35. Are More Expensive Hospitals Better?

In the newest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network, host Zachary Crockett explores the hidden side of the things around us. This week: One creature’s trash is another’s cash. (Or, how one man found profit in pee.) 

A sneak peek at Bapu's new book, Random Acts of Medicine, available now from Doubleday, and an announcement about the show. 

Couples get divorced for all kinds of reasons. Is having kids one of them? Bapu talks about research that investigates what happens to parents who unexpectedly have twins. Plus, an announcement about the future of the show. 

In the US, the very same blood test can cost $19 at one clinic and $522 at another clinic just blocks away -- and nobody knows the difference until they get a bill weeks later. Journalist Jeanne Pinder says it doesn't have to be this way. She's built a platform that crowdsources ... Show More

The cost of everything is soaring, but what toll is that taking on our health? We’re at a food pantry scheme in Coventry meeting mums Danielle and Ellie to find out how hard putting food on the table has become. Dr Megan Blake and Prof Sir Michael Marmot help explain what that do ... Show More

Join my doctor, Dr. Ryan Monahan of Peaceful Mountain Medicine, and me as we discuss his non-pharmecutical approach to all aspects of health; diet and lifestyle, supplements, why probiotics might not be the best thing for you, how your phone can be affecting your health, limiting ... Show More

Dr. Pennell and Dr. Kircher discuss the push for increased price transparency among stakeholders in an effort to control the rising costs of healthcare. Read the related article on ascopubs.org. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to the latest Journal of Oncology Practice podcast, brought to yo ... Show More

The United States is the only high-income country that doesn’t have universal health care…AND we have some of the worst health outcomes for all groups of people. Clearly, some part of this system isn’t working, especially for folks that are already marginalized. But what’s the so ... Show More

Did you know that all people with blue eyes are related to each other? That is just one of the fascinating things we explore as I begin this episode with a look at how your eyes work and how they help you navigate your world. http://www.buzzfeed.com/acuvue/impossibly-cool-facts-y ... Show More

Masks and at-home COVID-19 test kits have become staples of pandemic life. The Biden Administration announced in January that it would distribute 400 million free N95 respirators to pharmacies and grocery stores around the country. The U.S. Postal Service has begun taking orders ... Show More

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, InsideTracker, and Essentia. Subsidizing food has been a practice in the US government for a very long time; we’ve subsidized sugar since 1790 and wheat, corn, and soy since 1933. All four of these foods, also known as commodity crop ... Show More

He’s a Harvard physician and economist who just started a third job: host of the new podcast Freakonomics, M.D. He’s also Steve’s former student. The two discuss why medicine should embrace econ-style research, the ethics of human-challenge trials, and Bapu’s role in one of Steve ... Show More