The maternal mortality rate in the United States is more than double that of our peers – and it’s especially high among Black birthing people. Why? The Commonwealth Fund collaborated with Lemonada Media to create Uncared For, a six-part podcast series, hosted by award-winning journalist SuChin Pak (Add to Cart, MTV News) to take a personal and wide-ranging look at maternal health care around the globe to find the answer.  On today’s episode of The Dose, we’re sharing the first episode of Uncared For. SuChin Pak talks to Brandi Jordan, a doula who was an essential support for Pak’s own chi ..read more

What people eat, where they live, and how much they earn can impact their overall health more than the medical care they receive — sometimes much more. Now, for the first time, federal policymakers are trying to measure and screen for what are known as the drivers of health.  On this week’s episode of The Dose,Shanoor Seervai talks with Alice Chen, M.D., chief medical officer at Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace, about gathering momentum in the health sector to acknowledge and address nonmedical risk factors for health.  Chen, a physician with years of ..read more

In post-Roe America, many women seeking abortions are treading on landmines, particularly in states where access is banned or severely restricted. On the latest episode of The Dose, host Shanoor Seervai talks to Raegan McDonald-Mosley, M.D., about a tool that makes it easier for people to determine what the laws are in their state and where they can get care. Mosley, the CEO of Power to Decide, talks about the huge risks for women – particularly low-income women of color – who can’t get the reproductive health services they need. “Instead of… investing in maternal health services on ..read more

The midterm elections are around the corner, and health care is likely to be a major factor in how Americans vote. Abortion and reproductive health access will motivate many people, as will inflation (which impacts the cost of care). On the latest episode of The Dose, host Shanoor Seervai talks about the most pressing health care battles to watch with Katie Keith, director of the Health Policy and the Law Initiative at Georgetown University Law Center’s O’Neil Institute. Keith talks about how access to abortion may play out at the federal and state level, legal challenges to the Affordabl ..read more

Bills targeting the rights of LGBTQ+ people are under consideration in state legislatures across the country. Many aim to make it more difficult for transgender people to get health care — something that’s already a challenge for many, particularly trans youth. On the latest episode of The Dose, host Shanoor Seervai interviews Austin Johnson, an assistant professor of sociology at Kenyon College and the research and policy director for the Campaign for Southern Equality, an advocacy and direct services organization. One way to expand access to care for transgender youth, Johnson says, is to “m ..read more

Earlier this week, President Biden declared the pandemic over. This tracks with public opinion: most Americans have long abandoned their masks, and federal funds may soon dry up for testing, treatment, and even vaccines. Of course, this doesn’t mean the virus has disappeared. In fact, hundreds of Americans are still dying each day from COVID-19, and thousands more are suffering from long COVID, a host of protracted symptoms that could lead to severe health complications down the line. On the latest episode of The Dose, host Shanoor Seervai talks to Dr. Bob Wachter about what it's like to live ..read more

Among other things, the Inflation Reduction Act is being hailed as a potential breakthrough in making health care more affordable. But what does this landmark legislation, enacted last month, really mean for Americans – now and in the future? To open the new season of The Dose, host Shanoor Seervai interviews Stacie Dusetzina, an associate professor in health policy and cancer research at Vanderbilt University. Dusetzina breaks down the key health provisions of the new law, from drug price negotiation in Medicare to the redesign of Part D coverage. We’ve “repeatedly been burned by the health c ..read more

The Dose will be taking a short summer break while our team works on brand-new episodes for the next season. Listen to our season finale, in which we highlight some of the accomplishments of our guests. Join us in the fall, for new conversations with health policy experts as they share ideas about how the U.S. can improve health care for everyone. Episodes Mentioned: Priti Krishtel on "For Global Vaccine Access, Overhaul the Patent System" Kevin Simon on "Closing the Mental Health Care Gap for Black Teens" Rachel Hardeman on "The Quest for Equity in Reproductive Health ..read more

A well-functioning public health system is vital to keeping individuals, and the population at large, safe and healthy. Except that success is often invisible when it comes to public health—we don’t notice it until the system breaks down. The U.S. public health system has taken a drubbing from COVID-19. But the pandemic has also driven home just how critical it is to invest in this key component of national infrastructure. On the latest episode of The Dose, Dr. Dave Chokshi, who led New York's pandemic response as the city's health commissioner, talks about how we can apply the lessons of the ..read more

Racial bias in medical care extends all the way to the prescription pad. Research shows that people of color are less likely to receive the most effective treatments for life-threatening conditions, including cancer and heart disease. One way to address this is by aiming for “pharmacoequity” — where all patients, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, disability, or other characteristics, have access to the highest-quality evidence-based medical therapies that meet their health needs. On the latest episode of The Dose, the man who coined this term, Utibe Essien, M.D., an assistant professor ..read more