The Business of America

Newsweek columnist Peter Roff joins Gerry Rogers to expose the real reason behind America’s skyrocketing health care costs: the bloated, tax-exempt hospital monopolies gaming the nonprofit system. Roff argues that these billion-dollar hospital chains are exploiting their nonprofit status, lobbying government for favors, and passing the cost to everyday Americans — all while failing to deliver real...

In this revealing episode of The Business of America , host Jerry Rogers speaks with Peter Pitts—former FDA official and president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest—about the hidden financial practices of nonprofit hospitals. They explore how tax breaks are misused, why hospitals escape scrutiny, and what real reform could look like at the state level. If you care about transparenc...

On this episode of The Business of America podcast, host Jerry Rogers sits down with Kelly Ryan of Jesuit Refugee Services USA and Elizabeth Hoffman of the ONE Campaign to tackle the real-world impact of U.S. foreign aid. They expose the political missteps behind recent aid cuts, highlight bipartisan support for humanitarian programs, and explain why smart foreign investment isn’t charity—it’s nat...

Dr. George Tidmarsh — physician, scientist, and biotech CEO — joins The Business of America podcast to reveal a shocking truth: talc , a substance linked to ovarian cancer, is still being used in common pharmaceuticals and food products. In this urgent conversation, Tidmarsh explains how the FDA's outdated "generally regarded as safe" (GRAS) list has gone unchecked since the 1970s....

In this episode of the Business of America podcast, host Jerry Rogers sits down with Janet McUlsky, founder and CEO of McUlsky Health Force, to discuss her journey from Pfizer executive to health policy entrepreneur. Janet shares the origin story of her firm, launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and explains how she’s helping patient and consumer groups find their voice in the nation’s...

In this episode of Business of America , host Jerry Rogers dives into the murky world of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) with two industry experts: Martha Nolan, Senior Policy Advisor at HealthyWomen, and Mike Stancil, VP of Strategic Alliances at AffirmedRx. The conversation covers the real cost of prescription drugs, the hidden mechanics of the PBM industry, and how women disproportionately bea...

In this episode of The Business of America podcast, host Jerry Rogers sits down with Peter Pitts — former FDA Associate Commissioner and president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest — for a hard-hitting conversation on America’s drug pricing crisis and President Trump’s recent executive order introducing Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing. Pitts outlines why the executive order might...

In this episode of The Business of America podcast, host Jerry Rogers sits down with John Stanford, Managing Partner of the Prism Group, for a deep dive into the critical link between small business success and public health. From personal health stories to national policy, this conversation unpacks why preventive care—including vaccines and telemedicine—is essential for small business resilience....

Martin Kulldorff, Ph. D., Dr.h.c., is an epidemiologist, a biostatistician, and a founding fellow at Hillsdale College’s Academy for Science and Freedom. He has been a Professor of Medicine at Harvard University for thirteen years. Dr. Kulldorff’s research centers on developing and applying new disease surveillance methods for post-market drug and vaccine safety surveillance and for the early dete...

Kevin Spivak is a highly regarded executive, entrepreneur, financier, author and attorney known for innovative leadership, sophisticated deal-making, understanding of financial markets and institutions, marketing expertise and “hands on” management. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of SMI Group LLC and chairman of its operating units. Mr. Spivak has led multi-national companies with billions of...

John DiDonato has been Founder and CEO of K12 Print INC. for over 30 years. With a natural ability to see the big picture, he has successfully created a printing “engine” that is not only hard to compete with but has a bigger purpose in mind. K12 Print, the fastest, most reliable custom print shop in the nation that not only enhances your brand but also transforms young lives. K12 Print is committ...

Iazsmin Ventura, MD, MSc, is a board-certified rheumatologist with a primary focus on inflammatory myopathies, autoimmune lung and skin diseases and vasculitidies, as well as providing comprehensive general rheumatology care. As part of UChicago Medicine’s multidisciplinary interstitial lung disease team, Dr. Bauer Ventura works with other specialty experts to diagnose, treat and manage interstiti...

J.P. Errico is a highly accomplished individual with a diverse range of expertise as an executive, entrepreneur, and inventor. He currently serves as a board member and founder of ElectroCore, a prominent company specializing in neuromodulation that has developed a pioneering noninvasive vagus nerve stimulator. J.P. has been credited as an inventor on over 250 issued US patents, and has founded an...

Robert Goldberg is co-founder and vice president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest. (CMPI) Along with Peter Pitts, Dr. Goldberg hosts the popular and controversial blog on the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare, www.drugwonks.com . Prior to founding CMPI, Goldberg was Director of the Manhattan Institute’s Center for Medical Progress and Chairman of its 21st Century FDA Task For...

Martin Kulldorff, Ph. D., Dr.h.c., is an epidemiologist, a biostatistician, and a founding fellow at Hillsdale College’s Academy for Science and Freedom. He has been a Professor of Medicine at Harvard University for thirteen years. Dr. Kulldorff’s research centers on developing and applying new disease surveillance methods for post-market drug and vaccine safety surveillance and for the early dete...

Kirsten Axelsen is a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where she focuses primarily on domestic and international pharmaceutical policy. In addition to her AEI work, Ms. Axelsen is a consultant to biopharmaceutical and other life science companies. Before joining AEI, Ms. Axelsen worked for over 20 years in the biopharmaceutical industry, both in-house and as a consulta...

Joe Kiani has been “solving the unsolvable” for over 30 years as an engineer and entrepreneur. He has a passion for improving patient safety through the development of unrivaled consumer and medical technology. He is the co-inventor of Masimo SET technology, which has been called “modern pulse oximetry.” SET revolutionized how clinicians measure this “fifth vital sign” and how they care for patien...

James Davis is the founder & president of Touchdown Strategies, a strategic communications company that helps organizations improve lives by making an impact on issues that matter. Before founding Touchdown Strategies, James spent seven years as a senior executive with the Stand Together community. He led teams to advance major advocacy campaigns that achieved once-in-a-generation policy wins,...

Brian Darling is the president and founder of the firm Liberty Government Affairs. He was Senior Communications Director and Counsel for Senator Rand Paul and a former senior fellow in government studies at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank based in Washington, D.C.  Darling has been involved in U.S. politics since the early 1990s, in roles as a congressional aide, lobbyist and le...

Tim Stewart has spent nearly 30 years in the legislative and regulatory environment in Washington D.C. Since 2004 Mr. Stewart has founded and managed three government relations and consulting firms. In 2004 he established the American Capitol Group, a full-service government relations firm. In 2009, he helped found Energy North America, an energy-consulting firm, and in 2011, he reunited with his...

Ray Ficca has been working as an actor, director, and producer for over 35 years. When not on stage, in front of the camera, or putting it all together, Ray finds inspiration and sparks of creativity from teaching acting at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts - Washington DC's only accredited actor training studio.

Leslie Danford, founder and CEO of Vitaminis, a clean-label functional food and beverage brand. She has always been passionate about nutrition, but she is not a foodie. For her, it’s like a math equation, and it’s important to cover all of your nutritional bases. In 2020 she combined her personal interests with her formal business training to launch Vitaminis. Previously she worked in beverages an...

Helder Toste is the Government Affairs Liaison for The LIBRE Initiative, a national non-partisan Hispanic advocacy group. Previously, Helder was the Field Director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee where he organized Hispanic voter contact efforts for 8 U.S. Senate campaigns and helped Republicans secure a record share of the vote in a midterm election. He has also served as the Nati...

Emily Holubowich joined the American Heart Association in 2019 with more than twenty years of experience in health and fiscal policy, government relations, strategic communications, and coalition management. She is frequently sought out by the media for her expertise on public health and fiscal policy, serves as a lecturer in health policy and management at The George Washington University, and is...

Juliana Reed is executive director at the Biosimilars Forum. Reed has served as the Biosimilars Forum president for more than eight years and was one of its original co-founders. She brings more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector to the Forum and has served in executive roles leading global corporate and government affairs for Pfizer, Hospira and Coherus BioSciences. Jon Martin s...