The Future of Healthcare

Few words are more politically and emotionally charged in Washington than “healthcare.” Just as the Affordable Care Act was hitting a decade or so of nearly continuous debate, so-called Medicare for All proposals have become the latest battleground for healthcare policy wonks.

Even beneath those big picture headline debates, other, smaller questions swirl around the healthcare world, including issues like prescription drug prices.

We'd probably bet that the looming 2020 election season isn’t going to do much to end the country’s existential debate on what healthcare should look like, meaning these fights aren’t going away anytime soon.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t make some progress, or at least shed a little light on them.

Here to do that, we're joined by a couple of healthcare policy experts.

First up, Tara O’Neill Hayes, Deputy Director of Health Care Policy at the American Action Forum. Tara’s work focuses on health insurance costs and coverage, including Medicare, Medicaid, and all the other issues that come along with it. Tara also spent some time as a Congressional staffer covering healthcare and budget issues.

Next, we're pleased to welcome back to the show Bob Graboyes. The last time we caught up with Bob we were talking about medical drones, so we’re glad he’s back to both continue and broaden out that discussion a bit. Bob is a Senior Research Fellow and healthcare scholar here at Mercatus, and has years of experience researching and teaching the economics of healthcare.

As we say goodbye to our host Chad, we want to hear from you! Email our producer Dallas at [email protected] with your feedback on why you want the show to continue, how the show has helped you understand a particular topic better, or any general feedback on why you love the show. Our inboxes are open and we're ready to hear what you have to say.

Today's What's on Tap beer features New Belgium Brewing's Passion Fruit Kolsch.

You can continue to keep up with Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese.

Thanks for listening. Cheers!

Photo credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images