Why Are Wealthy Americans Spending So Much More on Healthcare?

How Inflation Skewed State Health Care Spending Targets

Health Affairs Publishing’s Rob Lott speaks to Keith Ericson of Boston University about his recent paper exploring how inflation-adjusted spending benchmarks [http://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2026.00046?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=a+health+podyssey&utm_campaign=august+2026+issue] would provide a more accurate picture of state health care cost growth. Order the August 2026 issue of Health Affairs [https://www.pubservice.com/backissue/subbi.aspx?CO=PJ&PC=HR&BI=HRI&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=A+health+podyssey]. Sign up for our free Health Affairs newsletters [https://share.hsforms.com/26dGfZSq8SjaPUznLYa3kfQnnawj] to stay up to date on health policy news and analysis.

Why Are Wealthy Americans Spending So Much More on Healthcare?

Health Affairs Publishing’s Rob Lott speaks to Betsy Cliff from the University of Chicago about her paper in the July 2026 issue of Health Affairs exploring trends in US healthcare spending by income [https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2025.01325?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=a+health+podyssey&utm_campaign=july+2026+issue]. Order the July 2026 issue of Health Affairs [https://www.pubservice.com/backissue/subbi.aspx?CO=PJ&PC=HR&BI=HRI&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=A+health+podyssey]. Sign up for our free Health Affairs newsletters [https://share.hsforms.com/26dGfZSq8SjaPUznLYa3kfQnnawj] to stay up to date on health policy news and analysis.

BEST OF: Michael Chernew on Medicare Advantage Benchmarks

A Health Podyssey is on vacation in July. We will return with new episodes in August 2026. This episode originally aired on April 18, 2023 Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Michael Chernew from the Harvard Medical School on his recently-published paper examining the effects of lower Medicare Advantage benchmarks [https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01031?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=a+health+podyssey] on plan generosity and benefits. The authors found that a $1,000 per year decrease in the benchmarks would lead to only moderate increases in annual premiums, deductibles and co-pays. Order the April 2023 issue of Health Affairs [https://www.pubservice.com/backissue/subbi.aspx?CO=PJ&PC=HR&BI=HRI&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=A+health+podyssey]. Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support [https://www.healthaffairs.org/membership?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=a+health+podyssey&utm_campaign=insider], we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcasts free for everyone. Subscribe: RSS [https://feeds.transistor.fm/a-health-podyssey] | Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-health-podyssey/id1533852530] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3tAEbXdlzlcgjLTHfJMYqR] | Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=576615&refid=stpr] | Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2EtaGVhbHRoLXBvZHlzc2V5]

BEST OF: A Health Podyssey x Policy Spotlight w/ Meena Seshamani

A Health Podyssey is on vacation in July. We will return with new episodes in August 2026. This episode was originally aired on August 15, 2023. In a crossover episode with Health Affairs' Policy Spotlight event series [https://www.healthaffairs.org/topic/policy-spotlight], Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Meena Seshamani, director at the Center for Medicare at CMS. They discuss the evolution of Medicare Advantage, value-based programs, and more. Currently, more than 70 percent of our content is freely available - and we'd like to keep it that way. With your support [https://www.healthaffairs.org/membership?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=a+health+podyssey&utm_campaign=insider], we can continue to keep our digital publication Forefront and podcasts free for everyone.

BEST OF: What Most Favored Nation Drug Pricing Would Mean for the US

A Health Podyssey is on vacation in July. We will return with new episodes in August 2026. This episode originally aired on April 14, 2026. Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews James Robinson of the University of California Berkeley about his recent paper exploring most favored nation drug pricing [https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2025.01127?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=a+health+podyssey&utm_campaign=april+2026+issue], weighing its feasibility, likely effects on drug launch prices, and implications for global pharmaceutical innovation and investment. Order the April 2026 issue of Health Affairs [https://www.pubservice.com/backissue/subbi.aspx?CO=PJ&PC=HR&BI=HRI&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=A+health+podyssey].