Podcast
The Cost of Care
Hosted by Lemonada Media · EN
What's your life worth? Healthcare in the United States can bankrupt you, demoralize you—or actually kill you. Healthcare economist David Smith grew up in a Mormon community in Utah, and lost his father, sister, and brother to the same deadly epidemic. He’s spent his career exploring whether their deaths were preventable and how we can make health a priority for everyone. On The Cost of Care, David and his guests – patients, medical experts, and policy makers – reveal how the wealthiest nation on earth ended up with one of the most expensive, worst-performing health care systems in the world and provide solutions to fix it, together.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a $4 Trillion Dollars of the Cure
Jan 17, 202400:50:05Tap to summarizeWe’ve all heard about the amazing advances in genetic testing and personalized diagnoses. What’s incredible is that these resources are increasingly accessible to each of us, allowing us to anticipate and plan for the uncertainties that lie at some future date. We talk to someone who literally had their life saved through these personalized, preventive measures along with an expert who unpacks where this exciting field is heading. Special thanks to our season two sponsor Thorne. Thorne believes personalized, scientific wellness can extend the duration of one's health span, create happier and healthier lives, and feel one’s best at every age and life stage. Visit the Lemonada Media Thorne Storefront at www.thorne.com/u/care for 10% off your first order. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The US Health System Has Forgotten About Alzheimer's Patients
Nov 9, 202300:43:30Tap to summarizeAlzheimer's is one of the most insidious and heartbreaking diseases a person can face. To make matters worse, the US healthcare system is simply not incentivized to support patients or their families in adapting to the radical change of circumstances. In this episode, David explores the illness, how the system is currently responding to it, and the very exciting things on the scientific front that could change the game. Special thanks to our season two sponsor Thorne. Thorne believes personalized, scientific wellness can extend the duration of one's health span, create happier and healthier lives, and feel one’s best at every age and life stage. Visit the Lemonada Media Thorne Storefront at www.thorne.com/u/care for 10% off your first order. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Fan Fave: The Doomsday Clock
Sep 27, 202300:44:28Tap to summarizeDavid Smith watched as chronic pain and addiction transformed his loving father into a vengeful man who was unrecognizable. David has spent a lifetime trying to outrun his father’s fate - but now he’s looking for answers. How can we build a better healthcare system and stop the cycle of sickness, trauma and loss? In episode one, we explore his family’s story, covering everything from childhood tragedy and generational trauma to opioid abuse and Mormon excommunication. Keep up with David on twitter @CHIDavidSmith. Have you been hit with a surprise bill or had an infuriating run-in with the health care system? If you want to submit a patient story, email us at costofcare@lemonadamedia.com or leave us a voicemail at 833-453-6662. Support for this episode of The Cost of Care comes from Healthline.com, America’s leading digital health brand. Visit healthline.com/costofcare now, and stay connected by following @healthline on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Healthline: Powering healthy actions and supporting you on your journey to well-being. Support for this podcast comes from The Commonwealth Fund, a health care research foundation working to improve the U.S. health system. Visit commonwealthfund.org/costofcare, and stay connected by following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Commonwealth Fund: Affordable, quality health care. For everyone. You can click this link for a full list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows. To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to https://www.lemonadamedia.com/show/thecostofcare/ shortly after the air date. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Central Crux to American Health: Obesity
Aug 23, 202300:52:42Tap to summarizeAlmost half of Americans live with obesity. In this episode we dig into the pain of living with this clinical condition, the social and cultural elements that limit our ability to fully address the obesity epidemic, and thoughts on how the system can be far more responsive to supporting those around us in achieving better health.A special thanks to Pfizer for providing funding support and to HealthyWomen for providing educational guidance on this episode. HealthyWomen is dedicated to educating women so they can make informed health decisions, advocate for themselves and prioritize their health and wellness. Learn more about their work at healthywomen.org.Special thanks to our season two sponsor Thorne. Thorne believes personalized, scientific wellness can extend the duration of one's health span, create happier and healthier lives, and feel one’s best at every age and life stage. Visit the Lemonada Media Thorne Storefront at www.thorne.com/u/care for 10% off your first order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Kids are Not Alright: America’s Pediatric Mental Health Crisis
Jul 14, 202300:55:35Tap to summarizeA long-simmering crisis with pediatric mental health care came to a head during the Covid-19 crisis. In this episode, we hear one family’s challenging account of a brilliant young man pushed to the brink and an incredible approach to mental health by a school system in the Bay Area. Special thanks to our season two sponsor Thorne. Thorne believes personalized, scientific wellness can extend the duration of one's health span, create happier and healthier lives, and feel one’s best at every age and life stage. Visit the Lemonada Media Thorne Storefront at www.thorne.com/u/care for 10% off your first order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Navigating Supplements in a Market Full of Monster Truck Voices
May 31, 202300:53:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode, host David Smith sits down with two experts on supplements. We learn more about this health care adjacent market, and all the attendant noise faced by consumers just trying to live better lives.Special thanks to our season two sponsor Thorne. Thorne believes personalized, scientific wellness can extend the duration of one's health span, create happier and healthier lives, and feel one’s best at every age and life stage. Visit the Lemonada Media Thorne Storefront at www.thorne.com/u/care for 10% off your first order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Conversation with Nicole Chung: A Living Remedy
Apr 27, 202300:56:54Tap to summarizeOn this episode of The Cost of Care, host David Smith speaks with author Nicole Chung, author of A Living Remedy, a searing memoir of family, class and grief—a daughter’s search to understand the lives her adoptive parents led, the life she forged as an adult, and the lives she’s lost. Listen to A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung on Apple Books and find all of our other Lemonada Book Club audiobook selections by heading to https://apple.co/lemonada-book-clubSpecial thanks to our season two sponsor Thorne. Thorne believes personalized, scientific wellness can extend the duration of one's health span, create happier and healthier lives, and feel one’s best at every age and life stage. Visit the Lemonada Media Thorne Storefront at www.thorne.com/u/care for 10% off your first order.Nicole’s socials:https://twitter.com/nicolesjchunghttps://www.instagram.com/nicolesjchung/Ecco’s socials:http://www.instagram.com/eccobooks/http://twitter.com/eccobooksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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When Your Insurance Company Laughs At You
Mar 29, 202300:53:52Tap to summarizeIn this episode we examine two cases of irritable bowel disease (IBD). Where both individuals have symptoms that can be addressed through life changing medicines, but yet have outcomes that are wildly different. You'll hear audio from inside United, the country's largest health insurance company, capturing its employees doing everything possible to deny life changing care. Special thanks to our season two sponsor Thorne. Thorne believes personalized, scientific wellness can extend the duration of one's health span, create happier and healthier lives, and feel one’s best at every age and life stage. Visit the Lemonada Media Thorne Storefront at www.thorne.com/u/care for 10% off your first order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The U.S. Healthcare System and Surviving Pediatric Cancer
Feb 22, 202300:52:12Tap to summarizeNothing pulls at our heartstrings more than a sick kiddo. Remarkably, our system does quite well for children with serious illnesses. But luck plays way too big a part in which kids live or die. Special thanks to our season two sponsor Thorne. Thorne believes personalized, scientific wellness can extend the duration of one's health span, create happier and healthier lives, and feel one’s best at every age and life stage. Visit the Lemonada Media Thorne Storefront at www.thorne.com/u/care for 10% off your first order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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COVID-19: A Stress Test for the American Healthcare System
Jan 19, 202300:39:29Tap to summarizeThe breathtaking pace at which the Covid-19 pandemic upended American society and commerce with lingering effects has scores of lessons that will teach future generations how society should grapple with a debilitating public health crisis while preserving economic vitality, political function, and social cohesion. In this episode of The Cost of Care, David Smith dives deep into how Covid-19 was a stress test for the American healthcare system, the wins, the losses, and where we go from here. Read the full paper from Third Horizon Strategies here: https://thirdhorizonstrategies.com/wp-content/uploads/COVID-as-a-stress-test-v2.pdfSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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