WCPT's William Muck and Jill Wine-Banks talk to U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), candidate for U.S. Senate, shortly after WCPT and Heartland Signal's 2026 U.S. Senate Candidate Forum.

WCPT's William Muck and Jill Wine-Banks talk to U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), candidate for U.S. Senate, shortly after WCPT and Heartland Signal's <a href="https://omny.fm/shows/joan-esposito-live-local-progressive/2026-u-s-senate-candidate-forum">2026 U.S. Senate Candidate Forum</a>.

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, here are featured interviews from "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central, a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics.

A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect — Democrats, of course.    

Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC.  Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). 

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, here are featured interviews from "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central, a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics.
A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect &mdash; Democrats, of course. &nbsp; &nbsp;
Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC. &nbsp;Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).&nbsp;

Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews)

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central), a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics.  

A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect — Democrats, of course.    

Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC.  Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). 

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central), a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics. &nbsp;
A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect &mdash; Democrats, of course. &nbsp; &nbsp;
Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC. &nbsp;Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).&nbsp;

Joan Esposito (Full Episodes)

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central) is a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics. A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect — Democrats, of course.    

Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC.  Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). 

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central) is a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics. A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect &mdash; Democrats, of course. &nbsp; &nbsp;
Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC. &nbsp;Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).&nbsp;

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive

WCPT 820 Candidate Interview: U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL)

Joan Esposito is joined by Zack Cooper, director of the Health Care Affordability Lab at Yale University and associate professor of public health and of economics at Yale. 

The discussion examined health care affordability and policy changes proposed through Yale Healthcare Affordability Lab’s 1% Steps for Health Care Reform project. Here are a few key points from the conversation:
- U.S. health care spending is nearly 20 percent of GDP, with family premiums around $28,000 annually and significant out-of-pocket costs.
- Hospital prices have risen faster than prices in other economic sectors, contributing to lost jobs and broader economic effects.
- Cooper argued that limited competition, hospital mergers, and acquisitions of physician practices drive higher prices and fewer patient choices.
- The discussion considered whether ownership type matters less than competition, transparency, and enforceable quality standards.
- The project identifies evidence-based interventions that could reduce costs without waiting for comprehensive reform.
- Aligning Medicare payments for hospital-owned and independent physician practices could reduce incentives for consolidation.
- A proposed “one baby, one bundle” payment would use one rate for vaginal and cesarean deliveries to reduce incentives for unnecessary cesarean sections. "Doctors respond to incentives," Cooper told WCPT, "and there are lots of reasons why we think there are too many cesarean sections happening nationwide, and often it's among moms who have a little less of an ability to negotiate for themselves. And it might be that at the end of a long shift, doc doesn't want to wait around and they sort of nudge mom to to get a cesarean section. And so we think less cesarean sections is a good thing. It also lowers spending. And so what they did in Arkansas was they basically said, look, instead of having a separate rate for cesarean sections and vaginal deliveries, we're going to have one payment rate that's sort of between the two, so that we're not creating a financial incentive for doctors to choose cesarean sections over vaginal deliveries. That's the kind of thing that we talk about in this project."

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

 

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Joan Esposito is joined by Zack Cooper, director of the <a href="https://www.healthcareaffordabilitylab.org/">Health Care Affordability Lab</a> at Yale University and associate professor of public health and of economics at Yale.&nbsp;
The discussion examined health care affordability and policy changes proposed through Yale Healthcare Affordability Lab&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.onepercentsteps.com/">1% Steps for Health Care Reform</a> project. Here are a few key points from the conversation: - U.S. health care spending is nearly 20 percent of GDP, with family premiums around $28,000 annually and significant out-of-pocket costs. - Hospital prices have risen faster than prices in other economic sectors, contributing to lost jobs and broader economic effects. - Cooper argued that limited competition, hospital mergers, and acquisitions of physician practices drive higher prices and fewer patient choices. - The discussion considered whether ownership type matters less than competition, transparency, and enforceable quality standards. - The project identifies evidence-based interventions that could reduce costs without waiting for comprehensive reform. - Aligning Medicare payments for hospital-owned and independent physician practices could reduce incentives for consolidation. - A proposed &ldquo;one baby, one bundle&rdquo; payment would use one rate for vaginal and cesarean deliveries to reduce incentives for unnecessary cesarean sections. "Doctors respond to incentives," Cooper told WCPT, "and there are lots of reasons why we think there are too many cesarean sections happening nationwide, and often it's among moms who have a little less of an ability to negotiate for themselves. And it might be that at the end of a long shift, doc doesn't want to wait around and they sort of nudge mom to to get a cesarean section. And so we think less cesarean sections is a good thing. It also lowers spending. And so what they did in Arkansas was they basically said, look, instead of having a separate rate for cesarean sections and vaginal deliveries, we're going to have one payment rate that's sort of between the two, so that we're not creating a financial incentive for doctors to choose cesarean sections over vaginal deliveries. That's the kind of thing that we talk about in this project."
Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (<a href="http://heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home">heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home</a>).
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Zack Cooper: WCPT 820 Interview

Zack Cooper

Jill Wine-Banks

On today's show
– Zack Cooper, associate professor of public health and associate professor of economics at Yale University; he is also director of the Health Care Affordability Lab at Yale and serves as director of Health Policy at Yale's Tobin Center for Economic Policy
– Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of "The Watergate Girl," co-host of #SistersInLaw and host of Just The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks

Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).

 

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On today's show &ndash; <a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/people/zack-cooper">Zack Cooper</a>, associate professor of public health and associate professor of economics at Yale University; he is also director of the <a href="https://www.healthcareaffordabilitylab.org/">Health Care Affordability Lab</a> at Yale and serves as director of Health Policy at Yale's <a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/">Tobin Center for Economic Policy</a> &ndash; <a href="https://www.jillwinebanks.com/">Jill Wine-Banks</a>, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of "The Watergate Girl," co-host of <a href="https://www.politicon.com/podcast-title/sisters-in-law/">#SistersInLaw</a> and host of <a href="https://www.politicon.com/podcast-title/just-the-facts-with-jill-wine-banks/">Just The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks</a>
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (<a href="http://heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive">heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive</a>).
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Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive | October 2, 2026

Joan Esposito is joined by Dr. E.J. Fagan, associate professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Chicago and author of "The Thinkers: The Rise of Partisan Think Tanks and the Polarization of American Politics" (2024).

The discussion examined how Democrats can prepare for future administrations, restore government capacity, and respond to Donald Trump’s political and policy choices.  

Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).

 

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Joan Esposito is joined by Dr. E.J. Fagan,&nbsp;<a href="https://pols.uic.edu/profiles/fagan-ej/">associate professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Chicago</a> and author of "<a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/56447">The Thinkers: The Rise of Partisan Think Tanks and the Polarization of American Politics</a>" (2024).
The discussion examined how Democrats can prepare for future administrations, restore government capacity, and respond to Donald Trump&rsquo;s political and policy choices.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (<a href="http://heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive">heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive</a>).
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WCPT 820 Candidate Interview: U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL)

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