Dean Baker breaks down Medicare Advantage with experts Emma Curchin and Brandon Novick. They expose the marketing tricks, bureaucratic roadblocks, and hidden costs that trap beneficiaries. Essential viewing for anyone navigating Medicare or advocating for healthcare reform.

Dean Baker sits down with renowned economist Richard Freeman to explore the multifaceted role of unions-not only in securing higher wages and better working conditions, but also in empowering workers with a collective voice and boosting workplace productivity. The conversation also delves into the recent wave of unionization among graduate students and post-docs, highlighting the broader implications for the academic workforce.

In this conversation, Dean Baker and Nick Bloom discuss the evolution and current state of remote work, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic. They explore the significant increase in remote work, the productivity implications, and the hybrid work model's benefits and challenges.

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Dean Baker speaks with renowned economist Isabella Weber about her influential concept of "sellers' inflation," which examines how firms with market power drive price increases during supply bottlenecks. Weber, an Associate Professor at UMass Amherst, shares her expertise on U.S.-China trade tensions and reflects on the evolution of academic responses to her once-controversial price control proposals.

Social Security has lifted millions of seniors out of poverty, but it's under attack. In our latest episode, Dean Baker sits down with Nancy Altman, who's spent 50 years defending this critical program. Nancy cuts through the political noise to reveal what's really happening: how interference in the Social Security Administration puts our data at risk, why the system is actually incredibly efficient, and how fraud claims are being weaponized to undermine public trust. This isn't just about retirees. Social Security affects every working American, and the threats Nancy and Dean discuss could impact your future benefits. They make the case for why we need to strengthen - not weaken - this essential safety net.

In this episode, we are talking about the tipped minimum wage with Dr. Sylvia Allegretto, CEPR Senior Economist. unpacks the little-known but widespread practice of paying tipped workers a sub-minimum wage—just $2.13 an hour at the federal level since 1991. Dean and Sylvia discuss how this "tip credit" system effectively shifts much of the wage burden from employers to customers, enables wage theft, and leaves millions of workers vulnerable, while highlighting policy solutions and the need for reform.

Today's episode looks at the inefficiencies and inequities of the current U.S. healthcare system, highlighting the administrative waste and barriers to care created by private insurance, and explore how a single-payer system could deliver universal coverage, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes. The conversation also addresses the political and economic pathways to achieving Medicare for All, including the potential for major savings on prescription drugs and the feasibility of financing universal healthcare through a reallocation of current spending and targeted tax reforms.

Dean Baker talks with healthcare journalist Jonathan Cohn about the historic assault on Medicaid at the heart of the 2025 budget bill. The proposed legislation would slash hundreds of billions in federal funding for essential healthcare programs. They discuss how "work requirements" create bureaucratic traps rather than jobs, while revealing the cynical strategy to delay the harshest cuts until 2029. The Affordable Care Act has transformed healthcare access, giving workers newfound freedom and security. Now, the ACA is also on the chopping block.