CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered.

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Surprise, surprise, the US healthcare system is still the most expensive and lowest performing. That’s the message from the latest Commonwealth Fund report called Mirror, Mirror 2024: A Portrait of the Failing U.S. Health System.
In this episode of CareTalk, John and David dive into the report’s findings to uncover why U.S. healthcare remains so broken—and explore what, if anything, can be done to fix it.
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/caretalk and get on your way to being your best self.
As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
TOPICS
(0:27) Sponsorship
(1:45) Looking at the Commonwealth Report on the State of Healthcare
(3:18) How Well Does U.S. Healthcare Perform for Its Cost?
(6:00) What is Care Processing?
(7:08) Where is the U.S. an Outlier in Health Concerns?
(9:30) How Private Equity Ownership is Affecting Healthcare
(10:53) Why Primary Care is in Crisis
(11:49) How the Healthcare System Can Strengthen Primary Care
(13:56) The Task of Improving Care Access
(16:30) How AI and New Technology Can Improve the U.S. Healthcare System
(17:55) Administrative Inefficiency in U.S. Healthcare
🎙️⚕️ABOUT CARETALK
CareTalk is a weekly podcast that provides an incisive, no B.S. view of the US healthcare industry. Join co-hosts John Driscoll (President U.S. Healthcare and EVP, Walgreens Boots Alliance) and David Williams (President, Health Business Group) as they debate the latest in US healthcare news, business and policy.
🎙️⚕️ ABOUT AMY BROWN
Amy Brown, the founder and CEO of Authenticx, has built a distinguished career in healthcare, advocating for underserved populations, leading teams to expand coverage, and mastering corporate operations. Drawing on two decades of experience across healthcare and insurance sectors, she founded Authenticx in 2018 to address the missed opportunities in utilizing customer interaction data. Authenticx provides healthcare organizations with a unified source of conversational data, bringing the authentic voice of the patient into the boardroom to drive growth, profitability, and improved healthcare outcomes.
🎙️⚕️ ABOUT AUTHENTICX
Authenticx was established to revolutionize how healthcare organizations listen on a large scale. By harnessing the power of AI, Authenticx transforms everyday conversations into actionable insights, aiming to uncover transformative opportunities within the healthcare sector.
With over 100 years of collective leadership experience in pharmaceutical, payer, and healthcare organizations, the team at Authenticx understands the challenges and opportunities that clients encounter, having navigated similar landscapes themselves. This deep industry knowledge drives their commitment to delivering solutions that truly address the needs of their clients and enhance healthcare outcomes.
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⚙️CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered. is produced by Grippi Media Digital Marketing Consulting.

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The US is often called a free market health care system. But Medicare and Medicaid are the biggest insurers, and the government pays for about half of all healthcare. The private sector is getting the message, with some big players –like Humana—ignoring private customers altogether.
Are we on a one way train to single payer? Will innovation suffer? And if government pays all the bills, should it own all the hospitals, physician practices and drug companies, too?
In this episode of CareTalk, John and David share how they feel about the government being the main customer for healthcare.
TOPICS:
(0:56) Humana’s big move pulling out of the employer market
(4:00) Break down of the role of the government in healthcare over the past few decades
(8:37) Do employer-led or private foundation led initiatives have an opportunity for meaningful influence on their own?
(12:45) What can we learn from healthcare markets overseas?
(15:40) What is the closet example to a true free-market-system?
(16:00) What will be the impact on promising, but sometimes expensive new technologies?
ABOUT CARETALK
CareTalk is a weekly podcast that provides an incisive, no B.S. view of the US healthcare industry. Join co-hosts John Driscoll (President U.S. Healthcare and EVP, Walgreens Boots Alliance) and David Williams (President, Health Business Group) as they debate the latest in US healthcare news, business and policy.
Dive deeper into this episode and read our article, "Is the US Headed Towards a Single- Payer Healthcare System?
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⚙️CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered. is produced by Grippi Media Digital Marketing Consulting.

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Coping with a tooth cavity is a universally dreaded experience.
But what if we could detect and treat them before they cause trouble?
In this week’s HealthBiz Brief, Jordan Rubinson, CEO of Cavisense, elucidates how their technology detects cavities early, aiming to prevent tooth decay, safeguard oral health, and potentially reverse damage.
🎙️⚕️ABOUT CARETALK
CareTalk is a weekly podcast that provides an incisive, no B.S. view of the US healthcare industry. Join co-hosts John Driscoll (President U.S. Healthcare and EVP, Walgreens Boots Alliance) and David Williams (President, Health Business Group) as they debate the latest in US healthcare news, business and policy.
🎙️⚕️ABOUT JORDAN RUBINSON
Jordan Rubinson, CEO of CaviSense, brings over 20 years of pharmaceutical industry expertise from Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Aventis. Notably, he led Regenera Pharma and served as Chief Commercial Officer for Champions Oncology. His tenure includes successful CEO roles, such as at Polyheal Ltd, acquired by TEVA for $90M. With experience in marketing and management across various regions, Jordan holds degrees from Columbia University and MIT.
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#healthcarepodcast #healthcare #dentalcare #oralhealth #cavities #cavitytreatment #dentists

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⚙️CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered. is produced by Grippi Media Digital Marketing Consulting.

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GLP-1 medications like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic are taking the market by storm.
With demand soaring, many patients are realizing these medications are either not being covered or simply too expensive.
Is this all due to provider greed or is the issue more complicated?
In this episode of CareTalk, David E. Williams and John Driscoll discuss how the growing demand for weight-loss drugs is creating a conundrum for providers, forcing them to decide between avoiding the costs associated with at-risk patients or investing upfront for long-term savings.
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/caretalk and get on your way to being your best self.
As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
TOPICS
(0:38) Sponsorship
(2:06) Obesity in America
(2:40) The State of Insurance Coverage for GLP-1s
(3:27) Background on Obesity Drugs
(4:45) Formation of GLP-1 Use
(7:20) The Cost Conundrum of Weight-Loss Drugs
(10:16) How Insurance Impacts Weight-Loss Drug Coverage
(11:30) Understanding Adverse Selection
(14:30) How Insurers Prevent Coverage
(15:04) Decisions on Weight-Loss Drug Coverage
(16:07) What Makes GLP-1s Unique for Cost Coverage
(18:00) Will Weight-Loss Drugs Become Cheaper?
(21:22) Medicare's Role in Weight-Loss Drugs
(22:17) Examining Side Effects of Weight-Loss Drugs
🎙️⚕️ABOUT CARETALK
CareTalk is a weekly podcast that provides an incisive, no B.S. view of the US healthcare industry. Join co-hosts John Driscoll (President U.S. Healthcare and EVP, Walgreens Boots Alliance) and David Williams (President, Health Business Group) as they debate the latest in US healthcare news, business and policy.
GET IN TOUCH
Become a CareTalk sponsor
Guest appearance requests
Visit us on the web
Subscribe to the CareTalk Newsletter

Support the show

⚙️CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered. is produced by Grippi Media Digital Marketing Consulting.

Send us a text

Blind spots in our thinking and decision-making are an inevitable part of the human experience.
But what does this mean in the context of medicine?
In this episode of CareTalk, David E. Williams and John Driscoll explore these challenges with guest Dr. Marty Makary, author of Blind Spots, delving into our natural resistance to new ideas, the impact of these tendencies on healthcare, and strategies for addressing blind spots in modern medicine.
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/caretalk and get on your way to being your best self.
As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
TOPICS
(0:25) Sponsorship
(2:01) What got Dr. Makary into Medical Blind Spots?
(3:40) The Biggest Blind Spots in Medicine
(5:26) Looking Into the Questionable Data Around HRT and Cancer
(7:48) Where did Peanut Allergies Come From?
(10:08) Do Eggs Cause Heart Attacks?
(12:32) Understanding Dietary Cholesterol
(13:47) How to Reestablish Trust Between Patients and the Medical Community
(16:19) Exploring Historical Blind Spots
(18:19) How Human Nature Affects Medical Progress
(22:49) What Blind Spots will There be in the Future?
(25:00) How Should Patients Approach Blind Spots in Medicine?
🎙️⚕️ABOUT CARETALK
CareTalk is a weekly podcast that provides an incisive, no B.S. view of the US healthcare industry. Join co-hosts John Driscoll (President U.S. Healthcare and EVP, Walgreens Boots Alliance) and David Williams (President, Health Business Group) as they debate the latest in US healthcare news, business and policy.
🎙️⚕️ ABOUT DR. MARTY MAKARY
Dr. Marty Makary, a bestselling author and healthcare expert at Johns Hopkins University, is renowned for his work in improving healthcare systems and transparency. His latest book, The Price We Pay, earned him the 2020 Business Book of the Year Award and has been hailed by Steve Forbes as essential reading. As a leader in public health research, Dr. Makary focuses on redesigning healthcare to enhance reliability and coordination, especially for vulnerable populations. He is also the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins, has received the Nobility in Science Award, and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. With over 250 peer-reviewed articles and extensive teaching experience, Dr. Makary's academic background includes degrees from Bucknell, Thomas Jefferson, and Harvard, along with surgical residency at Georgetown and specialty training at Johns Hopkins.
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⚙️CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered. is produced by Grippi Media Digital Marketing Consulting.