logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2020
50m 23s

The Fee-for-Service Monster

Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
About this episode
The United States spends trillions of dollars on healthcare every year, but our outcomes are worse than those of other countries that spend less money. Why? Physician and healthcare executive Vivian Lee explains the psychological and economic incentives embedded in the American model of medicine, and makes the case for a different way forward. 
Up next
Nov 24
Parents: Keep Out!
<p>If you’re a parent or a teacher, you’ve probably wondered how to balance play and safety for the kids in your care. You don’t want to put children in danger, but you also don’t want to rob them of the joy of exploration. This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with psych ... Show More
1h 18m
Nov 17
The Power of Family Stories
<p>There’s a tradition around many Thanksgiving dinner tables that’s as consistent as pumpkin pie: the family stories that get told year after year. Sometimes these stories are funny; sometimes they make us roll our eyes. No matter how we feel about them, we rarely pause to consi ... Show More
1h 37m
Nov 10
Why Following Your Dreams Isn't Enough
<p>Entrepreneurs typically have no shortage of passion, heart, and vision. But at Stanford University, <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/hayagreeva-rao" target="_blank">Huggy Rao</a> says there are other elements that may matter more when it comes to ... Show More
1h 30m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
Why the US rejected universal healthcare
The USA is the only rich democracy not to provide universal healthcare. After WW2 US President Harry Truman was horrified that only a fifth of all Americans could afford proper healthcare. Most middle class Americans had no private health insurance and many found medical fees una ... Show More
12m 13s
Feb 2019
What if all US health care costs were transparent? | Jeanne Pinder
<p>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 crowdsourc ... Show More
7m 8s
Jul 2023
Rebooting American Health Care, with Amy Finkelstein
<p>How can public policy improve upon and fix the mess of U.S. health care? In a new book, health economists Amy Finkelstein (MIT) and Liran Einav (Stanford) argue that's the wrong question. Instead, they suggest we ask: What is it that U.S. health policy should try to accomplish ... Show More
47m 15s
May 2023
Heartwarming! America Doesn't Care If You Live or Die!
<p>The girlies tackle the long history and contemporary policy that makes up the American healthcare system. They explain why millions go bankrupt from medical debt, detail the modern process of thotting out your traumas for GoFundMe pennies, and unpack why it doesn't have to be ... Show More
1h 39m
Feb 2022
Doctoring While Sick
<p>Work culture often lauds the idea that you should go to work even if you’re sick. This is true among a lot of occupations, but the self-declared worst offenders are doctors and other health professionals. Dr. Sydnee explains from her own experience and that of others why it is ... Show More
40m 8s
Feb 2019
How doctors can help low-income patients (and still make a profit) | P.J. Parmar
<p>Modern American health care is defined by its high costs, high overhead and inaccessibility -- especially for low-income patients. What if we could redesign the system to serve the poor and still have doctors make money? In an eye-opening (and surprisingly funny) talk, physici ... Show More
10m 23s