Inside Healthcare from Fulcrum Strategies

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron discuss a claim made by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that millions of Americans cannot access a primary care physician or have to wait months to get an appointment. Are these claims true? If so, what can be done? Subscribe to the FLATLINING Podcast on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify , the  iHeartRadio app ,  Amazon Music ,  Google Podcasts , Stitche...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron talk about Senator Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) SMART Prices Act which would speed up the drug price “negotiations” in the Inflation Reduction Act. They also talk about an idea that would eliminate the difference in costs between seeing a doctor at a hospital versus and office. Subscribe to the FLATLINING Podcast on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify , the  i...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron talk about three current healthcare proposals from three different groups. First, the Biden administration is proposing changes to how short-term health plans work. These were deregulated during the Trump administration and allowed to last 364 days and be renewed four times. Ron explains why that doesn’t really work. Then, the US House of Repres...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron discuss a few news items in North Carolina. First, the state budget has been held up by members of the state Senate effectively putting Medicaid expansion on hold. When can we see any changes and how many more Medicaid patients should providers expect to see? Then, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina got approval from the state legislature an...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew Handley takes a look at the “two cents to save America” plan touted by Michigan businessman Perry Johnson. Johnson says it will save America’s debt crisis. Who knew it could be so simple? Plus, Matthew tells you what federal department Johnson wants to cut completely and how his policies affect your healthcare. Subscribe to the FLATLINING Podcast on  Ap...

Matthew Handley and Ron Howrigon continue their discussion about Ron’s new book. In this second part of the episode, they discuss what some possible reforms would be to fix the system and save the economy. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE BOOK. ( https://amzn.to/3CgXfmt ) From the description: With healthcare spending accounting for nearly 20% of the U.S. economy and growing, Ron lays out a logical appr...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew Handley talks to Ron Howrigon about his new book CLEAR!: Reforming Healthcare to Save the US Economy. In the first of this two-part episode, they talk about some of the reasons healthcare is breaking the economy. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE BOOK. ( https://amzn.to/3CgXfmt ) From the description: With healthcare spending accounting for nearly 20% of the U...

Yesterday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments for a case that could end free preventative care in the Affordable Care Act. Listeners of the podcast may remember when Ron and Matthew discussed the first case last year. Judge Reed O’Connor, the federal judge who previously attempted to rule that the ACA was unconstitutional entirely, ruled that Preventative Services Task Force was not...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron provide an update on the debt ceiling talks in Washington. Now that a tentative deal has been agreed to, what delays, if any, can providers expect from Medicare payments? Then, a new budget deal in Sacramento may raise reimbursement for some office visits and maternity care for Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. How much of an increase cou...

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is one of the few Democrats who have decided to mount a primary challenge to President Joseph Biden in the 2024 election. He has espoused conspiracy theories about childhood vaccinations, the use of fluoride in water purification, and COVID-19. At the same time, he pushes for bonafide Democratic policies including protecting the environment and limiting special interest invo...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron discuss a new policy from UnitedHealthcare ($UNH ) that requires diagnostic and surveillance colonoscopies to undergo prior authorization. At the same time UnitedHealthcare claims they are cutting twenty percent of prior authorizations across the board. Then, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee passed several new regulati...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron discuss the debt ceiling. Why does the United States have a debt ceiling? What happens if the US defaults on its debt? How will Medicare claims be paid if the government hits the debt ceiling? Subscribe to the FLATLINING Podcast on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify , the  iHeartRadio app ,  Amazon Music ,  Google Podcasts , Stitcher ,  Pandora , TuneIn...

Dan Hurley, MD is an otolaryngologist in Arizona who has been diagnosed with a rare and fatal form of cancer. While he was preparing to receive chemotherapy, his insurance carrier denied a PET scan. When the decision was eventually overruled, Dr. Hurley had to make the choice to delay chemo treatment and get the scan or start the treatment to try and save his life. Matthew Handley discussed that d...

The federal government is appealing the TMA 2 case. What does that mean for TMA 3 and TMA 4? Then, Matthew and Ron discuss the current lawsuits against the FDA and why some politicos want it both ways. Plus, the federal government has spent nearly $1 billion researching long COVID; some say that’s too much with little result. And vaccines don’t cause autism, but do they cause tinnitus? Subscribe t...

Today, Judge Jeremy Kernodle is holding hearings on two lawsuits against the Department of Health and Human Services for their lack of enforcement of the No Surprises Act. These two cases regard the proper calculation of the Qualifying Payment Amount (QPA) and the fee hike for submitting claims to the arbitration process; these are known as TMA 3 and TMA 4 respectively. Matthew and Ron are at the...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Ron and Matthew discuss two recent judicial decisions that contradict. A judge in Texas ruled that mifepristone, the drug used for over half of all abortions in the United States, should lose its approval status from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Then, on the same day, a judge in Washington ruled that the FDA needs to make the drug more widely availab...

Last week the investigative publication ProPublica released an article detailing Cigna’s ($CI ) use of a computer system that automatically denies claims that meet certain parameters. Our own president and CEO Ron Howirgon was interviewed for the article and participated in a ProPublica/The Capitol Forum webinar on the matter. He and Matthew discussed the contents of the article and what can be do...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Ron and Matthew discuss several healthcare news items from California, including Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to sever the state’s ties with Walgreens ($WBA ), California branded generic insulin, the court cases surrounding the COVID-19 misinformation law, and Sutter Health’s full residency program. Subscribe to the FLATLINING Podcast on  Apple Podcasts , ...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron discuss the new weight loss drug by Novo Nordisk ($NVO ) called Wegovy and how it and similar drugs could change America’s public health. Plus, they talk about why insurance companies aren’t covering it and how and when that could change. Subscribe to the FLATLINING Podcast on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify , the  iHeartRadio app ,  Amazon Music , ...

This week on the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron briefly discuss the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. What do the closures say about the rest of the economy? Then they talk about the deal reached in North Carolina to expand Medicaid and reform the Certificate of Need laws. How soon can a group open an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) or operate and MRI machine? Will this help...

In this episode of the FLATLINING Podcast, Matthew and Ron discuss two news items. First, they talk about new data that shows more physicians died during the COVID-19 pandemic than previously expected, fueling the already-created physician shortage. What happens if there aren’t enough physicians? Then, they discuss a new bill in the state of Indiana that claims to help regulate some of the state’s...

This week, Matthew and Ron continue their discussion on the different ideas for reforming healthcare. In this episode, they focus on some of Senator Bernie Sanders’ priorities as the new chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the United States Senate and different proposals to save Medicare from becoming insolvent. Subscribe to the FLATLINING Podcast on  Apple Podcasts , ...

On the FLATLINING Podcast this week, Matthew and Ron begin a short series explaining the different proposals floating around in this Congress to “fix” or reform healthcare. In this episode, they discuss some of the contents of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Commitment to America and why some states are attempting to pass a public option. Subscribe to the FLATLINING Podcast on  Apple Podcasts ,  Sp...

This week, Judge Jeremy Kernodle ruled against the Department of Health and Human Services (again) in a lawsuit surrounding the No Surprises Act. The Texas Medical Association and others were plaintiffs in the case and had previously taken the Biden Administration to court over HHS’ creation of the Interim Final Rule. Last year, Judge Kernodle ruled that HHS had not followed proper procedure and e...

On this FLATLINING Podcast Short, Matthew takes a look back at an episode Ron did in 2020 about then-candidate Joe Biden’s healthcare platform. He focused his healthcare policy on a few things: lowering the Medicare age, adding a public option, drug reform, and surprise billing. Matthew takes a look at how well President Biden has stuck to those campaign platforms ahead of the State of the Union a...