There’s a long-simmering debate within the healthcare business on whether or not we should always reduce out well being insurers because the middlemen in paying for checkups, prescribed drugs, procedures and extra. Regardless of paying month-to-month charges, well being plan members need to pay hundreds in premiums, which may result in important out-of-pocket prices for prescription treatment and medical visits. The most recent episode of the Debunked podcast explores an ongoing debate on this subject led by investor Mark Cuban, which spilled onto social media channel X. The podcast additionally devotes consideration to the turmoil on the Division of Well being and Human Providers on Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s watch, significantly on the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. MedCity Information Editor in Chief Arundhati Parmar co-hosts the podcast with Samir Batra, managing associate of Well being Innovation Pitch.
Arundhati and Samir focus on whether or not payers are gaming the well being system by making the most of a public who might not absolutely perceive their medical insurance choices or the results of selecting one plan over one other, which may result in sudden out-of-pocket prices to pay premiums.
“The system just isn’t set as much as help patient-doctor [price] negotiations,” Samir mentioned, pointing to a rising pattern of subscription-based main care companies supplied by means of firms like One Medical, which Amazon acquired in 2023.
The dialog then delves into Kennedy’s chaotic management at HHS. Regardless of assurances made to U.S. Senators that Kennedy would depart vaccine suggestions in place, he has made a number of adjustments to longstanding vaccine coverage. He did away with a suggestion to manage the Covid-19 vaccine to pregnant girls and ladies nursing youngsters below 6 months outdated. Susan Monarez, the previous Senate-confirmed director of the CDC, was ousted over her vaccine coverage stance, which prompted different CDC executives to resign in protest. Kennedy additionally changed a board overseeing vaccine coverage with vaccine skeptics. In 2025, there have been 1,431 confirmed measles cases in 41 states, largely youngsters — the most important variety of circumstances in a yr since 2000, when the illness was declared eradicated within the U.S.
Epic’s announcement at its annual Customers Group Assembly that it’s developing hundreds of different AI bots to help clinicians, payers and sufferers can be highlighted, sparking a dialogue on the ramifications of this information, primarily that it might shut out competitors from its app market due to its dominance as an EHR vendor.
Hearken to the complete Debunked podcast right here:
