In a "Sound of Ideas" segment last Tuesday, we discussed the major changes coming to the state and federally-funded insurance program, Medicaid, following the signing of President Donald Trump's so-called, "Big Beautiful Bill."
The Congressional Budget Office predicts that around 12 million Americans will lose their health insurance over the next ten years due to major cuts to the program, as well as added work requirements, and in Ohio, there are estimates that tens to hundreds of thousands of people will lose their coverage.
Last week, we spoke to health reporters and a former state Medicaid director about how this could happen and what populations will be most affected. On Tuesday's program, we want to focus on one often overlooked but important safety net that will be seeing an increased demand of uninsured or underinsured patients: free clinics.
In Ohio, more than 50 free and charitable clinics provide primary and secondary care to patients, and give access to services at nearby hospitals. However, despite providing critical medical services, funding for these clinics remains sparse, and rely primarily on volunteer staffing.
Later in the hour, we'll look back a period of American history that resonated in the 2025 political landscape: "the Red Scare." In the 1940s and 1950s, many Americans were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers as the Cold War heated up.
Senator Joseph McCarthy, of Wisconsin, was at the center of the scare. The fervent anti-communist crusade destroyed some people’s careers and family lives, and in many cases was unjustified.
New York Times journalist Clay Risen has written a new book, "Red Scare," that digs into McCarthy's rise to power, the impacts of American society during the heyday of the scare, and why it still resonates today.
Guests:
- Nancy Peacock, Executive Director, Free Clinic of Medina County
- Paul Baumgartner, Executive Director, Lorain County Free Clinic; Board President, Charitable Healthcare Network
- Emily Ohliger, Volunteer Nurse Practitioner, Lorain County Free Clinic; Nurse Practitioner, Mercy Health-Lorain Hospital
- Clay Risen, Author, "Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America"
