Richard Helppie's Common Bridge

Turning 65 sounds like a number until it lands in your body, your mirror, and your calendar. We sit down with Mike Bryskier from the Substack “Aging Against My Will” and let the conversation roam where real life actually goes: the petty annoyances that become big, the fear you pretend you do not have, and the relief that comes when you finally laugh at it instead of trying to “embrace the journey....

Independent doctors are being squeezed out of the market, and it’s not because they forgot how to practice medicine. It’s because the business side of healthcare has turned into a maze of Medicare fee schedule pressure, weak commercial payer contracts, delayed payments, denials, clawbacks, and rising costs that hit small practices the hardest. We’re joined by Preston Alexander of Forward Slash Hea...

Politics gets dangerous when power is defended with vibes instead of verifiable facts. We take a hard look at how public figures talk about the courts, the Justice Department, and “deterrence” and what those words can mean for ordinary people who just want fair rules applied evenly. We start in Michigan with Alyssa Slotkin’s attempt to hold the center while raising alarms about ideological capture...

A leadership rule from the workplace turns out to be a surprisingly sharp way to think about politics: if you do not receive an award, it does not mean you did not deserve one. We start there, with the uncomfortable gap between contribution and recognition, then zoom out to how modern public life rewards the loudest claim for credit instead of the best result. If you care about clear thinking, civ...

Healthcare is one of the only industries where buyers sign thousand-page contracts, can’t see what they’re actually paying for, and then get told the solution is “trust us.” Nathan Kaufman sits down with Mark Cuban for an unscripted, brutally honest look at the incentives driving high costs, denials, and the constant feeling that someone is skimming off the top. We dig into what Cuban calls “contr...

Politics didn’t get more complicated, it got more tribal, and the incentives behind what you see and share are a big reason why. We kick off season eight of The Common Bridge by looking back at what we set out to do in 2019: build a fiercely nonpartisan space where people can talk policy without being forced to “join a team.” After hundreds of conversations and two presidential cycles, we’re more...

Health insurance is supposed to buy peace of mind, but too often it buys a new kind of stress: surprise bills, long waits, and prior authorization hurdles that hit when you’re already sick. We sit down with Nick Stefanizzi, president of Northwell Direct, to unpack a provider-led, direct-to-employer contracting model designed to lower healthcare costs while improving the actual experience of gettin...

If you’ve ever wondered what “access to care” really means, picture a region that holds 30% of Michigan’s land mass and just 3% of its population. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Tanya Darner, Market Chief Executive Officer at UP Health System, to unpack how a single regional hub in Marquette delivers Level II trauma services and specialty care for communities spread across t...

Healthcare gets argued like a spreadsheet, but most of what matters shows up as a human moment: a parent trying to make sense of a diagnosis, a patient who just wants care close to home, a kid in a hospital room who lights up because it’s bingo time. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we talk with Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health, and Lamont Yoder, president of Corew...

Seven days. That’s the average wait time Trinity Health Michigan says it takes to get a new patient in with a primary care doctor and it’s a clue to how affordability and access can actually improve at the same time. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, I sit down with Shannon Striebich, president and CEO of Trinity Health Michigan, to talk about what a modern health system has to do differen...

Healthcare workforce shortages are not a single problem with a single fix, they are a pipeline problem. I’m joined by Russ Kavalhuna, President of Western Michigan University, to talk about what it looks like when a community decides to grow its own talent instead of hoping someone else moves in. From physicians and nurses to lab techs, radiology techs, OT, and PT, we dig into the roles that keep...

Health care is not just a line item for employers, it’s a defining force in whether a region can grow, attract talent, and stay competitive. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Rick Baker of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce to connect the dots between community investment and the health care systems that keep West Michigan working. We talk about what the Chamber actually...

A lot of health care headlines sound distant until you realize how quickly a policy tweak can turn into a long drive, a missed refill, or an ER visit that could have been prevented. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Monique Stanton, President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, to talk about why Medicaid is the number one health care issue for so many Michiganders...

A brand-new building can look like progress, but what happens when the real problem is leadership and accountability behind locked doors? From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Michigan State Senator Michael Webber to talk candidly about state-run psychiatric hospitals, what he says he saw after taking a closer look, and why mental health care oversight can’t stay in the shadows. We...

Health care gets blamed on villains, but the harder truth is that most people are reacting to the incentives right in front of them. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Matt Elliott, founder of Blue Lake Ideas and former president of Bank of America Michigan, to ask the question that quietly reshapes every other debate: who is the customer in health care? Matt brings a leade...

A kid walks into the ER because they thought a THC edible was candy, and the package did the lying. That’s one of the most unsettling through-lines in my conversation with Luanne Thomas Ewald, chief operating officer at CS Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital at University of Michigan Health, recorded at the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference with the Michigan Health and Hosp...

Detroit’s next wave of health care may be built as much with partnerships as with concrete. We sit down with Dr. Adnan Munkarah, President for Care Delivery and Chief Clinical Officer at Henry Ford Health, to unpack what it takes to modernize an academic medical center while keeping a century-long commitment to the city that surrounds it. We talk about replacing aging hospital space with a new tow...

One choice at the DMV can ripple into hundreds of surgeries, thousands of hospital hours, and a second chance at life for people you’ll never meet. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Dorrie Dils from Gift of Life Michigan to unpack what actually happens when someone becomes an organ and tissue donor and why the system works only when families and clinicians can move with cl...

Health care feels personal until you try to navigate it and realize how many parts are designed to be confusing. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with former Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow for a fast, candid conversation about what’s working, what’s breaking, and what Michigan communities need next. We start with the pressure points she’s most concerned about right now: ment...

Premiums are climbing, deductibles feel heavier every year, and most people still can’t tell you why health care costs what it costs. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we talk with Dominick Pallone, CEO of the Michigan Association of Health Plans, to get a clear look at what health plans actually do in Michigan and how state policy decisions ripple straight into employer coverage and family bud...

A state budget can feel like spreadsheets and deadlines until you connect it to the moment someone needs insulin, prenatal care, or an ER visit they never planned for. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Michigan State Senator Sarah Anthony, chair of appropriations, to talk through what happens when federal decisions hit a state balance sheet and the bill comes due at home....

A 111-year-old Detroit institution is making one of the biggest bets in Michigan health care, and the details are more ambitious than a new building. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we talk with Denise Brooks Williams, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Henry Ford Health System, about the “Future of Health” initiative and what it takes to modernize a flagship campus while...

Michigan’s biggest challenges aren’t neatly separated into “economy” over here and “health care” over there. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Representative Bill G. Schuette of Michigan’s 95th District to connect the dots between population growth, good jobs, education outcomes, and what families experience when the health system is hard to afford. We talk about what he’s...

Medicaid decisions made in a capitol building can land in a hospital waiting room fast and the ripple effects are bigger than most people realize. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, to talk about what Michigan hospitals are facing right now and what actually helps patients keep access to care. We start with...

This episode of The Common Bridge is part of a special 21‑part series of interviews recorded with healthcare leaders from across Michigan during the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, in partnership with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association Health care isn’t just a line item anymore, it’s the issue that keeps showing up in every hallway conversation. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference,...