JAMA Health Forum Conversations
Episodes
The Year We Lost Medicaid
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Heidi Allen, MSW, PhD, from Columbia University discusses policy shifts that may reshape healthcare for millions in the US with JAMA Health Forum Edit...
Keeping Health Equity at the Forefront of the AI Revolution
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools in health care and public health can bring efficiency and new approaches that might improve health. These tools may...
Market-Based Solutions to Improve US Health Care
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How do we better deploy market-based solutions to improve health care in the US? Lanhee Chen, PhD, of Stanford University joins JAMA Health Forum Edit...
In Search of US Pharmaceutical Policy Innovation
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Pharmaceuticals are a central—and costly—element of the US health care system. Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital j...
The Future of Primary Care in the US
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Historically, there has been less focus on primary care than on specialist care in US health care. What are the challenges and opportunities in primar...
Changes in Policy and the Health of LGBTQ+ Populations
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There is abundant evidence that sexual minority groups have worse health indicators than sexual majority groups. Gilbert Gonzales, PhD, MHA, of Vander...
The Centrality of Women's Health to a Population Health Research Agenda
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Both sex- and gender-based factors influence the health of women. A fully realized population health agenda needs to center women's health as an area...
National Policy to Support Better Mental Health in the US
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
About 1 in 5 adults in the US live with a mental health condition. In 2023, approximately 32% of US adults reported symptoms of depression and anxiety...
The Impact of Nonhealth Policies in a Time of Policy Disruption
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The second Trump administration launched several actions in 2025 that directly affect the health of populations. Sara Bleich, PhD, of Harvard Chan Sch...
The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence and Regulation
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The evolution of artificial intelligence technology has outstripped most health policy oversight in the US. Michelle M. Mello, JD, PhD, Professor of L...
Improving Health and Health Care Affordability in the US with David Cutler
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US is an outlier in health system performance, spending more than other peer countries while performing worse. US economist David Cutler, who is t...
The Threat to Health Insurance Coverage in the US
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Increased health insurance coverage in the US has had a broad range of positive impacts on US health, including increases in preventive care and bette...
The Potential Repercussions of Disinvestment in Health in the US
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The first months of the Trump administration have been marked by a flurry of actions, many that have affected agencies directly related to health dome...
The US, the World Health Organization, and a New Era in Global Health
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
US withdrawal from the World Health Organization will have significant implications for global health. Lawrence Gostin, JD, JAMA Legal and Global Heal...
What's Next for JAMA Health Forum and for Health Policy?
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Incoming Editor in Chief Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, discusses the journal and the state of health policy with Deputy Editor Julie Donohue, PhD, and Senio...
Farewell Conversation With JAMA Health Forum Founding Editor in Chief John Ayanian
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Founding Editor in Chief John Ayanian, MD, MPP, reflects on the origins and the highlights of the journal's first 5 years, including seminal publicati...
Impact of US Tobacco 21 Policies on Potential Mortality Reductions by State
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Research shows that Tobacco 21 (T21) policies with a minimum legal age to purchase tobacco products of 21 years reduce youth smoking, yet their potent...
Extreme Heat Health Consequences
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Extreme heat in the US led to deaths and hospital admissions among community-dwelling older adults with low incomes. Hyunjee Kim, PhD, of the Oregon H...
Physician Altruism and Quality of Care
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The use of care by patients of physicians considered more altruistic differs from the use of care of physicians considered less. Lawrence P. Casalino,...
Health Care–Related Savings Accounts, Health Care Expenditures, and Tax Expenditures
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, spoke with Sherry Glied, PhD, and Dong Ding, MA, MPA, of New Yo...
Highlights From the AcademyHealth 2024 Annual Research Meeting
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AcademyHealth CEO Aaron Carroll, MD, MS, shares highlights from the AcademyHealth 2024 Annual Research Meeting in an interview hosted by JAMA Health F...
Health Care–Based Voter Registration: A New Venue to Increase Voter Participation
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
More than 50 million adults in the US are eligible to vote but not registered. Alister F. Martin, MD, MPP, of Harvard University, and Katherine McCabe...
Differences in Services Provided at Public and Nonprofit Hospitals Related to the 340B Drug Discount Program
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, speaks with Kelsey M. Owsley, PhD, of the University of Arkansas, and Sayeh Nikay, PhD, MPH, of the Un...
Measuring Medicaid Enrollment More Accurately to Guide Post–COVID-19 Pandemic Policy
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Benjamin D. Sommers, MD, PhD, of Harvard University, speaks with JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD...
Comparing Home Health Services in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, speak with Rachel A. Prusynski, DPT, PhD, of the University of ...
Changes in Access to Care and Preventive Services by Race and Ethnicity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions in ambulatory care. In this interview with JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Depu...
Opioid Prescription Duration Limits
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, speak with Lindsay D. Allen, PhD, about how setting-specific op...
Trends in Smoking Among US Adults From 2011 to 2022
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the US. Rafael Meza, PhD, of the British Columbia Cancer Research Institute,...
The History, Economics, and Policy Context of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, speak with Ge Bai, PhD, CPA, author of Pharmacy Benefit Manager...
Economic Burden of Untreated Mental Illness in Indiana
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, spoke with Heather Taylor, MD, from Indiana University Richard ...
Innovative Approach to Promote Equitable Access to COVID-19 Preventive Therapy
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, explore with Erin K. McCreary, PharmD, and A...
How Safe Were Kids in School During Phases of the Pandemic?
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, discuss with Sandra B. Nelson, MD (Massachusetts General Hospital, B...
FDA Advisory Committees for New Prescription Drugs
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Associate Editor Julie Donohue, PhD, speak with Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH, and Genevieve P....
Challenges of Addressing Food and Housing Insecurity in a Medicaid Context
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, talk with Anne N. Thorndike, MD, MPH, about the challenge of co...
Health Care Use and Spending Among Dual-Eligible Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, discuss with Brystana G. Kaufman, PhD, Duke Margolis Center for...
Quality of Care and Visit Volume in Federally Qualified Health Centers During COVID-19
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, speak with Megan B. Cole, PhD, MPH, about ch...
Best Practice in Adjusting For Social Risk
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Adjusting quality measurements and payments for health care services to reflect the social as well as clinical risk factors of patients is controversi...
Predicting Future Malpractice Claims
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melinda Buntin, PhD, speak with David A. Hyman, JD, MD, about the...
Use of Mental Health Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health care in many domains, including mental health services. JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and...
Factors Contributing to the Slowdown in Medicare Spending Growth
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Medicare spending growth per beneficiary has been historically low since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. JAMA Health Forum Deputy Edit...
Increased Food Insufficiency in Households With Children
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation with Zoe Bouchelle, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Meli...
Helping People Enroll in Marketplace Plans
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Authors Andrew Feher, PhD, of Covered California, and Adrianna McIntyre, PhD, MPP, MPH, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, speak with JAMA ...
Receipt of Out-of-State Telemedicine Visits Among Medicare Beneficiaries During the COVID-19 Pandemic
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, most states approved temporary regulatory changes so out-of-state physicians could provide telemedicine services to re...
Prescription Drug Cost Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act
19 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden has signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act containing important provisions related to prescription drug costs. JAMA Health Forum ...
Migration and Mortality Among Patients With Kidney Failure After Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 was one of the most costly and catastrophic storms in US history. In this podcast, Maricruz Rivera-Hernandez, P...
Does Rewarding Better Patient Care Experience Punish Safety-net Hospitals?
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi K. Wadhera, MD, MPP, MPhil, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses his article investigating the association of the Medicare Hospital V...
A Conversation With Dr Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, JAMA's New Editor in Chief
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In July 2022, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, took on a new role as the 17th editor in chief of JAMA and the JAMA Network. In conversation with...
Spillover Benefits of Medicaid Expansion for Older Adults
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion has yielded clear improvements in insurance coverage and access to care for...
Advancing COVID-19 Research in a Learning Health Care System
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented need for accelerated collaborative research in health care systems. In a conversation with JAMA Hea...
Health Care Job Loss During the Pandemic
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The health care workforce has yet to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is a concerning trend of increasing numbers of physicians leaving t...
COVID-19 Vaccinations for California Prison Staff
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Prison staff and residents have faced increased risks of COVID-19 infections. JAMA Health Forum Editor John Ayanian, MD, MPP, and Deputy Editor Melind...
Medicaid Policy Associated With Increased Enrollment During the Pandemic
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency, state Medicaid programs elected to maintain eligibility for Medicaid recipients in ...
Health System Factors Related to Overuse of Health Services in Medicare
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Overuse of health care, or providing services of low value or no value, is wasteful, potentially harmful to patients, and a contributor to high US hea...
Unequal Burdens of Cost Sharing for Medicare Beneficiaries
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cost sharing is particularly burdensome for some Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those with incomes just above the poverty level, those with disa...
US Share of Insulin Expenditures Going to Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Intermediaries
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are many actors in the drug supply and distribution system, and little is known about the share of drug expenditures going to each, making it mo...
Medicaid Use and Spending for Drugs With FDA Accelerated Approval
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
State Medicaid programs are required to cover all drugs approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), including those that have received accele...
New Evidence on the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Insurance Coverage
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We know that the pandemic caused millions of people to lose their jobs, and potentially their job-based insurance, and yet new survey data showed surp...
Self-reported Access to Firearms Among Patients Receiving Care for Mental Health and Substance Use
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Firearms are the most common method of suicide in the US over the past decade. Primary care and mental health clinicians frequently interact with indi...
COVID-19's Shock to Health Care Services
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching effects on the use of health care services. Dr Nora Becker of the University of Michigan talks about her re...
Time and Financial Costs for Physician Practices Participating in MIPS
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Participating in value-based incentive programs imposes financial and time costs on physician practices. Dhruv Khullar of Weill Cornell Medical Coll...
Alternative Health Care Payment Models—The Case for A Portfolio Strategy
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A portfolio approach to health care payment reform, where a set number of alternative payment models are selected for testing because they work togeth...
Welcome to the JAMA Health Forum Editors' Summary
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
JAMA Health Forum is a peer-reviewed, open access, online journal, focused on health policy, health care systems, and population health. Our podcast...