The Unlikely Alliance and Eventual Divide Between Two Political Giants over the Future of American Healthcare
Boston, Mass. (Sept. 16, 2026) - GBH News today announced the upcoming premiere of “Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story,” the fourth season of the Peabody Award-winning podcast “The Big Dig.” The eight-part limited series explores the complex history of American healthcare through the unlikely partnership and ultimate rift between conservative Governor Mitt Romney and liberal Senator Ted Kennedy.
The series is hosted by senior producer Ian Coss, produced by GBH News and brought to listeners in partnership with PRX. An audio trailer will be released Sep. 23 and episodes will drop weekly starting on Sept. 30.
Healthcare remains the problem American politics cannot solve, a flashpoint for fierce town hall debates, national government shutdowns, and bitter ideological battles. “Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story” uncovers how two fierce rivals from opposite ends of the political spectrum came together in Massachusetts to pass “Romneycare,” the landmark state law that became the blueprint for the Affordable Care Act, and why their political coalition eventually tore apart.
“I became obsessed with this story after seeing a picture of the signing ceremony for ‘Romneycare’ because it was this bizarre collection of characters,” said Coss. “I mean, there were people from the far-right Heritage Foundation side by side with a bunch of liberal Democrats, all laughing and smiling. I wanted to know how that coalition happened, on a healthcare bill of all things. Was it just a fluke, a mirage, or is it something that we could see again? ”
“Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story”will be available for free on-demand across all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and NPR One, as well as on the GBH News website and on the GBH News YouTube channel.
“This team excels at taking dense, defining policy debates and transforming them into gripping, character-driven narratives,” said Dan Lothian, Editor-in-Chief and General Manager of Local News for GBH, NEPM, and CAI. “Following critically acclaimed seasons like “The Big Dig,” “Scratch & Win,” and “Catching The Codfather,” “Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story” continues GBH News’ commitment to journalism that connects local Massachusetts political history directly to the national conversations shaping America today.”
“The story of Mitt Romney and Ted Kennedy is a fascinating political saga about power, pragmatism, and the elusive quest for universal healthcare,” said Devin Maverick Robins, Managing Director of Podcasts at GBH. “Ian and the production team have captured the human drama and ideological tension behind a legislative milestone whose ripple effects are still felt in every corner of Washington today.”
The rest of the podcast team includes Azita Ghahramani as editorial supervisor; Isabel Hibbard as producer; and Lacy Roberts as story editor. “Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story” is a production of GBH News and Distributed to listeners everywhere with PRX, the Pulitzer-winning public radio and podcast distributor.
A public radio broadcast version of the program will be available to public radio stations nationwide to air to their local communities.
Learn more about “Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story.”
About GBH
GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. It is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, ARTHUR, and MOLLY OF DENALI and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH’s television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station; and NEPM in Springfield. Dedicated to making media accessible to and inclusive of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide with PBS LearningMedia and has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.
