Season 14 • Episode 1108

U.S. Healthcare Failures: Is Neoliberalism to Blame?

Sep 21, 2026

18:29

Episode Description

About this episode:

A new book argues that a wave of Reagan-era policies grounded in limited government intervention in the free market has given way to deregulation and corporate consolidation in healthcare, driving up costs and yielding poor health outcomes. In this episode: John McDonough, author of "America's Wrong Turn: U.S. Healthcare in the Neoliberal Era," walks through the pivotal policies of past political eras and provides his insights on where the country is headed next.

Guest:

John McDonough, DrPH, MPA, is a health policy expert, author, and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

America's Wrong Turn: U.S. Healthcare in the Neoliberal Era—Johns Hopkins University Press (book)
Why Are Americans Dying So Much Earlier Than Some Of Their Counterparts?—Public Health On Call (January 2025)

Transcript information:

Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. You can also email PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu to request a transcript.

AI disclosure (as of September 2026):

The conversations you hear on the podcast are happening between real humans, and real humans are developing and researching episodes behind the scenes. In addition to real human audio engineers, Public Health On Call uses AI production tools to assist with the removal of filler words and improve audio quality. If you have any questions about our use of AI, please reach out to PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu.

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website.