American Wonk is the signature podcast of FREOPP, the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. On the show, FREOPP President Avik Roy explores the most important national issues of our time—like the economy, health care, technology, pandemics, and the Supreme Court—with the experts and political leaders who know them best.
Analytics and Outcomes explores innovative healthcare technologies and their breakthrough insights.
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65. COVID in 19: Who’s to Thank for the Coronavirus Vaccine?
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity talk about why the vaccines are not a vindication of Big Pharma, but of small, innovative biotech startups. Also, who's first in line to get the vaccine? And what about the people who don't want to take it? Join the convers…
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64. COVID in 19: Everything You Need to Know About the New Vaccine
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity talk about this week's vaccine news from Pfizer and Biontech. How good is the data? Are more vaccines on the horizon? Will Joe Biden strive to distribute vaccines around the world or prioritize Americans? Join the conversat…
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63. COVID in 19: World Health Organization Acknowledges Consequences to Lockdowns
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about the World Health Organization's new guidance that lockdowns are bad. What took them so long? And with the holidays coming up, Avik explains why his kids will be trick or treating and why he's even looking forward to seeing his relatives. Join the convers…
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62. Ilya Shapiro on the Politics of the Supreme Court
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On today's episode of American Wonk, FREOPP's Avik Roy talks with Ilya Shapiro, author of "Supreme Disorder," a new book on the politics of the Supreme Court. They talk about Amy Coney Barrett and ask: what have conservatives gotten right and wrong in their quest to change how the Supreme Court thinks about the Constitution? Supreme Disorder: Judic…
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61. COVID in 19: President Trump Recovers from the Virus
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about President Trump's recovery from the virus. What really happened, and what do we need to know about the new treatments that Trump has taken? Join the conversation and comment on this podcast episode: https://ricochet.com/podcast/american-wonk/covid-in-19-…
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60. COVID in 19: The Mismanagement of Data
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Avik's congressional testimony on data and COVID-19. Why haven't we been better at measuring deaths in nursing homes? Why are so many lab tests coming back with false positive results, and what can we do about it? Join the conversation and comment on thi…
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59. Robert Bryce and Jim Cooper: The Sierra Club and Environmental Racism
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On today's episode of Power Hungry, FREOPP Visiting Fellow Robert Bryce talks to California Assemblyman Jim Cooper, a Democrat, about a letter he wrote accusing the Sierra Club of fueling environmental racism. What's going wrong with energy policy in California? Join the conversation and comment on this podcast episode: https://ricochet.com/podcast…
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58. COVID in 19: Biden Claims that Trump is Responsible for 200,000 Deaths
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Joe Biden's claim that Trump is responsible for all 200,000 COVID deaths in America. Also, how should we think about COVID's impact on different ethnic groups? And how would the rollout of a vaccine actually work? The World Index of Healthcare Innovation…
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57. COVID in 19: YouTube Takes Down Interview with Trump Advisor Scott Atlas
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Atlas-gate, the decision of Youtube to censor an interview that Trump coronavirus advisor and Stanford professor Scott Atlas did with the Hoover Institution. What was Youtube thinking? Join the conversation and comment on this podcast episode: https://ri…
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56. Robert Bryce and Michael Shellenberger: Why Nuclear Energy is the Path Forward to Reducing Carbon Emissions
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On today's episode of Power Hungry, FREOPP Visiting Fellow Robert Bryce talks to Michael Shellenberger, founder of Environmental Progress, about his new book Apocalypse Never. Is nuclear power our best hope for reducing carbon emissions? They discuss that and more! http://robertbryce.com/ https://environmentalprogress.org/ https://freopp.org/ Join …
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55. COVID in 19: Why Did Trump Downplay the Pandemic Early On?
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Los Angeles cancelling and then de-cancelling Halloween, and also the claim that a motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to a massive COVID outbreak. Also, why did Trump downplay the pandemic early on? Join the conversation and comment on this podcast epi…
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54. COVID in 19: Should You Believe Your Positive COVID Test?
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk Nancy Pelosi's hair salon crime spree. They also discuss a fascinating New York Times report suggesting as many as 70% of people testing positive under PCR tests for COVID are actually negative. Email covidin19@ricochet.com with your questions, and we'll answe…
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53. COVID in 19: Is the CDC Overcounting or Undercounting Deaths?
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk CDC conspiracy theories: are we overcounting or undercounting the number of COVID deaths in the US? And why has the CDC stopped recommending testing for people with no symptoms? Email covidin19@ricochet.com with your questions, and we'll answer them on the air…
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52. COVID in 19: California’s Testing Debacle
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On today's episode of COVD in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk about the California data debacle: why is it so hard for the tech capital of the world to accurately report its COVID statistics? Will encouraging news on the testing front solve all our problems? Email covidin19@ricochet.com with your questions, and we'll answ…
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51. COVID in 19: What Does Science Say About the Value of Lockdowns?
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk about Day 1 of the Republican National Convention. Joe Biden says that if cases rise again, he would support another shutdown. But what does the science really say about the value of lockdowns? Have a question about the coronavirus or reopening plans? Email co…
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50. COVID in 19: Biden Calls for National Mask Mandate
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk about Biden's acceptance speech at the Democratic convention. can the federal government force every American to wear a mask? Should you go see Christopher Nolan's new blockbuster move in a theater? We discuss that and more in under 19 minutes. Join the conver…
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49. COVID in 19: Scott Atlas Joins Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet talk about the latest COVID stats -- why is California, a lockdown state, seeing a rise in cases while Texas declines? Why are Democrats mad about President Trump tapping Scott Atlas for his Coronavirus Task Force? Catch Scott Atlas on the Uncommon Knowledge podcas…
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48. Robert Bryce on How to Reduce Energy Costs for All Americans
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On today's episode of American Wonk, Avik Roy talks to FREOPP Visiting Fellow Robert Bryce about juice. No, not apple juice, but the juice that powers our smartphones, our homes, and our cars. Can we keep energy affordable for all Americans while reducing carbon emissions? Listen to find out. Watch Bryce's new documentary, "Juice: How Electricity E…
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47. COVID in 19: Can the College Football Season be Saved?
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Scott Immergut of Ricochet and Avik Roy of FREOPP talk about Avik's Saturday Essay in the Wall Street Journal on school reopenings, what can we learn from the European experience. Also, can the college football season be saved? Will anyone listen to the players? Join the conversation and comment on this podcast ep…
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46. COVID in 19: Is the Media Coverage Biased?
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On today's episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy of FREOPP and Scott Immergut of Ricochet ask: why does the media only focus on bad news? You wouldn't know from the headlines that COVID-19 cases have been declining all over the country. Is it a relentless chase for clicks? Does Trump get a fair shake? Let's discuss. Join the conversation and comment on …
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45. COVID in 19: Europe and Australia Brace for a “Second Wave?”
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Melbourne, Australia has issued new lockdown restrictions for the next six weeks, including: a curfew between 8pm-5am, residents cannot travel further than 5km from their own home, are only permitted to be outside for one hour a day, cannot go to the supermarket in twos, cannot invite visitors to their home, and cannot go to someone else's home unl…
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44. COVID in 19: What is Herd Immunity and Can We Achieve It?
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The latest COVID-19 data out of Sweden suggests that not only is the country approaching zero deaths on a daily basis, they are also approaching zero new cases. Has Sweden reached herd immunity, and if so, how long until we do so here in the U.S.? Avik Roy of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity and Scott Immergut of Ricochet discuss th…
On today's episode of COVID in 19, Avik Roy and Scott Immergut discuss the "Sweden theory," which is that one-size-fits-all lockdowns are futile because the moment they are lifted, cases start to come back. But how long will it take for Sweden to reach herd immunity with this strategy? This past week, baseball made its debut in the U.S., as more th…
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42. COVID in 19: CDC Issues New Guidance on Reopening Schools
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Today, Scott Gottlieb, former FDA Commissioner under the Trump administration, tweeted that "to safely return kids to in-class learning, schools will need detailed guidance on reducing COVID risk. They may have to look elsewhere, to state documents as well as foreign public health authorities that issued detailed, science driven guidance." Yet, thi…
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41. COVID in 19: How Close Are We to a Vaccine?
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Today, pharmaceutical company Pfizer and biotech firm BioNTech announced that the U.S. government will award the companies nearly $2 billion to produce their COVID-19 vaccine if it proves to be safe and effective. The contract will account for 600 million doses of the vaccine, with the first 100 million promised by the end of 2020. But how confiden…
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Analytics & Outcomes Podcast


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A Faster Horse or A Car: AI/ML's Role in Impacting Affordability
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Learn how BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Cambia, HealthNow, and Kaiser Permanente are utilizing analytics to impact their member population, manage COVID-19, and improve member outcomes. Our esteemed panel of senior executives will walk through specific use cases to demonstrate how their are organizations are leveraging AI/ML to impact healthca…
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Episode 6: Finding Answers to Real-World Healthcare Questions Faster with Pragmatic Research
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In this episode, Eric Grossman, CEO of NextHealth, interviews Dr. Scott Halpern on how healthcare is changing so that we know what works faster. While there’s more certainty with healthcare interventions that take place in controlled circumstances, insurers and employers want answers to real-world questions. With Pragmatic Randomized Trials and oth…
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Episode 5: Building a high performance test and learn culture
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In Episode 5, Kristy Cunningham, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Insights, McDonald's USA details her journey building a data-driven test and learn culture at McDonald's USA. Kristy discusses specific examples of how testing can improve how large companies approach risk along with recommendations for how healthcare companies can use measurement a…
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Episode 4: Consumer-Centric Healthcare: A Conversation with Avik Roy | Avik Roy, The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity
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In Episode 4 of the Analytics & Outcomes podcast, NextHealth Technologies CEO, Eric Grossman, interviews Avik Roy, President of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. Avik assesses the current state of healthcare, and provides his vision for empowering consumers to make their best healthcare decisions. Note: The views and opinions expres…
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Episode 3: Using Data and Analytics to Drive Outcomes in Colorado | Sue Birch, Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing
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Sue Birch is the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing, otherwise known as “HCPF”. HCPF has a budget of roughly $9 billion dollars and is the single state agency administering Colorado Medicaid and the Child Health Plan Plus Program. In this episode, Sue speaks about Medicaid expansion and how her agency h…
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Episode 2: Nudging Your Way to Better Outcomes and Value | Allison Young, BCBS of Louisiana
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Allison Young is the Senior Vice President of the Benefits Administration division of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, the state's oldest and largest health plan benefit company. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana currently provides health insurance to over one and a half million members. In this episode, Allison speaks with Eric Grossman, CEO…
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Episode 1: No Regrets Analytics Investments | Sherri Zink, BCBS Tennessee
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Sherri Zink is the Senior Vice President and Chief Data Engagement Officer of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, the state’s largest health plan benefit company. In this episode, Sherri speaks with Eric Grossman, CEO of NextHealth Technologies, and explains what she considers to be “no regret analytics investments” that further the goals of driving…