Ryan Levi
ryan-levi.bsky.social
Ryan Levi
@ryan-levi.bsky.social
Reporter/producer at nonprofit health policy newsroom @tradeoffs.org.

tradeoffs.org

Tips: rlevi@tradeoffs.org
🩺 Is it safe to use #AI to help diagnose me? 🩺

@dhruvkhullar.bsky.social, a physician at @weillcornell.bsky.social and contributing writer at @newyorker.com, told @tradeoffs.org 3️⃣ key things he thinks every patient, nurse and doctor should know about AI.

tradeoffs.org/2025/10/30/s...
Should I Trust AI to Diagnose Me?
Physician and New Yorker writer Dhruv Khullar says artificial intelligence is a powerful tool to get quicker and more accurate diagnoses. But it can also be dangerous.
tradeoffs.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Come work with me @tradeoffs.org! We're looking for a reporter/producer who knows health policy and is passionate about audio storytelling.

Applications accepted through 10/19. More details and apply here: tradeoffs.org/reporter-pro...
October 7, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Ran away to Alaska right after this published so didn't have a chance to share it, but I really hope people will listen to @tradeoffs.org's deeply personal and practical interview with @nabarund.bsky.social, one of the nation's leading addiction and overdose experts.

tradeoffs.org/2025/07/31/s...
One Scientist's Mission to Change How We Prevent Overdoses
A leading addiction expert explains how he’s driven by the memory of a friend who died, and why he believes giving data on the drug supply to people on the street is more important than using it to in...
tradeoffs.org
August 13, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
Yesterday, NPR featured reporting from Tradeoffs' @ryan-levi.bsky.social and @dgorenstein.bsky.social.

They spoke with one of the nation’s top street drug scientists, who makes the case that giving people on the street real-time drug data can save more lives than shaping national policy.
npr.org NPR @npr.org · Jul 29
After Nabarun Dasgupta lost a close friend to an overdose, he dedicated himself to addiction research and trying to empower drug users with lifesaving information.
How a friend's overdose drove a leading addiction scientist to look for answers
After Nabarun Dasgupta lost a close friend to an overdose, he dedicated himself to addiction research and trying to empower drug users with lifesaving information.
n.pr
July 30, 2025 at 7:48 PM
“I feel unsafe almost everywhere."

My latest from @tradeoffs.org: a daughter and dad in AL talk about how Trump's anti-trans policies/rhetoric have affected their lives.

Plus @oriion.bsky.social explains all the anti-trans health policies coming out of Washington.

tradeoffs.org/2025/07/17/t...
What It’s Like to Be Transgender in Trump’s America
How the federal government has restricted health care access for transgender Americans, and how those shifts in policy and rhetoric are changing life for one Alabama family.
tradeoffs.org
July 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Day 1 of #AspenIdeasHealth ends with a lookback at how the ACA was made with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former HHS Secretaries Sylvia Burwell and Kathleen Sebelius.

@aspenideas.bsky.social @tradeoffs.org
June 23, 2025 at 1:43 AM
At #AspenIdeasHealth opening session, @agawande.bsky.social just made a pitch for community primary care as a way to improve health outcomes in the U.S.

@tradeoffs.org dove deep on the research, opportunities and challenges behind this model.

@aspenideas.bsky.social

tradeoffs.org/2024/06/06/n...
A New Kind of Primary Care Comes to America
A group of nurses in East Baltimore is piloting a bold plan to bring basic primary care to everybody no matter their age, income or insurance.
tradeoffs.org
June 23, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Looking forward to talking health policy and big ideas the next few days at @aspenideas.bsky.social.

If you're here too, don't be a stranger!

#AspenIdeasHealth
June 22, 2025 at 10:00 PM
"The ruling is the latest blow to transgender youth and their families, who have been fighting the Trump administration’s continuous attempts to restrict their access to care."

www.statnews.com/2025/06/18/s...
Supreme Court ruling on gender-affirming care delivers major setback for transgender rights
Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors can stand after the Supreme Court ruled that it does not constitute sex-based discrimination, in a 6-3 decision.
www.statnews.com
June 18, 2025 at 3:13 PM
As expected, the Trump administration has shut down the special suicide prevention and crisis lifeline option for LGBTQ+ young people, effective July 17.
June 18, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
It's our biggest event of the year — our annual Pride Happy Hour!

📅 Wednesday, June 18
📍 As You Are (500 8th Street SE)
⏰ 6-8 p.m.
🆓 First 15 people in the door get a free drink!

RSVP today: www.eventbrite.com/e/nlgja-dc-p...
June 15, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
Two new research papers add important data to the political debate over Medicaid in Washington, D.C., offering strong evidence that Medicaid, the public insurance program that covers more than 70 million low-income and disabled Americans, is saving people’s lives.

tradeoffs.org/2025/05/15/n...
New Studies Show How Cutting Medicaid Could Be Deadly
Two new studies inject powerful evidence into the heated Medicaid debate in Washington, showing the public insurance program is saving lives.
tradeoffs.org
June 2, 2025 at 9:32 PM
“Mental illness is not a crime” has become a rallying cry for improving the treatment of people in crisis.

@tradeoffs.org talked with journalist Lee Romney about why a few CA sheriffs are now refusing to respond to some mental health calls.

tradeoffs.org/2025/05/15/w...
What Happens When Cops Refuse to Respond to Mental Health Calls?
Why are a handful of sheriff’s departments in California refusing to respond to some 911 calls that involve a person with mental illness?
tradeoffs.org
May 15, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
Tradeoffs has earned national accolades, earning a first-place National Headliner Award and three Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.

Read more: tradeoffs.org/2025/05/06/t...

Check out the award-winning stories below 👇
Tradeoffs Honored with National Headliner and AHCJ Awards
Tradeoffs earned national recognition from the National Headliner Awards and the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism from the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ).
tradeoffs.org
May 6, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
Tradeoffs won first place from the National Headliner Awards, Digital Conversational Podcast category for “She Didn’t Want to Die. But She Didn’t Want to Suffer," by @ryan-levi.bsky.social.

tradeoffs.org/2024/02/22/m...
‘She Didn’t Want to Die. But She Didn’t Want to Suffer.’
A handful of states allow terminally ill patients to take life-ending medications. We talk with journalist Steven Petrow about his sister’s choice to use this option.
tradeoffs.org
May 6, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
Miss the conversation on bias in healthcare AI?

🎥 Catch Paige Nong, @ajh.bsky.social, and @ryan-levi.bsky.social as they unpack real-world risks—and what it takes to evaluate AI tools responsibly.

See how the experts broke it down: codex.ucsf.edu/events/codex...

@tradeoffs.org
🌟Register for CODEX's April webinar!

What happens when AI tools in hospitals carry bias? And how can we prevent it?

Join top researchers to talk about bias in health AI: what it looks like, who's testing for it, and what hospitals can do.

🗓️ April 30 | 9-10 a.m. PT
🔗 codex.ucsf.edu/events/codex...
May 1, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Work requirements are the one #Medicaid policy change most Republicans seem to agree on. But they do not have a great track record. State leaders say they've learned lessons, but critics worry millions of eligible people could lose coverage.
April 24, 2025 at 3:23 PM
ICYMI: The ACA is going back to the Supreme Court.

The case involves a provision that requires insurers to cover certain preventive care for conditions like cancer and HIV for free.

@nbagley.bsky.social breaks down the case and the implications on @tradeoffs.org ⬇️

tradeoffs.org/2025/04/17/o...
Obamacare Heads to the Supreme Court ... Again
The latest threat to the Affordable Care Act could strike down a popular provision that gives 180 million Americans access to free preventive care for conditions including HIV and cancer.
tradeoffs.org
April 17, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
🌟Register for CODEX's April webinar!

What happens when AI tools in hospitals carry bias? And how can we prevent it?

Join top researchers to talk about bias in health AI: what it looks like, who's testing for it, and what hospitals can do.

🗓️ April 30 | 9-10 a.m. PT
🔗 codex.ucsf.edu/events/codex...
April 17, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
News: Diana Greene Foster, the MacArthur-winning author of the Turnaway Study, learned her NIH grant — funding a multi-year study on Dobbs' impact — has been pulled. She was told its bc the govt won't study "gender identity."

Her work has shaped our understanding of abortion bans' consequences.
She was tracking post-Roe abortions. The government just pulled her funding.
Diana Greene Foster, who was behind the landmark Turnaway Study, wanted to study the health and economic impacts of the loss of abortion access.
19thnews.org
April 9, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Trying to make sense of the massive cuts at HSS?

@tradeoffs.org talked with the dean of DC health care reporters @julierovner.bsky.social to help put this moment in context and answer listener questions on how this could impact hospitals, states, research and more.

tradeoffs.org/2025/04/03/m...
Making Sense of Sweeping Cuts at HHS
Veteran health care reporter Julie Rovner breaks down the massive cuts and reorganization at HHS and answers listeners’ questions about what to expect next.
tradeoffs.org
April 3, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Hope to see folks tonight at @nlgjadc.bsky.social's Spring Happy Hour!

RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/e/nlgja-dc-s...
Spring Happy Hour is this Thursday 3/27 6-8 p.m. at Kiki on U Street. Come hang out and network with your fellows in queer media, including your new chapter board! (Dare I say, we're holding space for you.) RSVP today and share with your friends and colleagues! tinyurl.com/58hbrn54
March 27, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Great reporting and analysis from @melanie-evans.bsky.social on today's @tradeoffs.org!
Medicare often pays clinics owned by hospitals at least 2x the amount it pays independent clinics for the same medical care. Ending that practice would save money for taxpayers and patients, but critics say it could also push rural hospitals to cut services or close.

tradeoffs.org/2025/03/27/b...
This Budget Cut Would Save Medicare Patients Money. But Can Rural Hospitals Afford It?
Medicare often pays clinics owned by hospitals at least double the amount it pays independent clinics for the exact same medical care. Ending that practice would save money for taxpayers and patients,...
tradeoffs.org
March 27, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Ryan Levi
I talked w/@tradeoffs.org about Dr. Oz, the surgeon-turned-TV star who's poised to lead CMS: what I learned reporting on him and what we can glean from his Senate hearing.

Come for the policy, stay to hear me laugh while trying to sound professional.
tradeoffs.org/2025/03/20/m...
Medicare and Medicaid Under Dr. Oz: What to Expect
A closer look at the surgeon-turned-TV-star President Trump wants in charge of Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare.
tradeoffs.org
March 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Trump has picked Dr. Oz to lead CMS, which covers 160M people who get their health care from Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare.

@tradeoffs.org took a closer look at who Oz is and what he could do with the help of @tarabannow.bsky.social and former CMS chief Tom Scully.

tradeoffs.org/2025/03/20/m...
Medicare and Medicaid Under Dr. Oz: What to Expect
A closer look at the surgeon-turned-TV-star President Trump wants in charge of Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare.
tradeoffs.org
March 20, 2025 at 2:41 PM