Podcasts about healthcare costs

At 20 years old, newly arrived from Puerto Rico and trying to build a future in science, Benjamin Suarez Jimenez found himself sitting in front of two senior faculty members accused of plagiarism. He knew the material. He had done the work. His mistake came from failing to cite class notes during an exam because nobody had told him that was expected. In a matter of minutes, he watched what felt like his entire career flash before him.On this episode of Standard Deviation, host Oliver Bogler examines the hidden architecture of academic science through the experiences of Dr. Benjamin Suarez Jimenez, Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester and a neuroscientist studying PTSD, anxiety, trauma, and spatial cognition through virtual reality and video game environments.Benjamin traces his path from Puerto Rico to the mainland United States, through the NIH, Columbia University, and eventually to leading his own laboratory. Along the way, he encountered a series of barriers that had little to do with scientific ability and everything to do with access to unwritten rules. From academic gatekeeping to grant writing expectations, he learned that success in biomedical research often depends on knowledge that never appears in a textbook.Oliver explores how those invisible obstacles shape careers, influence research funding, and determine who gains access to opportunity. The conversation also examines the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Program at the Life Science Editors Foundation, which pairs scientists from underrepresented backgrounds with experienced scientific editors. Through that mentorship, Benjamin transformed a critical grant proposal into a successful pilot award that helped launch an NIH R01 application.The discussion extends beyond one scientist's experience. Benjamin describes helping a former mentee navigate dissertation roadblocks that threatened her graduation, illustrating how institutional bureaucracy can delay careers and discourage talented researchers. Together, they explore the hidden administrative burden, cultural barriers, and bias that many scientists carry alongside their research, and what happens when someone who receives support turns around and opens the door for others.RELATED LINKSLife Science Editors FoundationBenjamin Suarez Jimenez LabDr. Benjamin Suarez JimenezBenjamin Suarez JimenezFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why GLP-1 weight loss drugs, fad diets, and government inaction are hurting the public—and what we must do instead. #GLP1Risks #FoodPolitics #WellnessReform #HealthTalks

About this episode:   Two health policy experts could not disagree more about the Affordable Care Act. Yet they're working together to tackle what they see as a root cause of unaffordability. In this episode: A 1954 change to federal tax code made employer-provided health benefits tax-free, incentivizing employers to cover workers' health insurance—but this policy is one explanation for high healthcare costs for Americans today.  Guests:  Michael F. Cannon, JM, MA, is the director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute.  Elizabeth Fowler, PhD, JD, is a distinguished scholar in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Host:  Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. He served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health from 2005 to 2009.  Show links and related content:  This policy is at the root of unaffordable health care—Washington Post  The New Reality Facing Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA—Public Health On Call (August 2025)  Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Sarah Matt trained as a burn surgeon, working in a field where patients arrive with catastrophic injuries and survival depends on speed, skill, and resources. She left the bedside after confronting a limit that medicine does not like to admit. One physician can only see so many people in a day. The system surrounding those patients decides the rest. She moved into health technology, held leadership roles in startups, and built global infrastructure at Oracle to scale care across populations. Then she watched billions of dollars in digital health and AI initiatives stall out when they hit real clinical environments.This episode follows that pivot from surgeon to strategist and back into direct patient care in rural New York, where she now treats uninsured patients, migrant workers, and communities pushed to the margins. The conversation centers on a persistent failure across healthcare systems. Products get built for regulators, executives, and investors instead of the people who use them. The result shows up in failed adoption, broken workflows, prior authorization delays, and rising physician burnout.The discussion cuts through health policy language and lands on lived consequence. The system rewards speed over usability, scale over trust, and compliance over care. Patients absorb the fallout. Physicians carry the liability. The incentives remain intact.RELATED LINKSDr. Sarah MattThe Borderless Healthcare RevolutionThe Clinical RealistJessica FedererSovatoFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join the Conversation at 303-477-5600 or text to 307-200-8222. Monday - Friday from 3 pm - 6 pm MT. https://RushToReason.com HOUR 1 Lost Generation: My AI Girlfriend and the Crisis on College Campuses Is technology killing real connection? In this electrifying hour of Rush to Reason, John Rush dives into why more teen boys are turning to AI girlfriends instead of real relationships—and what that means for our future. Then, Heritage Foundation expert Jonathan Butcher exposes the truth about what's really happening on America's college campuses: are students getting educated, or just indoctrinated? Plus, get the latest on Colorado's severe weather, election updates from LA, and smart tips for families navigating today's education minefield. Don't miss this episode packed with controversy, insight, and essential advice for parents and students alike! Guest Timestamps 1:23 — Hunter — https://www.cubcreekhvac.com 32:32 — Jonathan Butcher — https://www.heritage.org HOUR 2 Chasing Dreams or Running From Reality? Youth Sports, College Choices, and living with a purpose. Get ready for a jam-packed hour on Rush to Reason! John dives into the high-stakes world of college planning and youth sports. Are families chasing unrealistic sports dreams while forgetting the importance of education? Richard Rush joins John for a no-holds-barred reality check on club sports, scholarships, and what it really takes to go pro. Don't miss the review of the sleek 2026 Lexus IS 350 F Sport AWD. Hear why its V6 engine, striking design, and everyday comfort make it a standout. Later, special guest Frank Kelly, CEO of Kelly Benefits and author of Love & Go, shares inspiring insights on faith, mentorship, and the dangers of digital distractions. The hour wraps up with a sharp debate on real estate listing laws, commission transparency, and whether the industry is headed for more government oversight. Guest Timestamps 6:40 — Richard Rush 16:36 — 2026 Lexus IS Review 27:08 — Frank Kelly — https://frankkellyiii.com HOUR 3 Health Care Costs, Leadership Lessons, AI Relationships, and America's Tipping Backlash Hour three delivers hard-hitting insight and lively debate you won't want to miss! Dr. Josh McConkey kicks things off by busting myths about Ebola and revealing how to stay informed without succumbing to fear. He and John Rush dig deep into the mental health crisis, rising anxiety among young people, and the crucial role of leadership and resilience in forging the next generation. The conversation then revisits hot topics such as youth sports, communication skills, and the surprising impact of AI on relationships, asking: Are young people losing out on life's real lessons? Healthcare policy expert Phil Kerpen joins the show to expose the truth behind soaring medical costs, hospital mergers, insurance loopholes, and why paying cash for prescriptions can sometimes beat your copay. The hour wraps up with a fiery take on America's tipping culture: are we tipping for service—or just because we're expected to? Don't miss the expert guests, bold opinions, and actionable advice packed into this powerful episode! Guest Timestamps 1:10 — Dr. Josh McConkey — https://www.weightbehindthespear.com 26:41 — Phil Kerpen — https://www.americancommitment.org

Host Paul Pacelli opened Wednesday's "Connecticut Today" talking about thousands of Connecticut residents who are about to see their medical debts erased through a state partnership with a non-profit (00:32). The bigger question? When will we ever slow down ever-rising health care costs? We also got an update on a list of big state stories from Hearst Connecticut Media Senior Editor and Columnist Dan Haar (14:08)

In the late 1980s, a child exposed to fallout from the Chernobyl disaster lay in a hospital bed while doctors told his family there were no clear answers and no reliable path forward. Decades later, that same child, Yan Leyfman, walks into exam rooms as a hematology oncology fellow, expected to deliver clarity inside a system that still runs on delay, uncertainty, and institutional self preservation.This episode traces the throughline from early life shaped by radiation exposure and hospice level uncertainty to a career inside academic medicine, translational research, and oncology media. Yan built his identity around survival and usefulness, moving from patient to physician while carrying the memory of what it feels like to sit on the other side of the table. He helped launch MedNews Week during the COVID crisis to push back on misinformation and expand access to medical knowledge, stepping into a public role while still in training.The conversation stays grounded in the friction between personal narrative and system reality. Clinical training demands efficiency, hierarchy, and emotional distance. Cancer care demands time, clarity, and human connection. Those forces collide in real patient encounters where prior authorization delays, insurance barriers, and fragmented care pathways shape outcomes as much as any treatment protocol.Yan speaks openly about mentorship, belonging, and the drive to make meaning out of survival. The discussion pushes further into what the healthcare system actually rewards, what it quietly strips away, and how quickly empathy can erode under institutional pressure. The episode also examines the role of medical media, where education, industry influence, and narrative control often blur together.This is a conversation about identity under construction, about what happens when someone who remembers powerlessness steps into a role that carries authority, and about whether that memory can survive long enough to change anything.RELATED LINKSYan Leyfman on LinkedInYan Leyfman on InstagramSurviving ChernobylFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it actually cost when a doctor writes a verbal order over the phone instead of seeing the patient? Scott Middleton has the receipts — and the answer is going to make you rethink everything about how American healthcare spends its money. In this episode of The Disrupted Podcast, Scott announces a landmark three-way merger bringing Your Health together with Transitional Care Professionals of America (TCPA) out of Georgia and Providence Care, a hospice organization in South Carolina. The combined organization will serve approximately 55,000 active patients — not patients on a list, but people being seen regularly — and Scott lays out exactly how he's going to run it. What you'll hear in this episode: Why Scott's family owning 80% of the merged company changes everything about how decisions get made — and who they get made for The difference between fee-for-service and value-based care, and why the ACO model means every unnecessary hospitalization literally comes out of Your Health's pocket How Your Health's risk-adjustment-based visit model (16 visits per year per risk point) was independently validated by a new government study — and why it works The three things Scott is asking every new employee to do in the first weeks: align with a nurse practitioner, track every minute of care management, and recruit like their livelihood depends on it — because it does Why Scott's new management philosophy is six words: "Keep them out of the hospital and see your damn patients" This isn't a corporate announcement. It's a playbook for how healthcare can actually work when operators run the company, providers see their patients, and every minute of care gets counted. www.YourHealth.Org

Matthew Zachary is a brain cancer survivor, healthcare advocate, founder of Stupid Cancer and We the Patients, and host of Out of Patients. In April 2026, he returned to the stage at Merkin Hall near Lincoln Center for his first solo public piano concert in almost 22 years while launching his debut book, We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America's Healthcare Nightmare.What unfolded became far larger than a concert.Over 2 hours, survivors, clinicians, advocates, nonprofit founders, journalists, pharmaceutical sponsors, and healthcare insiders gathered in one room to reflect on 30 years of survivorship, institutional failure, accidental advocacy, and the emotional afterlife of cancer. The evening moved through original piano performances, live chapter readings, and deeply personal conversations about infertility, disability, financial toxicity, insurance denials, grief, burnout, and what happens when patients spend decades navigating systems designed around transactions instead of continuity.Guests including Wendell Potter, Maimah Karmo, Craig Lustig, Shelly Fuld Nasso, Tamika Felder, and others reflected on how the modern cancer advocacy movement emerged largely because patients built parallel systems where healthcare infrastructure failed to meet human needs. The conversation explored how prior authorization, reimbursement incentives, administrative fragmentation, and institutional distrust continue shaping the patient experience across oncology and survivorship.The performance also marked a deeply personal milestone. After brain cancer compromised his left hand at age 21, Zachary spent 6 months rehabilitating both hands to return to public performance for the first time in over 2 decades. The result became part concert, part civic gathering, and part historical record of a generation of survivors who refused to disappear quietly.RELATED LINKSMZLIVE Official WebsiteMZLIVE YouTube VideoFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send us Fan MailFor most small businesses, health insurance is their second or third largest expense. And they usually find out what it's going to cost them two to three weeks before renewal.In this clip from our episode “Why Health Insurance Needs Transparency”, host John Driscoll and Ty Wang, Co-Founder and CEO of Angle Health, break down why unpredictable premium increases make it nearly impossible for small businesses to plan, and why the market has accepted this as normal for far too long.Listen to the full episode here

Washington's ACA exchange lost nearly 13% of qualified health plan enrollees after enhanced premium subsidies expired — but Elizabeth New (Hovde) of the Washington Policy Center argues the headline obscures the real story. Of 28,000 who dropped exchange coverage, 6,000 moved to Apple Health. Subsidies shifted costs to taxpayers without lowering the actual price of care. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-aca-enrollment-drops-should-force-honest-conversations-about-healthcare-costs/ #ACA #HealthcareCosts #WashingtonState #AffordableCareAct #HealthInsurance #WashingtonPolicyCenter #ClarkCounty #Opinion #HealthPolicy #Subsidies

In December 1996, a 37 year old pharmaceutical executive sat in a Borders bookstore reading medical textbooks on the floor, trying to understand a disease she had never heard of. Multiple myeloma carried a three year prognosis. Her daughter was 18 months old. Her father had just died of cancer. Within weeks, she pushed her doctors to say the quiet part clearly. This would likely end her life before her child entered kindergarten.Kathy Giusti refused to accept passive survival. She built a plan while the system offered fragments. She interviewed oncologists and fertility specialists at the same time. She pursued IVF to have a second child while preparing for treatment. She stayed employed to keep insurance coverage. Every decision carried financial, medical, and emotional risk.That same urgency exposed a deeper failure. Cancer research moved slowly. Academic centers guarded data. Clinical trials lacked coordination. Patients entered a system that demanded compliance without providing clarity. Giusti responded by building the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, not as a support group, but as an operating engine to accelerate drug development, fund research, and force collaboration across institutions.This episode tracks the tension between individual agency and systemic failure. Giusti describes how patients navigate diagnosis, insurance barriers, and fragmented care in real time. She explains how data, genomics, and clinical trials reshape cancer treatment while still leaving patients responsible for decisions they are not trained to make. She addresses disparities in access, the limits of early detection, and the reality that progress in oncology often depends on speed, funding, and alignment of incentives.The conversation moves between lived experience and structural critique. It names the cost of delay, the burden placed on patients to act as their own advocate, and the tradeoffs required to push a system forward that still protects itself first.⸻RELATED LINKSKathy GiustiMultiple Myeloma Research FoundationFatal to FearlessAmerican Society of Hematology⸻FEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is $100,000 no longer enough to feel financially secure—and what does that mean for retirement? In this episode, Abe Abich breaks down five common retirement income mistakes that can impact long-term plans, from underestimating healthcare costs to overlooking taxes and inflation. He explains why expenses often rise early in retirement, how long-term care is frequently misunderstood, and why relying on general rules of thumb can fall short. The conversation highlights the importance of aligning income strategies with individual goals and understanding the factors that shape retirement spending over time. Schedule your complimentary appointment today: TheRetirementKey.com Get a free copy of Abe’s book: The Retirement Mountain: The 7 Steps To A Long-Lasting Retirement Follow us on social media: YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedInSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Americans dream about retiring early, but few fully understand the healthcare costs that come before Medicare eligibility at age 65. In this episode of the Capitalist Investor, Mark Tepper and Tony Zabiegala break down the real financial impact of retiring early and why healthcare planning needs to be part of every retirement strategy.They discuss COBRA, Affordable Care Act options, HSA strategies, Roth conversions, tax efficient income planning, and how healthcare costs can dramatically affect long term retirement success. The conversation also highlights why retirement planning is not just about investments and asset levels, but about building the right income strategy before Medicare begins.If you are considering retiring before 65, this episode explains the hidden costs many retirees overlook and how proper planning years in advance can help reduce financial stress later in retirement.

Mark Denzler breaks down growing concerns over the federal 340B drug pricing program, arguing that a policy originally designed to help low-income and rural patients has expanded far beyond its intent and is now driving up employer and taxpayer health care costs. He explains that hospitals purchase outpatient drugs at steep discounts but often bill insurers at full price, with the spread increasingly concentrated in large, wealthy hospital systems rather than safety-net providers. The discussion highlights claims that employers are absorbing hundreds of millions in added costs annually through higher premiums and deductibles, with similar effects reported across multiple states, including Missouri. The segment closes with broader frustration over health care billing practices, including how insurance-driven pricing, overtesting, and system incentives may be contributing to rising premiums for consumers across the board. Hashtags: #HealthcareCosts #Insurance #340BProgram #Hospitals #DrugPricing #EmployerCosts #IllinoisPolitics #MissouriNews #HealthPolicy #PremiumIncreases

Joyce talks about the rising cost of healthcare, with the public often blaming elected officials and insurance companies. Evidence has it, however, that the hospitals themselves are to blame for rising costs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At 19, Shlomit woke up unable to speak. The right side of her body went numb. An emergency room sent her home and called it stress. That moment did not end in a diagnosis that changed policy or triggered reform. It sent her into a decade long pursuit of understanding how the brain fails language and how the healthcare system fails patients who cannot advocate for themselves.Shlomit trained as a speech language pathologist and spent years inside acute care hospitals and ICUs, performing endoscopies and treating patients with brain injury, stroke, and dysphagia. She watched medical teams rotate in and out, deliver dense updates, and leave families nodding without comprehension. She stayed behind and translated. Every day, patients told her she was the only one who explained what was happening. That gap is not an accident. Hospital systems optimize for throughput, not understanding. Patients move through beds based on cost, not readiness. Discharge planning becomes a financial decision wrapped in clinical language. A stay under 48 hours can shift the insurance burden dramatically, leaving patients exposed to higher out of pocket costs. Shlomit left the system and built Patient Path NYC, a private patient advocacy service. She now spends 15 to 20 hours a week per client reading charts, coordinating care teams, and translating medical decisions into plain language. Her work sits in the uncomfortable space between healthcare policy and lived experience. Families pay out of pocket to understand their own care. Hospitals benefit from the clarity she provides while maintaining the same structural incentives that created the confusion.This conversation tracks the human cost of fragmented care, the economics behind discharge decisions, and the quiet reality that patients who cannot communicate clearly often lose control of their own outcomes.RELATED LINKSShlomit LibertyShlomit Liberty on LinkedInPatient Path NYCBoard Certified Patient AdvocateFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if your retirement plan isn’t about stopping work at all? This episode with Damon Roberts & Matt Deaton explores why more people are choosing to keep working, how flexibility changes financial decisions, and the hidden pitfalls of Social Security timing and healthcare costs. It also tackles misinformation, scams, and the importance of building a strategy you can actually trust. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call 480-680-6868 or visit www.successinthenewretirement.com! Follow us on social media: Facebook | LinkedInSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Don't sit around waiting to feel motivated. You take some little actions, and that often gives you the motivation and the momentum to move forward." Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, sit down to work through a HerMoney.com list of ten things to do when retirement is a decade away. The meta-lesson turns out to be bigger than any single item on it! The list, from Jean Chatzky's financial information service for women, gives them a useful scaffold, but what they keep returning to is the paralysis that keeps so many people from starting at all. Planning for retirement can feel like pushing a stone uphill; getting moving makes it roll the other way. The list items themselves span the practical and the personal. Test-drive potential retirement destinations before committing. Tackle home repairs now, while you still have a paycheck. Start volunteering, not just to give back but to road-test how you'll spend your time when work no longer fills it. On the financial side: understand what Medicare actually covers (spoiler: not dental, vision, or long-term care). Build your HSA if you're eligible. Track down old 401(k)s and check the beneficiaries on every account. Create your Social Security account online and verify your earnings record for errors. And on claiming age, Kevin pushes back on the blanket advice to "always wait" because Social Security strategy depends on how it fits the rest of your specific plan. The bonus tip says it all: say it out loud. Telling people you're planning to retire creates accountability. It makes the stone easier to push!   Key Topics: ●      Trying Out Retirement Destinations (04:24) ●      Home Repairs, Renovations, and Aging in Place (07:21) ●      Volunteering: A Test Drive for Your Time (12:02) ●      Reclaiming Your Calendar… and Your Identity (13:35) ●      Healthcare Costs, Medicare Myths, and HSAs (16:52) ●      Building a Social Network Outside the Office (21:04) ●      Checking In on Pensions and Old 401(k)s (25:30) ●      Why the 10-Year Mark Is the Right Time to Find a Financial Planner (27:21) ●      Social Security: "Wait" Is Not a One-Size-Fits-All Answer (29:33) ●      Creating Your Social Security Account (and Checking Your Earnings Record) (31:02) ●      Say It Out Loud (32:22)   Resources: Retirement Readiness Quiz: https://www.aarp.org/money/retirement/readiness-quiz/ The 5 Years Before You Retire and other books by Emily Guy Birken: https://www.emilyguybirken.com/books HerMoney.com Article Discussed in this Episode: https://hermoney.com/invest/10-things-you-should-do-when-retirement-is-10-years-away/   Take Back Retirement Episodes Referenced: Making Your Own Story: Finding Meaning After 50 with Diane Gansauer Redefining Retirement: Finding Your Creative Voice Through Comedy with Lynn Harris The Challenges and Opportunities of Defining Your Identity in Retirement with Elizabeth Parsons Practicing for Retirement: Balancing Creative Pursuits and Financial Planning with Mary Jo Hoffman Simplifying Medicare: What's Important For You To Know with Susan Sloan Cultivating Creative Connections for Lifelong Wellness with Claire Waite Brown Getting the Most from Social Security: Smart Strategies for Women with Heather Schreiber Smarter Social Security: Getting What's Yours Without Panicking   If you like what you've been hearing, we invite you to subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Tell us what you love about this episode! Or better yet, tell us what you want to hear more of in the future. stephanie@sofiafinancial.com   You can find the transcript and more information about this episode at www.takebackretirement.com.   Follow Stephanie on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.  Follow Kevin on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

In 2020, developmental biologist Dr. Crystal Rogers drove the country roads outside Davis, California crying between grant rejections, wondering whether she was about to lose her lab, her career, and the scientific future she had spent years building. She had already done what academia tells young scientists to do. She earned the credentials. She landed a faculty position at UC Davis. She built a lab. Then the real test began.On this episode of Standard Deviation, Dr. Oliver Bogler examines the unspoken rules that determine which scientists survive academic research and which quietly disappear from it. The conversation follows Crystal Rogers and cancer biologist Dr. Michelle Mendoza as they collide with the “Hidden Curriculum” of biomedical science: the unwritten rhetoric, institutional signaling, and grant writing strategies that often decide who receives funding, tenure, and long term stability.Michelle Mendoza entered a tenure track position at the Huntsman Cancer Institute while raising 3 children, navigating a divorce, and trying to secure major NIH funding during COVID. What looked like objective scientific review turned out to depend heavily on persuasion, presentation, and insider fluency. Established researchers could promise massive research agendas based on reputation alone. Junior investigators faced a completely different standard.Oliver traces how the Life Science Editors Foundation and its JEDI program intervened by pairing scientists with former editors from journals including Cell and Nature. The work had little to do with commas or grammar. Editors challenged logic, structure, and scientific framing before grant reviewers could destroy an application in public.Both researchers eventually secured career defining grants. One realized she would keep her job and not have to move her family. The other celebrated by ordering a personalized “DEV BIO” license plate and driving through Davis blasting nineties hip hop and Beyoncé.The episode exposes how biomedical research funding rewards institutional fluency as much as scientific talent, and how hidden systems inside academic medicine continue shaping who gets to stay in science long enough to make discoveries.RELATED LINKSDr. Crystal Rogers LinkedInDr. Crystal Rogers Faculty PageDr. Crystal Rogers LabDr. Michelle Mendoza LinkedInDr. Michelle Mendoza Faculty PageHuntsman Cancer Institute Mendoza LabLife Science Editors FoundationFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do you do when the cost of staying healthy begins to strain the family budget? For many households, health care has become one of the biggest financial pressures they face. Groceries, utilities, and everyday expenses are already stretching families thin. But medical costs often feel like they are in a category of their own. Even when traditional coverage feels out of reach, families are not without options. That's why Lauren Gajdek, Senior Director of External Affairs at Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM), joined the show today to discuss medical cost sharing, how it works, and why more families are taking a closer look. The Pressure Families Are Feeling Many families are still dealing with the effects of higher prices across the board. While inflation may have cooled in some areas, that does not mean prices have returned to their previous levels. Groceries, utilities, housing, and other essentials still cost more than they did before, leaving many households with less room in their monthly budgets. Health care adds another layer of pressure. Employer-sponsored family health insurance can now cost thousands of dollars each year when accounting for both employer and employee contributions. Marketplace plans can also be expensive, especially for those who do not qualify for subsidies. Behind those rising premiums are the increasing costs of hospitals, medications, and other medical services. For families trying to manage their resources wisely, those numbers can feel overwhelming. What Options Are Available? When traditional health insurance becomes too expensive, families may begin looking for alternatives. One option is COBRA, which allows someone who has lost employer-sponsored coverage to keep the same plan for a time. But COBRA is often very expensive because the individual is typically responsible for the full cost of the plan without employer assistance. Another option is the health insurance marketplace at Healthcare.gov. For those who qualify for subsidies, this may provide some relief. But without subsidies, marketplace plans may still be difficult to afford. A third option is medical cost-sharing through an organization such as Christian Healthcare Ministries. CHM is not insurance. Instead, it is a community of believers who voluntarily come together to help share one another's eligible medical expenses. How Medical Cost-Sharing Works Most people are familiar with the traditional insurance model: premiums, deductibles, provider networks, and claims. Medical cost sharing operates differently. With Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM), members receive medical care from their provider and then work with that provider to receive the bill directly. The member submits the bill to CHM, and eligible medical costs are shared or reimbursed in accordance with the program guidelines. CHM describes this as “assurance” rather than insurance. Members are supported not only financially but also spiritually by a community of believers committed to helping one another. Christian Healthcare Ministries has been serving members for more than 40 years and has shared more than $13 billion in medical costs. What Does It Cost? CHM offers several programs designed to fit different household needs and budgets. Their Gold program is $299 per unit per month. Silver is $169 per unit per month, Bronze is $115 per unit per month, and CHM also offers a senior program for $119 per unit per month. Costs are based on household size and the number of participating members. Dependent children can participate as one unit, and no family pays for more than three units. For some families, that structure may provide a more affordable way to manage health care costs while staying aligned with their values. A Values-Aligned Approach Health care decisions are both practical and personal. Families need to consider costs, coverage needs, medical history, risk tolerance, and how each option fits their overall financial plan. For those seeking an alternative to traditional insurance, medical cost sharing may be worth exploring. It offers believers a way to come together in community, helping one another carry the burden of medical expenses. Christian Healthcare Ministries is a longtime underwriter of Faith & Finance, and many listeners—as well as some members of the FaithFi team—have used CHM for years. To learn more, visit CHMinistries.org/FaithFi. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I'm 71 and receiving a survivor Social Security benefit from my late husband. I've worked for years, but was told my own benefit will always be lower. Is that correct, and is there anything I can do? I applied for Social Security Disability after a stroke and am still waiting. As a self-employed mechanic, it's getting harder to work. If I'm approved, can I still work at all without losing my benefits? I'm a stay-at-home mom with a small business and a few hundred dollars to invest, with plans to add more over time. Where should I start? I'm retired on Social Security with a very low income and small annual losses from cattle. Do I still need to file a tax return, or am I exempt? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) Healthcare.gov Schwab Intelligent Portfolios® SSA.gov (Social Security Administration) Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What do you do when the cost of staying healthy starts straining the family budget? For many households, rising healthcare expenses have become one of the biggest financial pressures they face. But even when traditional coverage feels out of reach, you have options. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and Lauren Gajdek discuss medical cost sharing, how it works, and why more families are taking a closer look. Then, it’s on to your calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live— biblical wisdom for your financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio. Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio. To join our team of supporters, click here.To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.To learn more about Rob West, click here.To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Healthcare is one of the most important — and often overlooked — parts of retirement planning.In this episode, Miguel Gonzalez discusses several key healthcare considerations retirees may face, including Medicare, long-term care, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and the importance of building flexibility into your retirement strategy. Planning ahead for healthcare costs can help bring greater clarity and confidence to your long-term financial picture.#HealthcareCosts #RetirementPlanning #CortburgSpeaksRetirement #MiguelXGonzalez #FinancialWellness #MedicarePlanningWelcome to Cortburg Speaks Retirement Podcast with Miguel Gonzalez, MBA, AIF®, CPFA®, CRC® CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MIGUEL'S LATEST PODCAST FOLLOW US ON: YouTube->https://m.youtube.com/c/CORTBURGRETIREMENTADVISORSFacebook-> https://m.facebook.com/CortburgIncTwitter-> https://twitter.com/CortburgIncLinkedIn->https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelxgonzalez/Website: www.CortburgRetirement.comEmail:     Miguel@CortburgRetirement.com

May 13, 2026 - Could direct contracting for health care services be a cheaper alternative to employer-sponsored health insurance coverage? We explore how this type of self-insurance is utilized in New York with Courtney Burke, senior fellow for health policy at the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

In 2008, Katy Talento walked away from Capitol Hill and into a Catholic convent. Within a year, she walked out. Within another decade, she sat inside the White House shaping health policy. Somewhere in between, she got labeled “infertile” after a single cycle of testing and spent years believing it.That label stuck. The pain that came before it never got investigated. Doctors offered birth control and moved on. No one asked why her body was struggling. No one followed the thread.Talento built her career inside the very systems she now critiques. She worked on federal health policy, global disease programs, and later advised the Trump administration on healthcare reform. She helped advance price transparency rules in a system where hospitals can still list 457 different prices for the same service.Then she left.Now she builds employer health plans that bypass insurers, PBMs, and traditional networks. Her approach replaces insurance contracts with direct payment, nurse navigators, and cost sharing models that promise simplicity but raise hard questions about risk and protection.This conversation sits in that tension.Talento describes a healthcare system shaped by layered incentives, where insurers, hospitals, and intermediaries profit from complexity. She argues that employers hold the leverage to disrupt it. The host pushes on what happens when patients fall outside those structures, when contracts disappear, and when community based models fail.The episode moves through infertility, misdiagnosis, insurance design, and the mechanics of employer sponsored care. It tracks how policy decisions made in Washington ripple into exam rooms, billing departments, and family lives.It also confronts a harder truth.Even insiders who understand the system can still get caught in it.RELATED LINKSAllBetter HealthKaty TalentoThem Before UsAn Arm and a LegRelentless Health ValueFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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If you ask people what they're most worried about affording these days, healthcare tops the list (now tied with gas). And that concern may translate to a wave of resentment at the ballot box: About 90% of people say healthcare costs will influence whether and how they vote in November, and more than half say it will have a major impact. Then, the United Arab Emirates wants a currency swap with the United States. We explain.

If you ask people what they're most worried about affording these days, healthcare tops the list (now tied with gas). And that concern may translate to a wave of resentment at the ballot box: About 90% of people say healthcare costs will influence whether and how they vote in November, and more than half say it will have a major impact. Then, the United Arab Emirates wants a currency swap with the United States. We explain.

Hold onto your farm hats and Capitol coffee mugs! Heidi, Joel, and the legendary Scott MacFarlane spill the tea on courts, campaigns, and deer sausage. If you're into political intrigue, judicial juiciness, and rural rallying cries, this episode's your new best friend.In this episode:Scott McFarlane explains how Trump's judicial nominees won't admit the obvious: Biden won the 2020 electionThe GOP's silent treatment on Trump and what it means for the midtermsWhy rural America's voice will decide the Senate raceThe future of the Supreme Court confirmations as the political landscape shiftsThe elusive "big swing" states: Iowa, Ohio, and others, and how farm costs are shaping votesThe big debt debate: Who's serious and who's just whining?Redistricting drama, and could AI solve the problem?Most of us think courts and politics are dull as dishwater, until you realize they're the hidden game changers in who controls your future. In this eye-opening episode, seasoned journalist Scott McFarland spills the tea on the judiciary's shift, the GOP's silence on election truths, and why rural voters are the real kingmakers in 2024.Essential listening for anyone tired of the circus and hungry for the real story, because if you're waiting for change to happen from Washington's fancy halls, you might be waiting forever. Want to know what's really at stake in the fight for democracy? Hit play, buckle up, and get informed. The future isn't just on the ballot; it's in the courts, the districts, and the wallets of rural voters everywhere.Connect with Scott McFarlane:Scott MacFarlane on BlueskyScott MacFarlane on XScott MacFarlane on SubstackAnd remember: when the political sausage is made, Scott's your chef. Don't miss the next Hot Dish—more flavor, less fuss!The Hot Dish is brought to you by the One Country Project. To learn more, visit OneCountryProject.org, or find us on Substack (Onecountryproject.substack.com), and on YouTube, Bluesky, and Facebook (@onecountryproject). (00:00) - Introduction to the Conversation (00:58) - The Current Political Landscape and Trump's Influence (04:15) - Judicial Appointments and Their Implications (07:02) - Rural America's Role in Upcoming Elections (10:05) - Supreme Court Dynamics and Potential Retirements (12:29) - Economic Concerns and Voter Sentiment (15:10) - Agricultural Challenges and Their Impact on Voters (20:53) - Impact of Early Voting on Elections (22:30) - Redistricting and Its Implications (25:28) - Voter Rights and District Dynamics (28:07) - The Role of AI in Redistricting (30:51) - Economic Policies and Rural America (33:53) - Debt Ceiling and Fiscal Responsibility (37:25) - Healthcare Costs and National Debt (40:31) - Grassroots Support and Community Engagement

Send us Fan MailIs American healthcare collapsing?In this clip from our episode "How AI Could Save a Collapsing Healthcare System," host David E. Williams and Dr. Robert Pearl, Author of ChatGPT MD, break down why the current system is financially unsustainable and why physicians have never had the tools to fight back. Until now.Listen to the full episode here

A new KFF poll of 1,343 U.S. adults finds 61% say healthcare costs will have a major impact on their midterm vote. Among MAHA voters, 42% list cost as their top issue — double the share focused on food additives or vaccine policy. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/healthcare-costs-top-of-mind-for-voters-as-midterms-approach-survey-finds/ #HealthcareCosts #MidtermElections #KFFPoll #MAHA #VoterSurvey #Politics #Congress #WashingtonStateStandard

In a wooded campground cabin in the early 2000s, 19 year old Ben Unger stood in the doorway and watched 20 naked men form a circle around a crying teenager. A counselor held up two tangerines and shouted, “These are your balls.” The exercise claimed to cure same sex attraction by forcing young men to “reclaim” their masculinity from overbearing mothers. Phones had been confiscated. Parents had paid thousands of dollars. Religion supplied the script. Pseudoscience supplied the props.Ben had grown up in an Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn and later studied in Israel to become a rabbi. When he admitted he felt attracted to men, rabbis told him to eat 7 figs a day, immerse in a ritual bath 5 times daily, or marry a woman and trust that “if there's friction, it works.” At 19, he entered conversion therapy through an organization called Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality, known as JONAH. He left with depression, religious trauma, and 6 months of silence toward the mother he had been taught to blame.Years later, represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Ben helped sue JONAH for consumer fraud in a landmark New Jersey case. The argument centered on evidence, not theology. Sexual orientation cannot be changed. The jury deliberated for 3 hours and ruled against the organization. The verdict helped reshape how states regulate conversion therapy and protect minors from psychological harm disguised as treatment.Today, Ben runs Buff Personal Training in New York City, a gym built on autonomy, mental health, and self respect. His story traces the arc from institutional control to self authorship. The conversation examines religion, LGBTQ rights, conversion therapy, consumer protection law, and the lasting cost of being told your identity is a disorder.RELATED LINKSBen Unger on LinkedInBen Unger on InstagramBUF Personal TrainingSouthern Poverty Law CenterJONAHFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this Diving Deep episode, Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr dissect two issues that are often discussed separately but are deeply intertwined: how Americans can live longer, healthier lives and how the nation can make healthcare more affordable. The conversation begins with longevity. As interest in lifespan and “healthspan” grows, Dr. Pearl challenges three widely held beliefs that, in his view, are holding Americans back. First, the idea that physical and cognitive decline is inevitable with age. New research suggests that nearly half of older adults improve over time, particularly when they maintain a positive outlook and stay physically and mentally active. Second, the belief that longevity can be “hacked” through supplements, peptides and other quick fixes. Despite a $50 billion market and widespread adoption, Pearl explains that most of these interventions lack strong clinical evidence in humans. And third, the assumption that prevention can wait until middle age. Updated cardiovascular guidelines show that earlier screening and intervention, particularly around LDL cholesterol, can dramatically reduce long-term risk. From there, the discussion shifts to the financial side of healthcare. Pearl argues that improving population health is the most effective way to reduce costs, but that meaningful change will also require a fundamental redesign of how care is delivered. Drawing on behavioral research, he introduces a central concept: healthcare leaders tend to solve problems by adding more resources (staff, beds, technology) when better outcomes often require subtraction first. The second half of the episode applies this “subtraction before addition” framework across the healthcare system. In outpatient care, Pearl describes how the traditional small physician office has become increasingly inefficient in an era dominated by chronic disease and administrative complexity. He proposes larger, integrated models that share staff, leverage generative AI and shift from calendar-based visits to continuous, need-based care. In emergency departments, he outlines how segmenting patients by clinical severity could reduce wait times, improve outcomes and lower costs by treating low-risk cases through primary care pathways. And in inpatient settings, he points to hospital-at-home programs as a way to safely care for a significant share of patients at lower cost and with better outcomes. Taken together, this episode teaches that Americans can extend both lifespan and healthspan by rejecting outdated assumptions and focusing on proven behaviors. At the same time, healthcare affordability will not improve by continuing to add more of the same. It will require eliminating inefficiencies, redesigning care delivery and replacing outdated models with ones better suited to modern medicine. For more, tune into this month's episode and check out the links below. Helpful links New Studies Show Americans Are Thinking About Longevity All Wrong (Forbes) The More We Add To U.S. Healthcare, The Worse It Gets (Forbes) Monthly Musings on American Healthcare (RobertPearlMD.com) * * * Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of “ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Patients & Doctors Can Take Back Control of American Medicine.” Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on X and LinkedIn. The post FHC #213: Longevity myths, healthcare costs & why medicine must subtract to improve appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

As part of the Future of Texas series in partnership with Texas 2036, this episode tackles one of the most urgent and personal challenges facing Texans today: the rising cost of healthcare. Through the Future of Texas podcast series, Texas 2036 brings together diverse perspectives as we explore the opportunities and challenges facing our state over the next ten years. The views expressed in this program are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Texas 2036, its staff or its Board of Directors. Host Brad Swail is joined by Avik Roy, Co-Founder and Chairman of FREOPP, and Charles Miller, Director of Health and Economic Mobility Policy at Texas 2036, for a deep dive into why healthcare costs keep rising — and what Texas can actually do about it. The conversation begins with a stark reality: healthcare affordability has become a top concern for voters, even surpassing issues like property taxes. With employer-sponsored family coverage approaching $27,000 per year and out-of-pocket costs averaging around $10,000 annually for Texas families, the financial strain is reshaping both household budgets and business decisions. A major theme is how the current system distorts incentives. Rather than functioning as a true free market, U.S. healthcare operates as a heavily subsidized system where consumers often lack visibility into prices — and have little control over spending decisions. The discussion covers: • Why healthcare costs are rising faster than wages and inflation • How employer-based insurance distorts consumer incentives • The role of federal tax policy in shaping today's system • Why “free market vs government” is a false choice • The importance of competition, transparency, and aligned incentives • How monopoly power among hospitals and providers drives prices higher • Why past reforms — like surprise billing laws — sometimes backfire • The impact of vertical and horizontal consolidation in healthcare • How anti-competitive contracting limits consumer choice • Why Texas has made progress on transparency — but more is needed The episode also explores solutions that could reshape the Texas healthcare landscape. These include expanding price transparency, tackling provider monopolies, enabling more consumer-driven insurance models, and supporting innovative alternatives like direct payment systems and healthcare sharing models. Roy and Miller highlight promising developments already underway in Texas, including efforts to improve data transparency through all-payer claims databases and reforms targeting anti-competitive practices in provider contracts. Looking ahead, the goal isn't perfection — it's progress. Both guests emphasize that simply slowing the growth of healthcare costs to match inflation would represent a major win for Texas families and businesses. The takeaway is clear: the tools to fix healthcare affordability exist — but meaningful reform will require aligning incentives, increasing competition, and taking on entrenched interests within the system. 00:00 — Intro + Future of Texas series overview 00:30 — Why healthcare affordability matters now 01:13 — Cost of employer-sponsored coverage explained 02:00 — National vs Texas-specific cost challenges 03:12 — Texas vs California healthcare cost comparison 04:21 — Why affordability is now a top voter issue 05:21 — 53% cost increase over the past decade 06:41 — Why Texas policy drives higher costs 07:28 — Surprise billing reform and unintended consequences 08:24 — Incentives that drive price inflation 09:53 — Free market vs government: a false debate 10:14 — Why U.S. healthcare isn't truly a free market 11:17 — Employer-based insurance and tax distortions 12:23 — Why consumers don't behave like shoppers 13:23 — What a “healthy market” actually requires 14:17 — Transparency, competition, and incentives explained 15:25 — How subsidies can increase costs 16:09 — Insurance incentives and rising premiums 17:19 — Lack of price transparency in real-world care 17:58 — Switzerland as a model system 19:10 — Competition vs monopoly power in healthcare 20:29 — Real-world example: pricing distortions 21:42 — Hospital consolidation and market power 23:04 — Hospital Competition Act explained 25:02 — Why regulators struggle to fix consolidation 27:08 — Federal vs local enforcement gaps 29:33 — What Texas has done right so far 30:13 — Transparency reforms and data systems 31:05 — Anti-competitive contracting reforms 32:33 — Vertical integration and its risks 34:07 — What Texas still needs to fix 35:14 — Consumer-driven insurance models (ICHRA) 36:01 — Alternatives to traditional insurance 37:26 — Cash pricing and cost savings 38:04 — State employee health plans as a reform lever 40:31 — What success looks like by 2036 42:10 — Slowing cost growth as the first win 43:18 — Final thoughts + closing Watch Full-Length Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@TexasTalks

Retirement rarely follows a straight line, and the biggest threats often arrive without warning. This episode explores common retirement disruptions, including health changes, loss of a spouse, market volatility, and rising healthcare costs. The conversation breaks down why planning for a single, best-case scenario can leave gaps and how stress testing different possibilities can reveal blind spots. The hosts also examine alternatives to traditional long‑term care insurance, the trade‑offs of hybrid solutions, and what the NFL Draft can teach us about avoiding small decisions that create long‑term consequences. It’s a wide-ranging discussion focused on preparing for change and understanding how retirement plans need to adapt as life evolves. About America's Retirement Headquarters: We are dedicated to helping retirees achieve the retirement they deserve. From crafting personalized retirement income strategies to providing a single location for all your retirement solutions, our goal is to guide you every step of the way. Let us help you navigate the complexities of retirement so that you can enjoy financial confidence and peace of mind. Visit Us: 1700 Woodlands Drive, Maumee, OH 43537 Call Us: 419-794-3030See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drew Flugstad-Clarke never planned to work in brain cancer. She planned to play Division I soccer at Georgetown. She planned to paint. She even tried investment banking, answering emails at 4am in a cubicle that never slept. Then in June 2022 her father, Jim, was diagnosed with glioblastoma at 57. He died 1 day shy of 7 months later, just before his 58th birthday. His symptoms began with emotion, not seizures. A steady HR executive suddenly cried. His golf game slipped. By the time he entered the hospital for a scan, he did not leave without surgery. A subway poster for a 5K became a lifeline. Drew showed up. She found a community. She later joined the American Brain Tumor Association as Community Manager for the Eastern Region. This conversation walks through anticipatory grief, caregiving in real time, strategic numbness, and what it costs to curate hope when the median survival clock is already ticking.RELATED LINKSDrew Clark Flukestad on LinkedInTopor StudiosAmerican Brain Tumor AssociationGeorgetown University Women's SoccerFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Healthcare Happy Hour, host David Saltzman sits down with Chris Orestis, president of Retirement Genius, to explore the critical gaps in retirement planning—particularly when it comes to healthcare and long-term care costs. Chris explains how a lack of financial literacy and avoidance of difficult conversations leave many Americans unprepared for the realities of aging, often leading to crisis-driven decisions. The discussion highlights the growing importance of income planning, managing debt, and understanding longevity risk, as well as the significant financial and emotional impact of long-term care on individuals and families. Chris also outlines practical strategies for both consumers and advisors, emphasizing the need for early planning, diversified financial tools, and a more holistic, solution-oriented approach to retirement readiness in this first installment of a two-part series.

Janine Durso spent 30 years inside pharmaceutical advertising shaping healthcare narratives before becoming a belief strategist and founder of The Believist. In November 2024, during a routine Zoom coaching session, she felt what she called a sharp, terrible pain in the right side of her head. Within hours she was in surgery for a ruptured brain aneurysm. She does not remember the ambulance, the ICU, or the first weeks that followed. She spent 5 weeks in intensive care, then 10 days relearning how to walk, calculate simple change, and manage basic cognition. Doctors later placed a stent and continue monitoring a second unruptured aneurysm.This episode traces the moment she told her husband something broke in my brain, the 14 days doctors called touch and go, and the slow mental rebuild that followed. It also examines insurance barriers that require 2 direct relatives with aneurysms before screening coverage, and why she now lobbies in Washington for change.RELATED LINKSJanine DursoThe BelievistBrain Aneurysm FoundationWhite Plains HospitalDr. Jared CooperFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Loral walks Jason through a w2 to business transition strategy designed to reduce taxes, lower healthcare costs, and create long-term wealth.Like many high-income earners, Jason is staying in his W2 role for one main reason: benefits. But as Loral explains, relying on a paycheck often limits your financial potential. A W2 to business transition opens the door to smarter tax strategies, including lowering payroll, leveraging health savings accounts, and having your company cover key expenses.If you're earning well but keeping less than you should, this episode will show you how a W2 to business transition can completely change your financial future.Loral's Takeaways:Discussion on Health Benefits and Tax Strategies (00:00)Navigating W2 Income and Healthcare Costs (03:17)Cost Segregation and Tax Planning (04:48)Forming an LLC and Tax Advantages (05:40)Transitioning from W2 to Business Income (07:03)Meet Loral Langemeier:Loral Langemeier is a money expert, sought-after speaker, entrepreneurial thought leader, and best-selling author of five books.Her goal: to change the conversations people have about money worldwide and empower people to become millionaires.The CEO and Founder of Live Out Loud, Inc. – a multinational organization — Loral relentlessly and candidly shares her best advice without hesitation or apology. What sets her apart from other wealth experts is her innate ability to recognize and acknowledge the skills & talents of people, inspiring them to generate wealth.She has created, nurtured, and perfected a 3-5 year strategy to make millions for the “Average Jill and Joe.” To date, she and her team have served thousands of individuals worldwide and created hundreds of millionaires through wealth-building education keynotes, workshops, products, events, programs, and coaching services.Loral is truly dedicated to helping men and women, from all walks of life, to become millionaires AND be able to enjoy time with their families.She is living proof that anyone can have the life of their dreams through hard work, persistence, and getting things done in the face of opposition. As a single mother of two children, she is redefining the possibility for women to have it all and raise their children in an entrepreneurial and financially literate environment. Links and Resources:Ask Loral App: https://apple.co/3eIgGcXLoral on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askloral/Loral on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lorallive/videosLoral on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorallangemeier/Money Rules: https://integratedwealthsystems.com/money-rules/Millionaire Maker Store: https://millionairemakerstore.com/Real Money Talks Podcast: https://integratedwealthsystems.com/podcast/Integrated Wealth Systems: https://integratedwealthsystems.com/Affiliate Sign-Up: https://integratedwealthsystems.com/affiliates Thanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcastIf you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. You can also subscribe from the podcast app on your mobile device. Leave us an iTunes reviewRatings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on iTunes, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on iTunes.

This time on CodeWACK! Most employers don't actually know what they're paying for healthcare - and employees are paying the price. In this episode of Code WACK!, discover why companies are “flying blind” on healthcare costs, how opaque pricing drives higher premiums, and what this means for your coverage, care, and financial security. To learn more, we spoke with Chuck Melendi, who has more than three decades of experience in healthcare leadership, advocacy, and industry strategy. He spent 25 years at Johnson & Johnson, where he tackled issues including drug pricing, payer negotiations, policy, and commercial strategy. Chuck retired from Johnson & Johnson in early 2025 and went on to launch Disruptive Dialogue, a podcast and consulting platform where he shares insights from inside the U.S. healthcare system – while exploring ideas for reform. This is the second of a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

Rebecca Benghiat holds a JD, passed the bar, and skipped corporate law to build mental health systems instead. She now serves as Chief of Staff and Head of Impact at Inner Foundation, where she helps direct capital toward emerging adults ages 18 to 30 and asks a hard question every day: Is this actually working?In this conversation, she dismantles the myth of easy fixes. She explains why mental health measurement resists clean metrics, why a PHQ 9 score starts a conversation but never finishes one, and why “scale” often flatters institutions more than it helps people. She breaks down how impact investing shapes care delivery, why schools need networked systems not slogans, and why friction might be developmentally necessary.The stakes are real. Vulnerable families navigate snake oil, glossy apps, and pay to play algorithms while carrying the burden of choice in crisis. Benghiat lives inside that complexity and refuses to simplify it.RELATED LINKSRebecca BenghiatInner FoundationAspen Ideas HealthThe Jed FoundationFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some retirement challenges don’t show up in spreadsheets—they show up in real life. This episode with Damon Roberts & Matt Deaton blends client perspectives with professional insight to explore common misconceptions about retirement, from healthcare costs to Social Security decisions. The conversation highlights why starting earlier matters, how assumptions can derail plans, and what retirees wish they had known sooner. It’s a grounded look at preparing for retirement beyond the surface-level math. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call 480-680-6868 or visit www.successinthenewretirement.com! Follow us on social media: Facebook | LinkedInSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Healthcare stays expensive because the system hides prices and quality from the people paying for care, especially employers. We talk with Katie Talento about how CAA 2026 transparency and Department of Labor fiduciary rules could expose PBM practices, reshape contracting, and give plan sponsors real leverage if enforcement follows.• Why invisible prices and invisible quality break the healthcare market • How incentives and lobbying protect opacity across hospitals, PBMs, insurers and drugmakers • Why Washington lacks ERISA and employer-plan expertise • What CAA 2026 changes for PBM disclosures and fiduciary responsibility • How “check the box” compliance can fail without enforcement • How employers can use machine readable files plus claims data for network analysis • Why cash-pay and direct contracting get blocked by network contract provisions • What near-term reforms could bend the cost curve, including stronger HSA and ICHRA modelsYou can find me at katytolento.com

This time on CodeWACK! Most employers don't actually know what they're paying for healthcare - and employees are paying the price. In this episode of Code WACK!, discover why companies are "flying blind" on healthcare costs, how opaque pricing drives higher premiums, and what this means for your coverage, care, and financial security. To learn more, we spoke with Chuck Melendi, who has more than three decades of experience in healthcare leadership, advocacy, and industry strategy. He spent 25 years at Johnson & Johnson, where he tackled issues including drug pricing, payer negotiations, policy, and commercial strategy. Chuck retired from Johnson & Johnson in early 2025 and went on to launch Disruptive Dialogue, a podcast and consulting platform where he shares insights from inside the U.S. healthcare system – while exploring ideas for reform. This is the second of a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

Steve Forbes explains why free markets are the cure to the disease of out-of-control healthcare costs and will spare us from the disaster of a government-run single-payer model. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House wants states to drop certificate of need laws in hopes of lowering health care costs. Researchers and state leaders are split.Guests:Nate Adler, founder, GertieMatthew Mitchell, senior fellow, Fraser Institute; senior affiliated scholar, Mercatus Center at George Mason UniversityJill Horwitz, professor, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Feinberg School of MedicineBo Watson, Tennessee state senatorAlyssa Black, Vermont state representativeAmy Cooper, founder, board president Green Mountain Surgery CenterLearn more and read a full transcript on our website.Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news.Support this type of journalism today, with a gift. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At age 12, Dr. Chrystal Starbird stood by a pond after turning her mother in to the police. She watched tadpoles and fish move beneath the surface and found a strange kind of order. Science became her refuge long before it became her career. Years later, she built that refuge into a profession. She now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, studies structural biology tied to cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and won Cell's first Rising Black Scientist Award in 2020. On paper, she fits the model of success. In practice, she had to fight for basic access at every stage.Conference travel required upfront cash she did not have. Networking favored pedigree over merit. Mentorship often depended on who knew your name in the room. Chrystal learned those rules, then chose to break them open for others.Oliver Bogler examines what Chrystal calls the advocacy tax. She has delivered over 70 invited talks. Nearly 40 percent focus on equity, mentorship, and policy. Academic reward systems do not count that labor toward tenure. She still does it.Through her leadership at the Life Science Editors Foundation, Chrystal helped build the JEDI program, which pairs underrepresented scientists with editors from journals like Cell and Nature. The program has supported over 100 awardees with more than 1,000 hours of mentorship. This episode exposes how biomedical science rewards output while ignoring the work required to make the system accessible. It also shows what happens when the people most affected refuse to step back.RELATED LINKSDr. Chrystal StarbirdStarbird LabLife Science Editors FoundationJEDI ProgramFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steve Forbes explains why free markets are the cure to the disease of out-of-control healthcare costs and will spare us from the disaster of a government-run single-payer model. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At 19, Jansher Naim went from sharp stomach pain to a Stage 4 fibrolamellar diagnosis that few doctors see and even fewer young adults survive. He pushed through 41 rounds of chemotherapy, a Whipple surgery, and months of isolation while his friends kept moving through normal college life. In the studio, Jansher sits beside his mother Sadia Siddiqui, who refused early defeat and helped overhaul his care team when the first plan offered little optimism. Now a Computer Science student at Columbia, Jansher lives in the uneasy space between remission and risk, managing fertility decisions, travel for ongoing care, and the strange pressure to look fine at 22. Together they describe what it takes to grow up fast inside a system that rarely knows what to do with young adults who refuse to disappear.RELATED LINKSJansher NaimSadia SiddiquiFibroFighters FoundationColumbia UniversityFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica Federer built her career inside the rooms where science, money, and power collide. As the first female Chief Digital Officer at Bayer, she helped steer a 120,000 person global company through the rise of digital medicine while confronting a harder truth: women were excluded from U.S. clinical trials until 1993. In this conversation, she explains how decades of “first in man” research shaped drug development, why women experience side effects at nearly 2x the rate of men, and how guidance on sex based differences did not arrive from the FDA until December 2025. She shares what it means to sit on a Yale Institutional Review Board, why clinical trial stipends over $3,000 get taxed, and why she believes participants deserve tax credits instead. From GLP 1 profits to $40,000,000 women's health funds that barely move the needle, this episode names the gaps and the opportunity hiding inside them. RELATED LINKSJessica Federer on LinkedInJessica Federer on InstagramYale School of Public HealthHealth of Women Investor SummitFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.