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Healthcare is the problem American politics cannot solve. It’s the subject of screaming matches at town halls, the cause of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, the justification for political assassination in cold blood. But how did our most basic need become such a divisive issue?

In Season Four of The Big Dig podcast, "Mitt & Ted", we tell the origin story of national healthcare reform. Mitt Romney and Ted Kennedy began their political journeys on opposite sides of the issue, and they ended once again on opposite sides, but for a brief period in the middle they worked together to pass a groundbreaking law – one that promised to finally transform the politics of American healthcare – the law known as Romneycare. So, what brought this odd couple together and what ultimately pulled them apart?

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Latest Episodes

  • NEWS_The_Big_Dig_S4-Healthcare_3000x3000_F2.jpg

    Introducing Season Four: Mitt & Ted

    In Season Four of The Big Dig podcast, "Mitt & Ted", we tell the origin story of national healthcare reform. Mitt Romney and Ted Kennedy began their political journeys on opposite sides of the issue, and they ended once again on opposite sides, but for a brief period in the middle they worked together to pass a groundbreaking law – one that promised to finally transform the politics of American healthcare – the law known as Romneycare. So, what brought this odd couple together and what ultimately pulled them apart?
    Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story
  • NEWS_The_Big_Dig_S4-Healthcare_3000x3000_F2.jpg

    Part 1. My Greatest Regret

    In the midst of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon reaches out to his rival Ted Kennedy and offers him a deal – a one time chance to reshape American healthcare, which might also save Nixon’s doomed presidency. Will the young senator take the deal?
    Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story
  • NEWS_The_Big_Dig_S4-Healthcare_3000x3000_F2.jpg

    Part 2. There's Got To Be A Better Way

    Mitt Romney’s first political campaign was not for president or governor; it was for the U.S. Senate, and it was against Ted Kennedy. Early on the challenger looks unstoppable – handsome, eloquent, moderate – then the Kennedy camp starts digging into Romney’s past.
    Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story
  • NEWS_The_Big_Dig_S4-Healthcare_3000x3000_F2.jpg

    Part 3. Save The Money

    After their bruising senate campaign, Kennedy and Romney reunite for a mission to lobby the Bush administration. At stake: more than a billion dollars of federal money that is propping up the state’s entire healthcare system.
    Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story
  • NEWS_The_Big_Dig_S4-Healthcare_3000x3000_F2.jpg

    Part 4. Three-Legged Stool

    The controversial centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act – the requirement for all Americans to purchase health insurance – began its strange political journey at the conservative Heritage Foundation. In deep blue Massachusetts the mandate was considered a fringe idea, until it lands on Governor Romney’s desk.
    Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story
  • Showcase-Hero-TheBigDig_final.jpg

    The Big Dig

    Each season of “The Big Dig” uncovers a different facet of society in Boston – infrastructure, gambling, food, healthcare – together the pieces connect to tell the story of modern America.