Governor Michael Leavitt

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with former Utah Governor Michael Leavitt, who was also Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush. Governor Leavitt, founder of the health consulting firm Leavitt Partners, discusses how they are advising state and local governments as well as corporations to navigate the dramatic changes underway in the health care industry.

Michael Botticelli, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Michael Botticelli, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House. The nation's "Drug Czar" talks about ONDCP's quest to battle the rising tide of opioid addiction and overdoses, now the leading cause of accidental death in America, by targeting resources towards more effective treatments and interventions.

Trump Transition Adviser Michael Leavitt Addresses Future of Affordable Care Act

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Michael Leavitt, an advisor to President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush. They discuss anticipated changes in health policy under the new administration including the future of the Affordable Care Act, the role of community health centers, and the need for bipartisan cooperation.

Americares CEO Michael Nyenhuis on the Relief Agency's Recovery Efforts in Hurricane-Ravaged Regions

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Michael J. Nyenhuis, CEO of the international relief agency Americares, whose focus is to support the health care infrastructure in war-torn and storm-ravaged regions of the world. Mr. Nyenhuis speaks about their efforts underway in Peurto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Texas and other areas hit by recent hurricanes, and their ongoing efforts to support primary care in underserved parts of the world.

Leading Cancer Researcher Dr. Michael Caligiuri On Coming Breakthroughs in Cancer Therapies

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Michael Caligiuri, President of the American Association for Cancer Research representing 37 thousand cancer researchers worldwide. Dr. Caligiuri is also Director of the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center and discusses breakthroughs in genomics, immunotherapy and prevention that are powerful weapons in the war on cancer.

COVID 19: We’re in the Second Inning - According to Noted Epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Michael Osterholm, world-renowned epidemiologist, pandemic expert and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease, Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. The author of The Deadliest Enemy: Our War with Killer Germs, Dr Osterholm has warned for years of the likelihood of a pandemic such as COVID-19.He extols the need for ongoing measures to protect the public health and front line health care workers through mask use, social distancing and tests, and the herculean scientific efforts to produce treatments and a vaccine.

Biden COVID Task Force Member Michael Osterholm on Vaccine Perils and Promise

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome Dr. Michael Osterholm, newly appointed member of President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 Task Force. Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, the renowned epidemiologist warns of dark days ahead as pandemic cases surge across America, but also sees great promise with the coming vaccines. Distribution, vaccine hesitancy and public skepticism will remain big hurdles.

Dr. Michael Osterholm Says Variants Will Cause More Havoc

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Michael Osterholm, renowned pandemic expert and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Policy and Research (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. A recent advisor to President Biden’s transition team, Dr. Osterholm warns of another COVID-19 surge on the horizon as the more contagious UK variant, which is causing more lockdowns across Europe, is becoming the dominant strain in the US. He says vaccination rates must be accelerated, and that more equitable distribution of vaccines around the world will be the only way to get the pandemic under control.

US COVID Response Has Failed By Not Scaling Up Home Testing: Harvard’s Michael Mina on Rapid Tests as Best Chance to Contain Outbreaks

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Michael Mina, Epidemiologist and member of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard where they are taking a multi-disciplinary approach to tackling the ongoing pandemic. Dr. Mina has long been a proponent of making cheap, rapid, at-home COVID tests available to all Americans as a much more effective way to curtail the pandemic’s spread. He says these tests which have been deployed successfully in other countries, are almost 100 per cent effective in identifying potential infectious ‘super-spreaders’, and that government should classify them as a public health, not a medical, tool to allow for more swift production and deployment. He also discusses their efforts to build a global surveillance system for future disease outbreaks.

Dr. Michael Osterholm says COVID's Not Done with Us: Talks Omicron Surge, Future Variants and Building Better Vaccines

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome renowned epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, who has served 5 presidential administrations in preparing for pandemics and bio-terror threats. Dr. Osterholm says the highly infectious omicron variant will continue to threaten hospital systems, schools and supply chains, warning the threat of future variants that may evade immunity is still a very real concern. He predicts that a combination of improved vaccines and new therapeutics will render COVID more manageable in the future, but that we will have to learn to 'live with it'.

Biden COVID Advisor Urges Greater Paxlovid Use: ‘People Have Died Unnecessarily’

Paxlovid is an oral antiviral pill to treat COVID; data show it reduces serious illness, hospitalization and cases of Long COVID.

That’s why Michael Osterholm, Ph.D. wants more doctors to prescribe it. He serves as a White House advisor and is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

He says, “People have died unnecessarily because they were unable to get Paxlovid when they could have and should have.”

This compelling conversation with hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter is available now.

Egg Prices Up: Hear From Experts About Why

$4.95 — that’s the record high price of a dozen of Grade A eggs in U.S. cities. Michael Osterholm, Ph.D., the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, says expect them to go even higher.

That’s because H5N1, a form of bird flu, has affected more than 156 million commercial, backyard and wild birds in the United States in the last three years.

Osterholm, with nearly 50 years of experience investigating infectious disease outbreaks, emphasizes the urgent need for improved pandemic preparedness. “It’s not a question of if, but when the next major outbreak will happen. Whether it’s a more contagious strain of COVID-19, the bird flu or a completely new virus, we need systems in place now to protect public health and save lives.”

He joins Apoorva Mandavilli, the science and global health reporter with The New York Times, to explore the critical lessons learned from COVID-19 and what must be done to prepare for future public health threats. “Bird flu may seem like a distant problem, but the global nature of infectious diseases means we’re all connected,” Mandavilli says. She also notes that public trust plays a crucial role in mitigating future pandemics. “Without transparency and clear communication, public health measures are far less effective.”

Conversations on Health Care hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter also ask them how public health agencies must adapt, improve transparency and build global cooperation to combat future outbreaks.

'If Ryan Reynolds doesn’t get you to do it…’: Colorectal Cancer Alliance CEO talks screening

Roughly 85% of respondents to a survey cited by Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, say they would rather do their taxes than get a colonoscopy.

“We need to do a better job of talking to the public about the barriers,” Sapienza tells "Conversations on Health Care" hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter.

Sapienza, whose mother died of the disease at age 58, says people may be less than excited to do the preparation, or colon cleanout, necessary for a screening. Or that they don’t want the hassle of taking time off from work. But he emphasized that 45 is the recommended age that people begin getting regular screenings for polyps that, at some point, could develop into cancer.

“45 is the new 50," says Sapienza, whose alliance was instrumental in lowering the recommended screening age and, in 2022, recruited actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to have their colon screenings filmed.

RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Fight: ‘Threat to Good Public Health’

Supporters say Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is fulfilling his vision to be “pro-safety,” not anti-vaccine. His recent actions have included restricting COVID eligibility, dissolving expert panels, installing skeptical voices and defunding mRNA development. 

Michael Osterholm, Ph.D., director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, is pushing back and says, “I've never in my 50 years in public health experienced anything like this in terms of the threat to good public health.” 

Dr. Michelle Gourdine, physician, author and health policy consultant.

This week on Conversations on Health Care®, Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Michelle Gourdine about the individual, cultural and social factors that have led to poor health outcomes among African Americans. She'll discuss how everything from lifestyle advice to understanding how to navigate the healthcare system is important to bridge this gap in health status.

All of Your Health Information Is Now a Right Not a Privilege - ONC Head Tells Us More

As of October 6, 2022, all health care organizations in the United States are legally required to give patients unrestricted access to all their health records in a digital format.

Micky Tripathi, Ph.D., National Coordinator for Health IT at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, is excited about this change and its ability to empower patients. Yet the free flow of data also poses security risks. He tells hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter what protections Americans can take and the incredible opportunities health IT offers us during this time of medical challenges.

US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Politics, Pandemic Fatigue and Keeping Kids Safe in School

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome US Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona, who discusses the Biden administration’s efforts to contain the pandemic’s impact while keeping students and teachers safe in school. He laments the influence of politics on the proven public health practices to prevent spread of the disease which includes mask wearing and widespread vaccinations. He says this pandemic has revealed the importance of providing medical and behavioral care in school-based health clinics. He also applauds First Lady Jill Biden’s thoughtful advice on education policy as a veteran of the education system.

From Hurricane Harvey to Health Reform, Mike Consedine, CEO of National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Talks Challenges and Opportunities

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Mike Consedine, CEO of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners who regulate insurance matters in all fifty States. Mr. Consedine points to Hurricane Harvey as a solid reminder of the need for Congress to renew the National Flood Insurance Program, and talks about challenges Insurance Commissioners are facing in in light of uncertainty over health policy in Washington. He also addresses coming technology trends and cyber security threats to the industry.

Mildred Thompson, deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, discusses childhood obesity and the campaign to fight it.

Conversations on Health Care® focuses this week on the crucial topic of childhood obesity. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Mildred Thompson, deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, about fostering a healthy environment to reverse this trend and the challenges and goals that go with it.

Abortion Rights Leader Rejects Calls to “Ignore” Judge’s Ruling

A federal judge’s decision to revoke the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone has led some politicians to ask the Biden Administration not to enforce the ruling. Yet NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju, who’s in close contact with the White House, tells “Conversations on Health Care” that’s not the right move. “I think calls for the FDA not to comply, while you know emotionally satisfying, are not actually helpful in a litigation strategy. And our goal is for the FDA and the DOJ to prevail in this case. The ruling…is riddled with serious disinformation.”

Timmaraju explains how the Supreme Court could hear the case by the end of this week and how this judge’s opinion could have an even bigger impact on the entire health care sector. Her interview with Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter is online now.