The current Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship and human-to-human transmission

The Andes virus strain and why it differs from Sin Nombre and Four Corners Disease

Two transmission routes: aerosolization and direct contamination

Asymptomatic transmission and the intrinsic bias in testing

Why has the US government not developed Hantavirus countermeasures in 70 years

Bird flu is the most likely candidate for the next pandemic.

Gain-of-function research and the public disclosure of dangerous genetic data

Long COVID: viral reservoirs and the need for effective antiviral treatments

Why antivirals should be the priority over vaccines for emerging viruses

Operation Warp Speed and the importance of private sector partnerships

The dismissal of long COVID patients as psychosomatic and the need for validation

Key Timestamps

1:49  Details of the Hantavirus outbreak and cruise ship cases

3:00  Two methods of transmission: aerosolization and direct contamination

5:24  Asymptomatic transmission and testing bias

10:35  The Hantavirus family and why the Andes virus goes from human to human

12:35  How nervous should the public be

16:43  Shifting to bird flu and Redfield's Warning

19:00  Bird flu spread in US poultry and mammal populations

22:00  The four amino acids for bird flu to infect humans

23:30  The debate with Fauci over gain-of-function research

27:55  Unregulated gain-of-function research worldwide

33:35  Why antivirals should be the priority

37:55  Long COVID viral reservoirs and treatment gaps

42:37  The economic burden and need for solutions

43:57  The story of Joy and psychiatric misdiagnosis of long COVID

48:12  The solvability of long COVID and the importance of investing

Hantavirus, Hantavirus transmission, Andes virus, Sin Nombre virus, Four Corners Disease, cruise ship outbreak, bird flu, avian influenza, gain of function research, Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC Director, antivirals, vaccines, long COVID, pandemic preparedness, infectious disease, virology, Redfield's Warning

About the Guest

Dr. Robert Redfield is the former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A trained virologist with decades of experience in infectious disease, he has been a leading voice on public health policy, pandemic preparedness, and biosecurity. He is the author of Redfield's Warning: What I Learned as CDC Director and What We Must Do to Be Prepared for the Next Pandemic, available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Redfields-Warning-Learned-Couldnt-Might/dp/1510785051

Podcast: DC EKG with Joe Grogan

Episode: 134

Guest: Dr. Robert Redfield, former CDC Director

Sponsor: Survivors for Solutions – 

https://survivorsforsolutions.org

Executive Producer: John "CZ" Czwartacki, DC EKG Podcast

Producer: Stay on Course Studios – 

https://www.stayoncourse.studio

In Episode 133 of DC EKG, Joe Grogan welcomes back Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau for Part 2 of their conversation, this time turning to the European Union. Christiaan walks Joe through the post-World War II origins of the EU as a peace initiative built around the Schuman Plan, the pooling of coal and steel between France and Germany, and the visionary leadership of Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer. He explains why understanding the EU's founding purpose is essential to understanding what has gone wrong since.

Joe and Christiaan unpack the principle of subsidiarity, the rise of EU bureaucracy and over-regulation, the ideological capture of Brussels institutions, and the long detour into cultural battles that were never the EU's job to fight. They discuss Germany's strategic mistake of abandoning nuclear energy, the widening economic gap between the US and Europe, and why Friedrich Merz himself has called the EU the world champion of over-regulation.

The second half of the episode looks at the US-EU relationship under President Trump's second term, including the Digital Services Act and free speech, decades of European free-riding on American defense, and the rise of bilateral engagement between Washington and individual European capitals. The conversation closes with a sharp discussion of the leadership vacuum across the West and Europe's growing economic dependence on China.

In This Conversation

How the European Union began as a Franco-German peace project

Why the Schuman Plan and the pooling of coal and steel still shape Europe today

The principle of subsidiarity and how Brussels has overstepped it

Why Germany's abandonment of nuclear energy was a strategic disaster

How EU institutions have been captured by ideology

The Digital Services Act and the threat to free speech in Europe

Why the US-EU relationship is under serious strain

Whether Washington should deal with Brussels or with national capitals

Europe's leadership vacuum and growing dependence on China

Timestamps

0:00  Why Brussels has become the global champion of over-regulation

1:10  Joe welcomes back Christiaan for Part 2

1:32  Christiaan reintroduces himself and his background

3:00  Why the EU is misunderstood on both sides of the Atlantic

4:15  The historical origins of the EU and the Franco-German conflict

6:00  The Schuman Plan and the pooling of coal and steel

11:30  Truman, the Marshall Plan, and Dean Acheson

12:37  What went wrong with the EU

14:50  Bureaucracy, nuclear energy, and the German mistake

19:35  The principle of subsidiarity and why it matters

23:24  Cultural overreach by Brussels

26:44  Friedrich Merz on EU over-regulation

27:28  The widening US-EU economic gap

32:03  Free speech, the Digital Services Act, and Trump

38:33  European free-riding on American defense

44:07  Should Washington bypass Brussels

48:30  The rise of bilateral engagement

51:23  The leadership vacuum across the West

58:30  Europe's economic dependence on China

1:01:12  Wrap-up

European Union, EU history, Schuman Plan, Franco-German conflict, subsidiarity, EU bureaucracy, EU overregulation, German nuclear energy, Digital Services Act, free speech Europe, US-EU relations, Trump and the EU, NATO defense spending, Europe-China dependence, transatlantic relationship, Christiaan Alting von Geusau, DC EKG

About Our Guest

Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau is a lawyer, professor, advisor, and host of the podcast The Educated Leader. Born in the United States and raised in the Netherlands, he studied law at Leiden University and Heidelberg University. He earned his doctorate in philosophy of law at the University of Vienna. He leads the International Catholic Legislators Network, serves as the principal of Ambrose Advice, and is the Rector emeritus and Professor of Philosophy of Law and Education at ITI Catholic University in Austria.

Podcast: DC EKG with Joe Grogan

Episode: 133

Guest: Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau

Sponsor: Survivors for Solutions – 

https://survivorsforsolutions.org

Executive Producer: John “CZ” Czwartacki, DC EKG Podcast

Producer: Stay on Course Studios – 

https://www.stayoncourse.studio

"Obamacare Exempt" Plans - STLDI and ACA Coverage: Costs, Choice, and Tradeoffs

Joe Grogan is joined by Michael Cannon (Cato Institute) to break down short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI), also known as “Obamacare-exempt” plans. They explain why STLDI can be far cheaper than ACA exchange coverage, how renewal guarantees work, and why allowing more consumer choice can reduce pressure on exchange risk pools.

They also dig into the politics of pre-existing conditions, how ACA rules change insurers' incentives, and why coverage debates often miss the real drivers of cost, access, and quality. The conversation ends with a broader look at public trust, healthcare fear, and how policy choices shape what insurers can and cannot do.

Timestamps / Chapters00:01 – Intro00:23 – Michael Cannon joins + what STLDI is02:27 – STLDI explained: “Obamacare-exempt” plans, renewal guarantees, and lower premiums06:00 – ACA history: why STLDI was restricted07:46 – International comparisons + pre-existing conditions incentives and the Colette Briggs story12:10 – Why healthcare stays broken: regulation, lobbying, and “government-designed” systems16:59 – Subsidies and the politics of pre-existing conditions22:22 – Renewal guarantees, employer tax exclusion, and why Medicare entered the picture30:37 – Public trust after Brian Thompson’s murder and Cannon’s letter41:56 – Wrap-up

In This Conversation

Key Takeaways

About Our GuestMichael Cannon is the Director of Health Policy Studies at the Cato Institute and a leading voice on the ACA, health insurance regulation, and market-based health reforms.

The importance of growing the economy, the promise of AI, and why the future will brighter we needn’t be afraid.

The budget conversation continues with Paul. Here Joe and Eric press the question of the viability of maintaining such a large national debt and how economic growth is so vital. Currently the US is world’s leading asset today but we should de-risk our position by remaining a strong nation and drive economic growth. It’s Paul’s view that you cannot grow revenue faster than you grow the economy.

Paul shares his career history, the journey to his newly minted PhD, and useful context for today’s fiscal strife in DC. In this first part of a three-part conversation, Joe and Eric dive into what brought Paul to the fold of federal budget expertise, and useful top line takeaways from his London school of economics training.

Part III of Joe and Eric’s talk with economist Tomas Philipson focuses on his role as acting head of the Council of Economic Advisers from the start of the Covid crisis. What it was like to watch the “blue collar boom” and 3%+ GDP growth get undone by the pandemic, and how public health attitudes toward prevention at any cost, cost us dearly. And how the two tier approach (protect venerable / keep economy open) advocated by CEA lost out to fear and public health virologists who were not okay with getting healthy people information to decide for themselves.

In the second part of a three-part interview, hosts Joe Grogan and Eric Ueland glean more gems from University of Chicago economist, Tom Philipson. Discussed are the damaging results of the two-year decline in US real wages, market volatility caused by government largesse, and the asymmetrical focus on bureaucrats over actual economic supply and demand metrics. Part one of this discussion begins with a unyielding dissection of the damage be done by the IRA to medical discovery. This week they discuss the regressive harm, being done in the name of “green” energy with additional burdens placed on lower income people. Learn more about Tom and keep up with his latest writings on his LinkedIn page:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-j-philipson-02878024/

From the public announcements of discontinued research, the fuzzy CBO math that is under-counting the reductions in cures, to the bloated use of taxpayer dollars to implement price control. Its a data rich discussion that's sure to send shivers down the spines of policymakers, practitioners , and patients alike.

Tom can be found: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-j-philipson-02878024/

In a wide-ranging discussion, the boys explore the cause-and-effect of both the legal and illegal opioid epidemic. The role of an unsecured southern border has on the drug trade, the long-lasting impact of covid shutdowns on children and American health productivity, and current threats from inflation and possibility of recession. *Episode originally aired July 21, 2022*

The boys discuss the work and background of PhD economist, and University of Chicago's own, Casey Mulligan. Part one looks into how as a member of President Trump Counsel of Economic Advisors (CEA) informed and updated the president on socialism, wages, and the historic deregulatory effort his administration was undertaking. *Episode originally aired July 21, 2022

Tevi Troy, best-selling presidential historian and a former senior government official, joins DC EKG

Tevi Troy, best-selling presidential historian and a former senior government official, joins DC EKG

Podcast TitleDC EKG with Joe Grogan: A Healthcare Policy Podcast

Episode124

Episode TitleRyan Long on the ACA Subsidy Fight, Phantom Enrollees, and Reforming 340B

Episode DescriptionJoe Grogan is joined by Ryan Long of Paragon Health Institute and the University of Southern California to break down two fights shaping health policy right now: a California wealth tax pitch framed as a health care fix, and the battle over extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

They unpack how enhanced subsidies changed who qualifies, why zero-premium plans opened the door to broker-driven enrollment and fraud, and why the medical loss ratio creates perverse incentives that can push premiums higher. They also explain how silver loading and cost-sharing reduction policy distort the exchange market, and what reforms could lower costs without writing a blank check.

The episode closes with Ryan's latest work on the 340B program, including why drug arbitrage rewards hospitals with a stronger commercial mix and can fuel consolidation, and why direct, targeted assistance could better support hospitals that truly serve low-income and rural patients.

Chapters and Timestamps00:01 Intro00:23 Welcome, and what is on the agenda01:25 California wealth tax and structural deficits11:20 Enhanced ACA subsidies and the shutdown fight16:54 Income caps, zero premium plans, and phantom enrollees21:50 Fraud, Medicaid exposure, and public trust30:39 Medical loss ratio incentives and ACA market fixes38:41 340B: how arbitrage works and why it drives consolidation44:51 What reform could look like47:20 Closing

SEO KeywordsAffordable Care Act, ACA subsidies, enhanced subsidies, premium tax credits, exchange plans, zero premium plans, phantom enrollees, medical loss ratio, cost sharing reduction, silver loading, Medicaid fraud, Minnesota fraud, California wealth tax, 340B program, drug arbitrage, hospital consolidation, site neutral payments, commercial mix, Medicare Trust Fund

About Our GuestRyan Long is a health policy expert with experience on Capitol Hill, including years in the Speaker's office and on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He is affiliated with Paragon Health Institute and the University of Southern California.

CreditsSponsor: Survivors for SolutionsExecutive Producer: John “CZ” Czwartacki, DC EKG PodcastProducer: Julie Riga, Stay on Course Studios, https://www.stayoncourse.studio

Tevi Troy, best-selling presidential historian and a former senior government official, joins DC EKG

CZ and the guys wrap up their talk and bring us to the current day. He now grapples with his current disability by focusing his efforts on preserving the hope and innovation that benefited him… and millions more. He sees real threats to the pipeline of breakthroughs as a result of 40 years of bipartisan public policy that unleashed 40 years of medical miracles. All that changed under “the cover of Covid” with health provisions tucked into the IRA law passed on a party line vote in 2022. Today with Survivors for Solutions he is giving voice to the forgotten stakeholders: patients. Lost in the shuffle of special interests are patient voices downstream of this policy fight; a fight that is personal for CZ.

CZ continues his discussion on DCEKG with sharing how having the hope of a breakthrough drug rescued him from a life cut short; how his MS issued a near-knockout blow, sending him to live stuck in his parents’ Long Island basement, dependent, and unproductive. Hope arrives in the form another innovative drug. Soon after he begins his second DMT, he goes from single, wheelchair bound, and alone, to married, with four kids, and career Forest Gump would find implausible. He credits the science and having multiple treatment options or holding back his MS, for what turned out to be relief from disease progression for almost 20 years. Shortly after leaving Capitol Hill, he spent ten years at Verizon followed by a move to his wife’s family’s home state of Minnesota. Until CZ and his family return from self-imposed exile after the new president’s team calls seeking help with confirming three of cabinet nominees. A brief volunteer gig turns into tours of service at the OMB, CFPB, and the West Wing; with his MS riding shotgun the whole time. When the inevitable happens and he can no longer work, he takes on a new cause and founded a nonprofit patient advocacy group, called Survivors for Solutions.

Veteran of high-stakes DC public policy and communications, co-creator of this podcast, and a good, long time friend of both Eric and Joe, John “CZ” Czwartacki maps his career with how his 30 year battle with multiple sclerosis began. Long in public service, CZ has never discussed his MS publicly… until now. This program reviews the early part of his career - Kemp, Boehner, Paxon, Dole-Kemp, and Lott - and how his diagnosis of an incurable disease, and his battle with it, played out. More from this conversation will be released next week.

Tevi Troy, best-selling presidential historian and a former senior government official, joins DC EKG

Tevi Troy, best-selling presidential historian and a former senior government official, joins DC EKG

Tevi Troy, best-selling presidential historian and a former senior government official, joins DC EKG

Joe and Eric continue their discussion with Tyler Goodspeed and explore disruptions that come from inflation. Tyler reveals that the best indicator of how the economy is doing in high and medium inflation environments is the consumer, better than government economists and academics. Tyler explains how the US dollar is the world's reserve currency and is not under threat by China, or any other entity at this time. But he does say that he could see other central banks diversifying into more than US Treasuries.

In the next part of this conversation Joe and Eric probe Tyler for his thoughts on current economic challenges. Specifically, the show looks at how to unwind the regulatory hurdles put in place by the current administration. Tyler also explores the problems with the workforce participation rate and whether extending federal supplemental unemployment benefits kept people out of the workforce. Additionally, we explore how inflation caused declines in real wages and impacts on the US consumer.

Tyler Goodspeed is the guest for the next three episodes with Joe and Eric. Tyler served on the Council of Economic Advisors and is currently at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He recently spent time in the UK advising Liz Truss, the shortest serving Prime Minister in U.K. history. Tyler then shared an insider perspective on why her policy rollouts did not go as well as they could have, and the experiences he had in Great Britain with the think tank culture of London.

DC EKG with Joe Grogan: A Healthcare Policy Podcast

Ep. 122

In this episode of DC EKG with Joe Grogan: A Healthcare Policy Podcast, Joe recaps the first Healthcare AI Policy Summit, held on December 10th in Washington, DC, with his co-host for the event, Naomi Lopez, founder of Nexus Policy Consulting.

They walk through the big themes shaping healthcare AI right now: how HHS is approaching AI adoption, what real regulatory clarity could look like, and how new federal initiatives like ACCESS and TEMPO may reshape chronic disease management for Medicare patients.

Joe and Naomi unpack HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill’s view of AI in government, from using large models to improve physician productivity, payment integrity, and care coordination to managing privacy and re-identification risk when working with federal health data.

They dig into the ACCESS Medicare payment model and the FDA TEMPO initiative, explaining how these pilots test AI and machine learning tools in real-world chronic disease management (hypertension, diabetes, musculoskeletal pain, and depression), and what that means for Medicare payment models, FDA oversight, and healthcare innovation.

The conversation then widens to physician burnout, interoperability, rural care, and the role of states and federal preemption in setting the rules for healthcare AI. If you care about the real-world impact of healthcare AI on policy, payment, and patients, this episode offers a clear, practical summary of what the summit revealed and what to watch next.

Today Joe and Naomi cover:

Key Takeaways:

Healthcare AI is being built into policy through programs like ACCESS and TEMPO, tying AI tools to Medicare payment and FDA pathways in chronic disease management.

Joe's guest, Naomi Lopez, is the founder of Nexus Policy Consulting and a leading voice in healthcare policy, healthcare AI, and state health reform. She co-founded a healthcare AI working group with Joe Grogan and co-hosted the inaugural Healthcare AI Policy Summit on December 10th in Washington, DC.

This episode covers how the Congress can investigate the FTX scandal, the need to learn what happened with the botched and tragic pullout from Afghanistan, and how to begin the examination of the government’s actions regarding Covid-19. The best ways to conduct an examination of public health mistakes of the last few years include examination of free speech suppression; the conduct of large bureaucracies; the lockdown of schools, and inappropriate influence by outside groups. Mark’s experience and advice on proper oversight is a must see.

This episode explores the enormous historical figure that is Justice Clarence Thomas. Insights on his story are detailed in a discussion about the book Mark co-wrote/edited, Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words, which discusses Justice Thomas’s early life surviving the deepest of challenges of poverty. We also explored Justice Thomas’s experience being taught by Irish nuns and the profound and systemic racism he experienced growing up in the deep south.

Over the next three episodes Joe and Eric speak with Mark Paoletta, a distinguished attorney in Washington, a former oversight lawyer on Capitol Hill, and the editor/author of the book Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in his Own Words. This episode explores how the new Republican House majority should conduct oversight. The discussion centered on Mark’s experience investigating the malfeasance at Enron, WorldCom, and Global Crossing, as well as his thoughts on how Congress can inform the public and itself about fraud and abuse in the private sector and within the executive branch. This interview was recorded in early November 2022 just after the new majority was declared in the House of Representatives.

In part three of this discussion with Charley Hooper, FDA expert and former NASA official, they examine the legacy of FDA’s its “white hat” reputation and how it’s not as deserved as it once was. In addition, they discuss the chilling effect new legislation will have on new cancer treatments, as well as the punitive effect this will have on generic drugs, patients in need of drugs for rare disorders, and testing already approved drugs to combat other diseases.

Joe and Eric continue their discussion with Charley. The conversation explores how drugmakers approach the market and fund new research. They highlight the explicit ways the IRA will undermine the delicate development process for life prolonging and life saving drugs. *This episode aired October 2022*

Joe and Eric speak with Charley Hooper, author of the book Should the FDA Reject Itself?  Part one of their discussion explores the likely impact of the Inflation Reduction Act and its drug pricing provisions, which include: overall drug production, the total impact on inflation, as well as the irony of prices actually going up as a result. *Episode aired Oct 26, 2022*

In the third episode of this three-part discussion, Art shares details on his latest effort to help improve substance abuse treatment in the US. He began a nonprofit called the “Recovery Now” foundation. They also review current public policies branded as “harm reduction.” During this administration these measures are normalizing dependency and drug use, which in his view is the most effective way to break down the family unit. They also discuss how meth labs have been put out of business by importation of more legal and powerful drugs manufactured south of the border. They conclude discussion about how to get help for those who need it by calling 800-662-4357 *Episode aired October 26, 2022*

In the second part of their three-part discussion, the discussion begins with what Art saw on his trip (August of 2022) to the southern border. Art shares how drug cartels monitor and control the border, use migrants who can’t afford the $6000 fee coyotes charge to smuggle them across the US, and the sophisticated tactics the cartels use to evade US border patrol. Art also unmasks the fallacy of public distribution of “test strips” and buddy system use stating flatly that “there is no safe way to consume outside a hospital.” Because the euphoric effect of the drug diminishes before exiting the human body, users would be tempted to consume more while actual levels of the opioid are still in the system leading to tragic overdoses. He also confirms with previous podcast Casey Mulligan’s data on the number of opioid overdose deaths in the US is 108,000 which is up from the approximate death toll under President Trump. For help with substance abuse call 800-662-4357 *Episode originally aired October 6, 2022*

This episode tackles one of the most important public policy issues facing the US today. Joe and Eric hold a three-part discussion with their guest Art Kleinschmidt, where they review the current opioid crisis, discuss what public policy and recovery look like, and explore Art’s story of how he lived as a recovering user himself.   The following three episodes take place in September of 2022, and all three include information to share if you or someone you know is in need of help with a substance abuse addiction. The hotline number to find help near you: 800-662-4357. *Episode originally aired October 26, 2022*

In a wide-ranging discussion, the boys explore the cause-and-effect of both the legal and illegal opioid epidemic. The role of an unsecured southern border has on the drug trade, the long-lasting impact of covid shutdowns on children and American health productivity, and current threats from inflation and possibility of recession. *Episode originally aired July 21, 2022*

 In Episode 123 of DC EKG, Joe Grogan sits down with Jackson Hammond (Senior Policy Analyst, Paragon Health Institute) to unpack what the latest CMS National Health Expenditure (NHE) data says about where U.S. health care is headed.

They break down the June 2025 NHE release, compare it to Jackson’s earlier “Paragon Prognosis” analysis, and explain what changed, what didn’t, and what it means for affordability, Medicare, Medicaid, and long-run fiscal pressure.

They also connect the spending outlook to Jackson’s paper, “How to Reform the CMS Innovation Center with a Choice and Competition Approach,” and debate whether CMMI is bending the cost curve or just adding bureaucracy without accountability. Jackson argues we should aim for health care so affordable you barely need insurance.

Chapters / Timestamps  00:00 – Intro + welcome  00:55 – Jackson’s background: how he got into health policy  03:39 – Focus areas: Medicare, hospitals, drug pricing, PBMs, 340B  05:14 – What the NHE report is showing  06:14 – $5.2T → $5.6T → $8.6T: why the trajectory matters  08:00 – Why health spending isn’t really “optional”  10:11 – Where the money is going: payer mix + per-enrollee costs  12:23 – Medicaid costs, provider taxes, and state financing tactics  15:58 – Medicare spending pressure and fiscal risk  21:06 – Misconception: “coverage = care”  26:18 – Why provider payments keep rising (post-COVID demand + consolidation)  33:01 – Rural care, consolidation, and the REH / hub-and-spoke model  40:08 – Drug pricing: retrospective vs prospective MFN  49:20 – 2026 outlook + closing thanks

In This Conversation  • NHE 2025: what the June 2025 data confirms about spending growth and the federal share.  • Rising prices, flat health: why prices climb while outcomes lag.  • Medicare and Medicaid: why they remain major budget drivers.  • Coverage vs access: why an insurance card doesn’t guarantee care or better health.  • Hospitals and consolidation: what’s driving higher payments and fewer choices.  • Rural vs urban: why patients bypass local hospitals and what a better model could look like.  • Drug pricing: what MFN approaches might mean for costs and innovation.  • 2026: what Jackson expects next and what reform could realistically look like.

Key Takeaways  • NHE data points to continued, unsustainable spending growth.  • Medicare and Medicaid drive long-term budget pressure.  • Consolidation and payment incentives shape prices as much as utilization.  • CMMI reform hinges on accountability, choice, and competition.  • Smarter drug pricing policy should lower costs without undermining innovation.

About Our Guest  Jackson Hammond is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Paragon Health Institute focused on health spending, CMS policy, and reforms centered on choice, competition, and patient-centered care. He authors Paragon’s “Paragon Prognosis” analyses and wrote “How to Reform the CMS Innovation Center with a Choice and Competition Approach.”

The boys discuss the work and background of PhD economist, and University of Chicago's own, Casey Mulligan. Part one looks into how as a member of President Trump Counsel of Economic Advisors (CEA) informed and updated the president on socialism, wages, and the historic deregulatory effort his administration was undertaking. *Episode originally aired July 21, 2022

In the final part of their conversation, the boys discuss with Brian how the IRS was pressured into changing rules to accommodate what was known as “the family glitch,” and the origins of the “why and how” of Paragon Health was created. Paragon is Brian’s response to the vacuum in public policy of market-based ideas in healthcare policy. His experience has assembled a team to assist a grassroots think tank to feed and share with state leaders ideas for better public health policy. *This episode originally aired Jun 3, 2022*

In reviewing the history of health efforts under President Trump, Joe and Eric continue their talk with Brian exploring what emerged from the ashes of the failed “repeal and replace” legislative efforts on Capitol Hill. Through executive orders and Brian’s hard work at NEC, President Trump detailed a three part agenda: Association Health Plans; 2. short duration health insurance; 3. Health reimbursement accounts. These ideas became the center of health reform for conservatives even after Associated Health Plans were struck down by a federal court. *This episode originally aired Jun 3, 2022*

Joe Grogan and Eric Ueland begin a three-part discussion with Brian Blase, formerly of the National economic Council and now CEO of Paragon Health. Part one covers the early days of the Trump administration with stories of frustration and missed opportunities. What it was like to work for a president who assumed that Republican leadership on Capitol Hill would be ready with a plan of their own after a decade talking about the need to "repeal and replace" Obamacare. Apparently, that was too much to hope for. Luckily, Brian had a plan – and an executive order – to reinvigorate the debate around choice and competition. *This episode aired June 3, 2022 *

Welcome to DC EKG where Joe and Eric explore and explain “the what and why” of Washington. Through thoughtful interviews with inside the room experts, they shine a light on the black box of DC and break down healthcare issues and policy areas that shape healthcare.

In this episode of DC EKG with Joe Grogan: A Healthcare Policy Podcast, Joe sits down with health economist Tony LoSasso to dissect what serious, workable Obamacare reforms could look like without blowing up the Affordable Care Act entirely. They dig into the structure of healthcare subsidies, why current premium tax credits dull price sensitivity, and how that undermines insurance competition, drives up healthcare costs, and threatens the law's fiscal sustainability.

Tony lays out a path to modernize the ACA with defined-contribution-style subsidies, patient-directed “health freedom” accounts, and targeted support for people with preexisting conditions through high-risk pools, rather than hiding transfer programs inside community-rated premiums. Along the way, they tackle essential health benefits, community rating, Medicare pricing, certificate-of-need laws, and growing hospital market concentration, and ask what a real bipartisan healthcare reform deal might look like in today’s political climate.

Joe Grogan sits down with James Gelfand, president and CEO of The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), to break down the future of employer-sponsored insurance and the challenges shaping healthcare policy. They discuss how rising healthcare costs affect both employers and employees, the evolution of health savings accounts, and why direct primary care and telehealth represent major shifts in employer benefits.

The conversation highlights the growing crisis in mental health, the impact of hospital consolidation on costs and quality, and the political battles over healthcare reform. Gelfand explains why employer-sponsored insurance remains a critical safety net and what changes are needed to bring more transparency, value, and balance to the healthcare system.

In this episode of DC EKG, host Joe Grogan is joined by Ryan Long, Capitol Hill veteran and senior research fellow at the Paragon Institute, to unpack two big health policy debates: the 340B drug discount program and the enhanced ACA premium tax credits. Ryan explains how 340B drives higher drug spending, hospital consolidation, and rising premiums, while often benefiting wealthier hospitals over safety-net providers. He also breaks down why the temporary ACA subsidies are set to expire in 2025, the fraud and enrollment issues they’ve created, and what both parties are gearing up for as the fight continues.

In this episode of DC EKG, Joe Grogan sits down with healthcare entrepreneur and advocate Dutch Rojas to unpack some of the most pressing and misunderstood issues in American healthcare. From his unconventional path from accounting into healthcare to his outspoken advocacy for physician-owned hospitals, Rojas brings a fresh, unapologetic perspective to how we can break through the gridlock of consolidation and outdated policy. Rojas makes the case for why charity care is often used as a business strategy rather than genuine community support, and explains how site-neutral payments could dramatically lower costs for patients and employers alike. He also outlines how innovations like a healthcare commodities exchange could finally deliver the price transparency Americans deserve, and the competition the system desperately needs.

Join host Joe Grogan for an exclusive masterclass with Dr. Robert Burns, James Joo-Jin Kim Professor of Health Care Management at the Wharton School. A nationally recognized expert on the U.S. healthcare system, Dr. Burns unpacks the complex forces driving healthcare costs.

With a background in sociology, anthropology, and decades of research, Dr. Burns reveals why so many healthcare reforms fail, what policymakers and business leaders get wrong, and how the U.S. healthcare ecosystem really works behind the headlines. If you’ve ever wondered why American healthcare is so expensive, and what can actually be done about it, this episode is a must-listen.

Critics have been quick to attack the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), but how much of what you’ve heard is true? In this episode, Joe Grogan sits down with Brian Blase to set the record straight on the bill’s health policy reforms and why they matter. From Medicaid funding changes to the role of provider taxes, Brian and Joe break down the bill’s impact, debunk common myths, and explore what’s next for U.S. healthcare policy. They cover how work requirements, eligibility reviews, and a focus on value could transform the system.

Paragon Institute Myth-Busting Series on OBBB: https://paragoninstitute.org/issue-library/obbb-myths-and-facts/

Brian Blase X: https://x.com/brian_blase?lang=en

In Episode 132 of DC EKG, Joe Grogan sits down with Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau for a timely discussion on Hungary’s election, Viktor Orbán’s loss, and what comes next under Peter Magyar. Christiaan explains why the size of the election wipeout surprised even seasoned observers, why the mainstream narrative about democracy in Hungary misses key facts, and why the new Hungarian parliament remains entirely on the right side of the political spectrum. 

Joe and Christiaan break down the structure of Hungary’s political system, the collapse of Orbán’s long-running coalition, the rise of Peter Magyar out of a political scandal, and the challenge of governing with a brand new party full of political newcomers. They also discuss whether Western media is misreading the result as a rejection of conservatism and why the more important question may be whether the new government has the experience to govern effectively. 

The second half of the episode turns to Hungary’s position on Russia and Ukraine, the country’s cultural conservatism, the future of its relationship with the European Union, and the dangers of revenge politics after a major political transition. This is a wide-ranging conversation on democracy, power, media narratives, and the future of Hungary in Europe. 

In This Conversation

What happened in Hungary and why Orbán lost so badly

Who Peter Magyar is and why his rise shocked the political class

Why Hungary’s new parliament is still entirely right of center

What the election means for democracy and conservatism

Hungary’s position on Russia Ukraine and the European Union

Why the competence of the new government may matter more than ideology

The risks of revenge politics after a major political transition

Timestamps0:00 Is Hungary’s election really a repudiation of conservatism0:55 Joe welcomes Christiaan Alting von Geusau1:14 Christiaan’s background and his dual US Dutch perspective4:00 Why Hungary matters and what makes its politics unique5:30 What happened in Hungary and why the wipeout was so large10:06 How Hungary’s electoral system magnified the result11:48 What happened to Fidesz and the Christian Democrats12:37 Why the new parliament is still entirely right of center16:00 The scandal that changed Hungarian politics18:20 Peter Magyar’s rise and political comeback20:00 Who Peter Magyar is and what he believes22:50 What changes Peter Magyar is likely to make24:00 The risks of governing with political newcomers28:50 What this means for Russia Ukraine and the EU34:33 Will Hungary remain culturally conservative36:34 Are Western media misreading the result41:06 Has Christiaan’s view changed since election night43:24 The economic challenges facing the new government44:04 Why revenge politics can damage a country48:03 Outro

Hungary election, Viktor Orban, Peter Magyar, Christiaan Alting von Geusau, Fidesz, Christian Democrats, Hungary politics, European Union, Russia Ukraine war, democracy, conservatism, revenge politics, cultural conservatism, political transition, DC EKG

About Our GuestDr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau is a lawyer, professor, advisor, and host of the podcast The Educated Leader. Born in the United States and raised in The Netherlands, he studied law at Leiden University and Heidelberg University and earned his doctorate in philosophy of law at the University of Vienna. He leads the International Catholic Legislators Network, serves as principal of Ambrose Advice, and is Rector emeritus and Professor for Philosophy of Law and Education at ITI Catholic University in Austria.

Podcast: DC EKG with Joe GroganEpisode: 132Guest: Dr. Christiaan Alting von GeusauSponsor: Survivors for Solutions – https://survivorsforsolutions.orgExecutive Producer: John “CZ” Czwartacki, DC EKG PodcastProducer: Stay on Course Studios – https://www.stayoncourse.studio

In this episode of DC EKG, Joe Grogan sits down with Sean Spicer, former White House Press Secretary and host of The Sean Spicer Show. Spicer shares his experiences from working in various political roles, his thoughts on Republican strategies for the midterms, and the challenges of communicating healthcare policies. The discussion also delves into the differences between legacy media and new media, highlighting the need for self-reflection within traditional news outlets.

Stephen 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.