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Will the Medicare ACCESS Model Spark the Next Health Tech Gold Rush? May 29, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Delivered weekly from David Lim, Semafor Healthcare connects the dots between decisions in government, business, and technology to reveal how they impact the future of healthcare. Each edition will provide the analysis you need to understand and stay ahead of a rapidly changing landscape. Subscribe for free.

Health Affairs Publishing’s Jeff Byers welcomes Andrew Rundle of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health to the pod to discuss his recent Forefront article about Medicare’s upcoming ACCESS model and its potential to expand digital health for chronic disease management.They discuss why the program could spur rapid growth in health tech while highlighting key challenges, including serving an older population with varying degrees of digital literacy and adapting to a new, evidence-driven marketplace.

Related Links:

The ACCESS Model May Set Off A Health Tech Gold Rush, But New Markets Bring Serious Obstacles (Health Affairs Forefront)
A deeper dive into the ACCESS Model—Who’s participating, potential headwinds and how it could spur health plan adoption (Fierce Healthcare)
ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model (CMS)
ACCESS Model Accepted Applicants (CMS)

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Policy Changes Reshaping Family Caregiving May 27, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Welcome to a new, limited podcast series exploring major policy changes affecting older adults. This episode is part of our Age-Friendly Health series, which explores topics at the intersection of aging, health, health care, and health policy.

In our third and final episode for the series in 2026, host Katherine Ornstein welcomes Alison Barkoff of George Washington University to the program to discuss the rising economic and social importance of family caregiving, recent federal policy shifts affecting Medicaid and caregiver programs, and new interventions at the state and private‑sector levels.

Support for the Age-Friendly Health series is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

Related Links:

Reflections On Caregiving Policy: Progress, Challenges, And Opportunities (Health Affairs Forefront)
History Repeats? Faced With Medicaid Cuts, States Reduced Support For Older Adults And Disabled People (Health Affairs Forefront)
Long Term Services and Supports Initiative
National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
Nation Alliance for Caregiving's Caregiver Nation Coalition

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Why Teens Are Turning to AI for Mental Health | Caroline Figueroa May 22, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of youth mental health challenges, including suicide and self-harm. Listener discretion is advised.

Health Affairs Publishing’s Kathleen Haddad welcomes Caroline Figueroa of Stanford University to the pod to discuss how teens are using AI chatbots for mental health support and the factors driving that use, including access and stigma. It also discusses emerging concerns and potential approaches to improving safety, design, and oversight of these tools.

Join us on June 23 for an exclusive Insider virtual event examining how antitrust policy in health care is evolving at both the federal and state levels, featuring insights from Katherine Gudiksen, Leemore Dafny, and Nathan Hostert.

Also, learn more about the upcoming AcademyHealth 2026 Annual Research Meeting from May 30 to June 2 featuring Caroline Figueroa as part of the panel, A Responsible Approach to AI Innovation to Support the Mental Health of Young People.

How the Healthcare Workforce Is Responding to New Aging Policies | Age-Friendly Health Series May 20, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

In our second episode, host Katherine Ornstein welcomes Bianca Frogner, director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Washington to discuss the role of direct care workers in long‑term care, workforce shortages, policy shifts affecting Medicaid, immigration, labor standards, and more.

Support for the Age-Friendly Health series is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

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Abortion Access In The High Court, Again | Katie Keith May 15, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs Publishing’s Jeff Byers welcomes Georgetown University’s Katie Keith and Deputy Editor Chris Fleming back to the podcast to unpack a new court case over mifepristone that could alter telehealth access to medication abortion and test the boundaries of FDA authority.

Related Links:

Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Ruling Barring Telehealth And Pharmacy Access To Mifepristone (Health Affairs Forefront)
The US Food and Drug Administration’s Regulation of Mifepristone (JAMA)

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How the One Big Beautiful Bill Changes Medicaid for Older Adults and State Health Policy May 13, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Welcome to the first episode in a new, limited podcast series exploring major policy changes affecting older adults. The episode is part of our Age-Friendly Health series, which explores topics at the intersection of aging, health, health care, and health policy.

In our first episode, host Katherine Ornstein welcomes Hemi Tewarson of the National Academy for State Health Policy how the The Big Beautiful Bill will impact Medicaid and state health policies affecting older adults. Their conversation explores work requirements, Medicaid financing changes, rural health investments, the sustainability of age‑friendly services, and more.

Support for the Age-Friendly Health series is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

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When Screening Guidelines Shift: Impacts on Healthcare Access & Use May 08, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Duke University School of Medicine's Mike Pignone to the pod to explore the new cholesterol screening guidelines, how evolving screening and treatment guidelines (including colon cancer and breast cancer screening guidelines) influence care, and the broader cost implications for the health system.

Join Health Affairs Publishing on May 13 for an exclusive Insider virtual event exploring individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements (ICHRAs) with Urban Institute’s Jason Levitis.

Related Articles:

Generic cholesterol drugs save Medicare billions of dollars, study finds (UT Southwestern Medical Center)
Trends in Utilization and Cost of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol–Lowering Therapies Among Medicare Beneficiaries (JAMA)
A cholesterol test you've never heard of is now recommended to prevent heart disease (NPR)
ACC/American Heart Association Issue Updated Guideline for Managing Lipids, Cholesterol (American Heart Association)

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Healthcare Price Transparency 2.0: Proposed Federal Updates Explained May 01, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Stacey Pogue of Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy about her recent Forefront article examining proposed updates to health plan price transparency rules, focusing on efforts to improve data usability and the ongoing challenges in making healthcare costs more accessible and actionable.

Taking Stock Of Proposed Updates To Health Plan Price Transparency Rules (Health Affairs Forefront)

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New Prior Authorization Proposals: Implications for Prescription Drug Access Apr 24, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Michael Gerber back to the pod to discuss recent federal action on prior authorization, including CMS’s proposal to expand response-time requirements to prescription drugs. The conversation also covers insurer efforts to reduce prior auth volume, the promise of AI and prior authorization, and what increased transparency could reveal about costs.

To learn more, check out our recent Insider trend report on the current prior authorization landscape. And if you haven't already, join Insider today to get access to exclusive events, newsletters, cheat sheets, and reports.

Related Links:

CMS proposes new deadlines for prior authorizations for drugs (Healthcare Dive)
2026 CMS Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs Proposed Rule (CMS)
A Rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on 02/08/2024 (Federal Register)
Health Plans Reduce Prior Authorization, Support Continuity of Care and Enhanced Consumer Communications (Blue Cross Blue Shield)
AI speeds up prior auth, coding while driving higher costs for health systems: PHTI report (Fierce Healthcare)

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The FY 2027 HHS Budget Proposal: Changes, Cuts, and Investments Apr 17, 2026

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This episode is brought to you by Semafor Healthcare.

Health Affairs Publishing's Jeff Byers welcomes Deputy Editor Jessica Bylander back to the pod to explore the White House’s proposed FY 2027 HHS budget, outlining major cuts to health agencies and research programs and the emphasized investment on the Make America Healthy Again initiative.

Related Links:

Celebrating Big Wins of the Trump Administration (HHS)
President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Proposal Released (NAWDP)
White House seeks 12% cut to HHS in 2027 (Healthcare Dive)

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