DC EKG
Join former White House policy expert Joe Grogan as he cuts through the complexities of healthcare legislation and its real-world implications. Each episode of DC EKG aims to demystify the policies shaping our healthcare system, uncovering how these changes impact patients, providers, and payers across the country. New episodes drop every Monday.
Episodes
August 24, 2025 • 55 mins
Join host Joe Grogan for an exclusive masterclass with Dr. Robert Burns, James Joo-Jin Kim Professor of Health Care Management at the Wharton School. A nationally recognized expert on the U.S. healthcare system, Dr. Burns unpacks the complex forces driving healthcare costs.
With a background in sociology, anthropology, and decades of research, Dr. Burns reveals why so many healthcare reforms fail, what policymakers and business l...
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August 13, 2025 • 56 mins
Critics have been quick to attack the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), but how much of what you’ve heard is true? In this episode, Joe Grogan sits down with Brian Blase to set the record straight on the bill’s health policy reforms and why they matter. From Medicaid funding changes to the role of provider taxes, Brian and Joe break down the bill’s impact, debunk common myths, and explore what’s next for U.S. healthcare policy. They ...
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August 4, 2025 • 53 mins
In this episode of DC EKG, Joe Grogan sits down with Sean Spicer, former White House Press Secretary and host of The Sean Spicer Show. Spicer shares his experiences from working in various political roles, his thoughts on Republican strategies for the midterms, and the challenges of communicating healthcare policies. The discussion also delves into the differences between legacy media and new media, highlighting the need for self-...
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August 4, 2025 • 59 mins
Stephen Parente, former White House Chief Economist for Health Policy and current Minnesota Insurance Industry Chair of Health Finance and Associate Dean at the Carlson School of Management, joins host Joe Grogan to discuss the state of healthcare transparency. They dive into the pros and cons of price transparency, the impact of the No Surprises Act, challenges for insurers and providers, and what transparency means for healthcare...
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July 21, 2025 • 59 mins
In this episode of DC EKG, host Joe Grogan sits down with Dan Troy, former Chief Counsel of the FDA and a nationally recognized expert on healthcare law and the First Amendment. They explore Troy’s unique journey from free speech litigator to one of the FDA’s top legal voices, examining how the agency regulates what drugmakers, doctors, and companies are allowed to say—and what they’re not. The conversation dives into the legal bou...
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June 10, 2025 • 58 mins
In this episode, Michael F. Cannon, the Cato Institute’s Director of Health Policy Studies, dives into the policy decisions that shaped Medicare and fundamentally distorted the U.S. health insurance market. From how tax incentives nudged Americans into employer-sponsored plans to the unintended consequences that left many seniors uninsured, Cannon breaks down the government’s role in creating systemic challenges in health care. He ...
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May 23, 2025 • 46 mins
In this conversation, Joe Grogan interviews Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and current president of the Center for Medicine and the Public Interest. They discuss the role of FDA advisory committees, the importance of transparency in regulatory processes, and the intersection of vaccination and nutrition in public health. Pitts emphasizes the need for better dosing guidelines for obese patients and the significance...
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May 14, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode of DC EKG, host Joe Grogan interviews historian and political veteran Tevi Troy about the complex relationship between U.S. presidents and powerful industries. They discuss themes from his book The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry and his op-ed In Defense of Big Pharma. The conversation explores why pharmaceutical companies are often political targets and the i...
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April 18, 2025 • 45 mins
Joe Grogan sits down with Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio, a neurosurgeon and health policy researcher, for a wide-ranging conversation on the challenges facing America’s healthcare system. Drawing on his experience at a safety net hospital, Dr. DiGiorgio discusses the realities of trauma care, including the treatment of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and the systemic issues within Medicaid that hinder access and quality of care. ...
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April 7, 2025 • 60 mins
In this episode of DC EKG, policy expert Ryan Long unpacks the tangled evolution of the 340B program—from its origins in the early 1990s to its explosive, unintended role in today’s healthcare market. Originally designed to help hospitals serving the uninsured access affordable drugs, 340B has morphed into a tool for profit, driving hospital consolidation, inflating costs, and straining the biotech innovation ecosystem. Ryan explai...
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April 6, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode of DC EKG, host Joe Grogan speaks with Kelly Cleary, a partner at Akin Law, about her career in healthcare regulatory law and her experience at HHS. They discuss the recent repeal of the Richardson waiver, its historical significance, and implications for healthcare policy and regulation. The conversation also touches on the end of Chevron deference and its potential impact on agency regulations, as well as personal...
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March 21, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode of DC EKG, host Joe Grogan sits down with Dr. Brian J. Miller to dissect the critical barriers slowing medical innovation in the United States. Together, they unpack the notorious "Valley of Death"—the daunting gap between FDA approval and Medicare coverage that delays patient access to groundbreaking treatments and technologies, often by an average of 5.7 years. Dr. Miller shares his insights on how outdated regula...
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March 4, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode, Joe Grogan and Brian Blase dive into the current state of Medicaid, exploring the urgent need for reforms to tackle inefficiencies, improper payments, and discriminatory reimbursement rates. Blase discusses the challenges stemming from the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how it has impacted traditional enrollees. The conversation also uncovers the troubling issue of Medicaid money launder...
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February 13, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode, Joe Grogan and Sally Pipes dive into the future of U.S. healthcare policy, discussing potential reforms under a second Trump administration. They explore executive orders, Medicaid challenges, and the flaws in Canada’s healthcare system. The conversation also tackles a provocative question: Could Canada ever become the 51st state? Sally breaks down the political, economic, and healthcare implications of such a shif...
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February 4, 2025 • 49 mins
In this episode, Joe Grogan speaks with Professor Josh Rauh about the ongoing pension crisis in the United States, focusing on the inefficiencies of government pension systems and the impact on taxpayers. They explore the history of government pensions, the shift from defined benefit plans to 401(k) plans, and the alarming statistics of underfunded pensions in major cities like Chicago. The conversation also delves into potential b...
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January 21, 2025 • 46 mins
In this episode, Joe Grogan sits down with Vance Ginn, an economist and host of the Let People Prosper podcast, to dive into healthcare reform, economic policy, and the power of state-level innovation. Vance shares his inspiring journey from his humble beginnings to his role as Chief Economist at the Office of Management and Budget. He discusses his work with think tanks, the challenges of federal spending, and the need for a marke...
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January 15, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode, Joe Grogan speaks with Dr. Anthony Lo Sasso, a health economics expert, about the complexities of health insurance, healthcare access, and the role of employers in the healthcare system. They discuss the evolution of health economics, the misconceptions surrounding health insurance, and how these misunderstandings impact health outcomes. The conversation also covers the implications of employer-sponsored insurance ...
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In this episode of DC EKG, Joe Grogan is joined by Kat McDavitt and Lisa Bari, hosts of the Health Tech Talk Show, to discuss the broader challenges and opportunities surrounding healthcare data interoperability. They explore the critical role of CMS, state data infrastructure, and private sector efforts in improving data movement across healthcare systems. The conversation emphasizes the need for policy changes, innovation, and be...
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December 30, 2024 • 40 mins
In this conversation, Dr. Joel Zinberg discusses the complex relationship between health insurance and health outcomes, arguing that while insurance provides financial security, it does not significantly improve measurable health outcomes. He critiques the focus on government insurance programs like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, highlighting issues with access to care and the effectiveness of preventive measures. The discus...
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November 29, 2024 • 53 mins
In this insightful episode of DC EKG, Dr. Robert Redfield, former CDC Director, discusses the critical issues facing America's public health system. He advocates for vaccine transparency, individual choice, and reflects on the failures of the COVID vaccine rollout. Redfield calls for a holistic approach to public health, focusing on obesity, mental health, and addiction as key priorities. He stresses the need for a biosecure health...
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