Conversations On Health Care

Kathleen Sebelius was in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when the Affordable Care Act became law. Now, she and a bipartisan group are putting their best thinking forward for how to fix rural health care. Their report from Aspen Institute’s Health Strategy Group calls the rural mortality gap a “moral […] The post Kathleen Sebelius Ran HHS. Now, She’s Tackling Rural Health appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Many viewers know Becky Quick as the steady voice on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where she explains what’s happening on Wall Street and interviews the world’s top business leaders.  Now, she joins Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to share a very different story, one she lived privately for years while navigating her daughter’s rare genetic diagnosis. Quick’s […] The post Why CNBC’s Becky Quick is Bullish on Rare Disease Cures: Her Family’s Story appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Medical experts know that fresh vegetables play a very beneficial role in health but if you can’t afford them, you’re mostly out of luck. Fixing this situation is the latest passion of Mark Masselli, co-host of “Conversations on Health Care” and president, CEO, and founder of Moses/Weitzman Health System. In this special episode, co-host Margaret […] The post Why is a Health Innovator Growing Fresh Veggies Year-Round? Mark Masselli’s Next Big Vision appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Over 1 million subscribers (and more online) read Dr. Dhruv Khullar’s insightful columns in The New Yorker and now our hosts are asking him the tough questions. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter ask him about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They note that just 8% of the public has faith in the agency’s […] The post The New Yorker’s Dr. Khullar: Restoring Trust in CDC Could Take “Decades” appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

There are nearly 4,000 mobile healthcare clinics in the U.S. and there’s no reason to stop at that number, according to Driving Health Forward. It’s a new and fast-growing national campaign of organizations and individuals dedicated to promoting healthcare system change to grow the mobile healthcare sector.  Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter discuss with […] The post Mobile Health Care Works, Why Don’t We See More of It? Answers & Opportunities appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Nearly 70% of young people say they want to quit nicotine this year. But as the market rapidly evolves, quitting is becoming more complicated. Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Kathy Crosby, President and CEO of the Truth Initiative, about a growing disconnect between regulation and reality in the e-cigarette market and what […] The post Your Role in Truth Initiative’s New Vape Battle  appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

There are 24 states that have legalized recreational marijuana in recent years and a man who once was at the center of the nation’s drug control efforts says he’s “really disturbed” at what he’s seeing as a result. “The health impacts on [people]…the increasing psychosis…the visits to emergency rooms,” says former Acting Drug Czar Richard […] The post Reefer Madness? Ex-Drug Czar Sounds Alarm on Marijuana Legalization appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Americans have more economic anxiety about health care costs than anything else, according to a KFF poll. “Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter are at the Reporters’ Roundtable to break down the policy debates and real-world impacts behind those concerns. Joining the roundtable are: Nada Hassanein of Stateline, Michael McAuliff of […] The post Reporters’ Roundtable: High Cost of Health Care appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Research just out shows new blood tests can now detect Alzheimer’s-related changes years before symptoms begin. Dr. Suzanne Schindler says these findings help estimate how long that window may be. Once Alzheimer’s-related changes begin to rise in the blood, “it creates kind of a clock for us,” Schindler, a clinical neurologist at Washington University School […] The post Alzheimer’s: New Research on When Symptoms Start & Prevention appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Six years after the pandemic began, millions are still living with Long COVID. New research shows why recovery looks so different from person to person. Dr. Bruce Levy and Tanayott Thaweethai, Ph.D., of Mass General Brigham, speak with hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter about their National Institutes of Health-funded RECOVER study published in Nature […] The post Long COVID Latest: What are the Unique Patterns? appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

A total of $10 billion of federal dollars is flowing to states right now as they seek to implement the first year of the new Rural Health Transformation Program. The early reports from the National Rural Health Association show promise and concerns. Carrie Cochran-McClain, NRHA’s Chief Policy Officer, says, “I’ll be honest. We were hearing […] The post Rural Health Transformation Program: Latest Details appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

One of the first steps in creating your “digital twin” is already taking place at innovative medical centers across the U.S. Boston Children’s Hospital and 20 other centers like it are using 3D cardiac models to improve pediatric heart surgery and help families better understand their child’s care. The 3D visualization program creates patient-specific digital […] The post 3D Models to Guide Surgery: Not Science Fiction appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a renowned bioethicist who helped draft the Affordable Care Act, is turning his attention to a new goal: helping us live longer. His new best-selling book is “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life.”  He believes some of the recent federal changes to the food dietary […] The post Dr. Zeke Emanuel: Tough Talk on Living Longer appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Join “Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to learn why Dr. Dorsey believes cleaning up our environment may be one of the most powerful public health tools we have right now. The post Is Parkinson’s Preventable? Our Guest Says Yes appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

We’ve invited noted health care leader Dr. Sachin Jain back to “Conversations on Health Care” to share his predictions for the year after many came true last year.

The new Rural Health Transformation Program aims to improve “healthcare access, quality, and outcomes” with $50 billion aimed at making changes to the healthcare delivery ecosystem. Keeping an eye on the state applications, the federal money awarded and how it will be used is Sarah Jane Tribble, lead rural health reporter at KFF Health News. On this episode of “Conversations on Health Care,” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Tribble as she offers a clear-eyed look at what... Read More Read More The post KFF Health News Covers $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation: Latest Details appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

New research. New technology. New possibilities. On this special 2025 Rewind and Look Ahead episode of “Conversations on Health Care,” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter turn their focus to the breakthroughs, discoveries and innovators shaping what comes next. “Health innovations and breakthroughs that seemed impossible years ago became closer to reality in 2025,” says Mark. We revisit pivotal conversations with leaders driving real-world change, including: We also learned about major developments in Long COVID research, including global studies and... Read More Read More The post Happy, Healthy New Year: What the Future Holds appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Health care policy faced major upheavals during the past 12 months and the effects are already being felt. On this special 2025 Rewind and Look Ahead episode of “Conversations on Health Care,” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter reflect on the moments that defined the year and what may come next. This episode is Part 1 of a two-part 2025 rewind. The conversation revisits the passage of H.R. 1, which was the largest Medicaid reduction in the program’s history, and... Read More Read More The post 2025 Rewind: Our guests recount the promises and hurdles appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Eighty percent of maternal deaths in the United States are considered preventable. So why do they keep happening? On this episode of “Conversations on Health Care,” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter are joined by award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Irin Carmon for a thoughtful conversation about pregnancy, care, and what gets lost when she says systems stop listening. Carmon’s new book, “Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America,” draws on 15 years of... Read More Read More The post “Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America”: Author Conversation appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Originally broadcast December 11, 2025 Congress is scrambling to find a solution to the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year. Without action, premiums are set to rise sharply for millions of Americans, creating a major health care cliff as 2026 approaches. Congressional reporters Sandhya Raman (CQ Roll Call) and Robert King (Politico) join hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to help make sense of the fast-moving negotiations and what is likely to happen... Read More Read More The post Congress Races to Find Obamacare Subsidy Solution: Reporters Examine the Efforts appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.