Podcast appearances and mentions of ron howrigon

It's all about the money... until it isn't.  Ron Howrigon, a former health insurance executive with some of the largest insurance companies in the U.S., takes us behind the scenes to look at how these companies put profit over patients, why he left the business, and what he's doing now to help doctors fight the very industry he started in.

In this episode, we're joined by Ron Howrigon, President of Fulcrum Strategies, who specializes in guiding doctors through the complexities of insurance policies. Ron shares his unique journey from working on the insurance side to advocating for physicians and patients against unfair industry practices. We dive into the challenges of prior authorization, insurance denials, and their impact on physician burnout. Ron sheds light on the incentives driving insurance companies and the reasons behind coverage battles, while offering thoughtful solutions to improve the system for patients and health care providers alike. Among the highlights in this episode: 01:17: Ron explains his career shift from working for major insurance companies to founding Fulcrum Strategies, motivated by his personal experience during his child's birth 03:15: Ron describes the main focus of his work: helping physicians negotiate fair reimbursement terms with insurance companies and address issues like prior authorization 06:04: Ron highlights common problems physicians face, including retroactive denials and patients being unable to afford out-of-pocket costs despite having insurance 08:14: Ron discusses the motivation behind insurance companies' tactics, explaining the profit-driven nature of the industry and how it conflicts with patient care needs 09:49: The conversation shifts to the challenges of managing chronic disease within the insurance system, with Ron explaining the adverse selection and cost issues insurers face 11:01: Zoe Rothblatt, Director of Community Outreach at GHLF, shares her personal experience with biologic medication costs, highlighting the financial burden on chronically ill patients 13:46: Ron offers his perspective on potential solutions, including the possibility of universal health care and reforming the insurance industry's approach to prior authorization 15:29: The discussion addresses the need for accountability in the insurance industry, with Ron suggesting that medical directors be held to the same standards as prescribing doctors 18:49: Ron offers a message of resilience and hope, encouraging patients and physicians to continue advocating for policy change and better care 19:57: What our hosts learned from this episode Contact Our Hosts Steven Newmark, Chief of Policy at GHLF: snewmark@ghlf.org Zoe Rothblatt, Director of Community Outreach at GHLF: zrothblatt@ghlf.org A podcast episode produced by Ben Blanc, Associate Director, Digital Production and Engagement at GHLF. We want to hear what you think. Send your comments in the form of an email, video, or audio clip of yourself to podcasts@ghlf.org Catch up on all our episodes on our website or on your favorite podcast channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textThe only barrier to success in the Pursuit of Health is ourselves.Joining to contribute to our ongoing healthcare conversation, is self-described “recovering managed care executive” Ron Howrigon.As President and CEO of Fulcrum Industries, Ron is in the business of helping physicians and hospitals with negotiations for managed care contracts - having chosen to leave a lucrative career in favor of seeking systemic improvement.——We spoke about his experience on “the other side of the fence”, the key factors contributing to the cost of healthcare, how to make a system that is cost-effective, and why we need to set politics aside to address the fundamental health issues affecting our nation.Ron is the author of FLATLINING: How Healthcare Could Kill the U.S. Economy and the host of The FLATLINING Podcast.Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com. My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

My guest is HealthCare Economist Ron Howrigon. In 2017, Ron wrote Flatlining: How Healthcare Could Kill the US Economy and had some dire predictions for our healthcare system and our economy if substantial changes weren't implemented. Today, Ron discusses his sequel to Flatlining called: CLEAR! Reforming Healthcare to Save the US Economy. In the movie “Don't Look Up”, an asteroid the size of Mount Everest is headed toward earth. A group of astronomers warn the President that unless something is done urgently to alter the asteroid's course, earth will be destroyed. The strategy of the President and her government is, “Don't look up.” That is, if you don't look up you won't see the asteroid on collision course with earth, and somehow everything will be okay. Similarly, as the National Debt continues to soar, an ever-increasing Healthcare Cost is like an economy-destroying asteroid that's largely being ignored right now. In effect we're following the “Don't Look Up” strategy. How do we reign in the cost of US Healthcare, while maintaining access and quality and at the same time providing coverage for all who want it? Stay tuned and find out.

Healthcare economist, Ron Howrigon, returns to follow up on “surprise medical bills”, the nursing shortage, the hospital transparency rule, the economy,  the inscrutable workforce paradox, and much more...

As we head for the offramp of the COVID-19 pandemic, we take a candid look at the dystopian future that awaits us. Healthcare economist, Ron Howrigon, returns to discuss Healthcare 2022 and examine some of the most dysfunctional aspects of our healthcare system that will likely get worse in the post-COVID world.

Ron Howrigon is back in the virtual studio to analyze Donald Trump’s 4200-word “doctrine” for a new healthcare system, created by Presidential Executive Orders [his words, not ours.] We also look at Biden’s “Strive for Five” healthcare tweaks to Obamacare and beyond. Lastly, we discuss how both candidates may have to modify their healthcare platforms based on the fate of Obamacare in the Supreme Court. In this episode, we lay out the two most likely scenarios…

With the COVID-19 shutdown leading to over 10% unemployment and adding 2 trillion dollars to the national debt (from the “stimulus package”), the U.S. has entered “uncharted economic waters.” No major country in the world has ever been this upside down on debt-to-income ratio. All metrics point to a fiscal disaster much larger than the 2008 mortgage crisis, and substantially worse than the “Great Depression” of 1929. Today, health care economist, Ron Howrigon, author of Flatlining: How Healthcare Could Kill the US Economy, breaks it down by the numbers. Buckle up folks, winter is coming.

While the COVID crisis' impact on health and health care is unprecedented in many ways, its impact on the economy may be even more severe. The US GPD dropped 40% in one quarter, we've had the highest first-time unemployment claims ever in our history. We're spending money as fast as we can to try and climb out, more money than almost the rest of the world combined, but that's left us with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 136%. What will this mean for health care in the future? Medicine is the single largest industry in our economy, when the time comes to start paying for the debt we're racking up now, health care is going to be in the spotlight. Ron Howrigon discusses ramifications of the economic impact of COVID in our new podcast.

Everyone thinks they're they best, that they're doing a great job, that they have their ducks in a row - right up until someone starts publishing "report cards". As the payers publish their ratings of your performance, are you prepared to respond? How will you stack up? Can you combat mistakes, can you answer to shortfalls? Today's patients are connected, they read reviews, they research ratings, they'll compare medical practices just like anything else before they commit. If you're not keeping tabs on your own performance, rest assured someone else is. Listen as Ron Howrigon discusses transparency and ratings and how they can affect your practice.

Ron Howrigon weighs in on recent statements, the advance of the virus, and the stimulus bill that remains "in the works".

What would it actually cost to implement Medicare for All? Several candidates are championing the idea, but is it feasible? What would it do to the economy if we attempted it? What would happen to the demand for care and how would physicians and hospitals respond to such a program? Ron Howrigon of Fulcrum Strategies discusses his take on these questions in this episode.

A California Lawmaker has written a bill to create a government-appointed commission to price-fix physician fees with the intent to control California healthcare costs, improve quality, and increase equity in California’s healthcare system. All objective evidence and experience suggests that government price-fixing of physician fees will accomplish none of those things. Today, I have healthcare economist and President of Fulcrum Strategies, Ron Howrigon, in the studio to analyze this bill and the unintended, and potentially disastrous, consequences to California’s patients, physicians, and hospitals.

Today’s show is a remix of a show I did last January with Ron Howrigon, before Trump took office. As Trump was running on Repeal and Replace Obamacare, we talked extensively about what that would mean for healthcare. We also discussed Ron’s new book, “Flatlining: How HealthCare could kill the US Economy” and what was likely to happen to the U.S. economy & healthcare system if we don’t make some extraordinary changes soon. I hope you enjoy the show—it’s more relevant today than it was last January.

This is the first installment in a series of podcasts from Fulcrum Strategies president Ron Howrigon devoted to his book, Flatlining: How Health Care Could Kill the US Economy.

On May 4th, the “new and improved” American Health Care Act, aka “TrumpCare 2.0,” was passed in the House of Representatives, and is set to replace Obamacare. Ron Howrigon, the CEO of Fulcrum Strategies and author of Flatlining: How Healthcare Could Kill the U.S. Economy, is back in the virtual studio to discuss “TrumpCare 2: The Resurrection of RyanCare” and how it could affect us all.

On March 6, 2017, the House Republicans released their highly anticipated bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, called “The American Health Care Act,” or AHA. From the moment the bill was released, it came under fire from Democrats, Republicans, conservative groups, progressive organizations, the AARP, and nearly all healthcare advocacy groups. Today, Ron Howrigon and I perform a warm autopsy on the corpus of TrumpCare, and discuss why it is being opposed by virtually every segment of the healthcare delivery system and the AARP.

Ron Howrigon talks about his new book, “Flatlining: How Healthcare could Kill the U.S. Economy.” He discusses the looming economic crisis in healthcare that could be far bigger and more widespread than the auto industry and the housing market crashes combined.

Healthcare economist and President of Fulcrum Strategies, Ron Howrigon, is back in the virtual studio to discuss the status of Obamacare, and to answer the four-trillion dollar question: Is Obamacare Terminal?

In Part I of this series, healthcare expert, Ron Howrigon of Fulcrum Strategies, explains the broken U.S. health insurance system and why it cannot last.