On Call by Paging America

Paging America
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A rapid response feed from Paging America www.pagingamerica.org

  1. 1d ago

    On Call by Paging America: Did RFK Jr. Perjure Himself Over Samoa?

    Newly surfaced documents from the AP and The Guardian appear to contradict RFK Jr.'s sworn testimony about his 2019 trip to Samoa. It’s a trip he told senators had nothing to do with vaccines. Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson dig into a Children's Health Defense letter that tells a very different story, and connect the dots between Kennedy's anti-vaccine campaign in Samoa (which preceded an outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children) and the measles outbreak now spreading across the U.S. under his watch at HHS. If Kennedy is ousted after the midterms, does accountability follow him out the door, or does he get a pass like so many before him? The letter RFK Jr. sent to Samoa in 2019: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28581231-letter-from-rfk-jr/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    On Call by Paging America: Did RFK Jr. Perjure Himself Over Samoa?

  2. Aug 18

    On Call by Paging America: Falling Vaccination Rates and Herd Immunity

    Just in time for the new school year, CDC data show MMR vaccination rates have dropped below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity. In this episode, Dr. Erin Stevens and Dr. Rob Davidson break down what's driving the decline in vaccination rates around the country. We have state-level exemption policies and rhetoric from RFK Jr. and the Trump administration around splitting up the MMR vaccine leading to mass confusion over health policy. It’s led to measles, a disease the U.S. declared eliminated in 2000, is now seeing its highest case numbers in 35 years. They discuss the real health risks of measles (including encephalitis and long-term organ damage), why public trust and misinformation are central to the problem, and what it will take to reverse the trend. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    On Call by Paging America: Falling Vaccination Rates and Herd Immunity

  3. Aug 11

    On Call: Trump Asleep at the Wheel on Vaccines

    Donald Trump rolled out a new executive order that rewrites the childhood vaccine schedule. Dr. Rob and Miles break down what splitting the MMR vaccine into multiple visits actually means for working families who don’t have the time, money, or flexibility to make five separate doctor’s appointments, and why that gap could mean more unprotected kids at a moment when measles cases are already climbing. We also take a look at Trump’s Oval Office announcement and have some concerns about just how “engaged” the president really was in his own health announcement. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    On Call: Trump Asleep at the Wheel on Vaccines

  4. Aug 5

    On Call by Paging America: What Abdul El-Sayed's Win Means For Healthcare

    Michigan just delivered a political earthquake, and former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party and current COO of the Lincoln Project Jeff Timmer us to break it all down. Abdul El-Sayed pulled off an upset Senate primary win despite being vastly outspent by Haley Stevens, and Timmer explains why money alone couldn’t buy this race. He digs into the deeper story: a bipartisan wave of economic anxiety, skyrocketing healthcare costs, and voters in both parties desperate to punish incumbents and reward outsiders with a clear message. On the Republican side, Timmer offers a sharp, insider’s take on Mike Rogers: the one-time mainstream Republican who “went into deep freeze” in 2014 and reemerged in 2026 running a MAGA-era campaign with 1990s instincts, all while carrying a voting record on the Affordable Care Act that clashes with what voters actually want. Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    On Call by Paging America: What Abdul El-Sayed's Win Means For Healthcare

  5. Aug 4

    On Call by Paging America: What Blanche's AG Nomination Means for Abortion Access

    The Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General. It was a 12-10 vote that he secured only after formally rescinding an anti-weaponization fund to bring two holdout senators on board. There has been recent reporting that Blanche privately told religious leaders he intends to use the Comstock Act to ban mailing medication abortion nationwide. They discuss why this isn't just a "red state" issue. In fact, even states with constitutional abortion protections, like California and Michigan, could see medication abortion access cut off. We also discuss Blanche's record dismissing FACE Act cases meant to protect clinics and providers. This is a call to action for voters in states with pivotal Senate seats like Maine, Alaska, and Ohio to speak up before the full Senate vote. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    On Call by Paging America: What Blanche's AG Nomination Means for Abortion Access

  6. Jul 31

    On Call by Paging America: How Losing ACA Subsidies Is Emptying Hospitals

    New data from the New York Times reveals a healthcare crisis unfolding faster than almost anyone predicted. Miles and Dr. Erin Stevens break down the fallout from Congress’s failure to extend enhanced ACA premium subsidies. We’ve seen a 13% drop in Obamacare enrollment and roughly one in eleven Americans now uninsured, reversing years of historic progress. They dig into who’s really absorbing the cost: safety-net and rural hospitals, many already teetering on closure, are seeing deficits balloon as uninsured patients still show up needing (and legally guaranteed) care. Dr. Stevens shares an on-the-ground look at Minnesota’s own near-miss with a major safety-net hospital closure, and explains why labor and delivery units, which are often the first services cut, are driving a growing maternal care crisis in rural communities. The conversation also turns to politics: Donald Trump’s approval ratings has fallen into the low 30s in some recent polls. Miles and Dr. Stevens explore whether healthcare pain is starting to catch up with public opinion and what it might mean heading into the midterms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    On Call by Paging America: How Losing ACA Subsidies Is Emptying Hospitals

  7. Jul 28

    On Call by Paging America: Concepts of a Plan (Again)

    Another day, another healthcare “plan” with a big headline and nothing underneath it. In this episode of On Call by Paging America, Drs. Kristin Lyerly and Chris Ford unpack the newly announced “Great Healthcare Plan” that Trump announced on Monday afternoon in Michigan. We compare it to past promises and ask the question that actually matters: will it help patients? We cover what’s missing from the proposal, what’s at risk, and why handing people money for “choice” isn’t the same as making healthcare affordable or effective. We make the case that healthcare policy should be judged by outcomes like healthier patients and stronger hospitals and NOT campaign slogans. Tune in, subscribe, and hold your elected officials accountable this election season. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    On Call by Paging America: Concepts of a Plan (Again)

  8. Jul 24

    On Call by Paging America: Trump's Drug Tariff Bombshell

    Dr. Kristin Lyerly joins Miles Baker straight from her own doctor’s appointment to break down a bombshell just dropped on Truth Social: President Trump’s plan to impose a 100% tariff on imported generic drugs within two years, escalating to 200% the year after. The stated goal is reshoring pharmaceutical manufacturing to the U.S., but Miles and Dr. Lyerly dig into why the math, the timeline, and the incentives don’t add up. Generic drugs run on razor-thin margins that make U.S. manufacturing nearly impossible, and the staggering reality that six in ten Americans already worry about affording their prescriptions, with one in five rationing their medication. The conversation turns to India’s outsized role supplying roughly half of U.S. generic prescriptions by volume, and what could happen if manufacturers start looking to diversify away from the American market well before any tariffs even take effect. Dr. Lyerly makes the case that if the administration were serious about reshoring production, it would be working with Congress on bills like the PILLS Act, MEDS Act, and MAPS Act, which offer incentives rather than blunt-force tariffs. They also note that this policy arrives as a “Plan B” after an earlier version was ruled illegal, raising the likelihood of legal challenges and a long stretch of uncertainty — not exactly the environment that encourages companies to invest in new manufacturing plants. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    On Call by Paging America: Trump's Drug Tariff Bombshell
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A rapid response feed from Paging America www.pagingamerica.org

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  • Creator
    Paging America
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Paging America
  • Show Website
    On Call by Paging America