The Healthcare Hangover

In this thought-provoking podcast episode, hosts David Contorno and Emma Fox delve into the flaws of proposed healthcare reforms. They express doubt about the effectiveness of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), cautioning that they can lead to higher out-of-pocket costs and discourage necessary care. The hosts also point out the lack of employer contributions to HSAs in many plans. Furthermore, they...

The podcast episode "The Dangers in Healthcare" explores the alarming trend of violence within the healthcare system, citing a specific incident in Portland where a security guard was shot and killed. The hosts discuss how hospital administrators often encourage staff to placate aggressive visitors and patients to avoid negative reviews, impacting federal reimbursement rates. They also delve into...

In this podcast episode, hosts David Contorno and Emma Fox expose the frustrations and unethical practices of UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest healthcare insurance providers in the US. They share personal experiences and highlight UnitedHealthcare's dominance in the market, prioritizing their own interests over those of employers and employees. The hosts discuss the rigged profit strategy of U...

In a lawsuit that has shed light on the risks associated with self-funded healthcare plans, Kraft Heinz has accused Aetna and Willis Towers Watson of failing to act in a fiduciary capacity and protect them from overcharging for inpatient open heart surgery. Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) is an ever-present issue in the healthcare industry, and Slingshot Bills can help detect it. As employers look f...

Healthcare transparency is essential for patients to make informed decisions, yet price disparities in the industry remain a major issue. In this podcast episode, we explore how financial incentives and contracts between hospitals and insurance companies can misalign the incentives of brokers, employers, doctors, and patients. We discuss the importance of understanding the influence of these incen...

The US healthcare system is plagued by corruption, and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) are taking advantage of it. Express Scripts, the largest PBM, is sending out letters to dozens of clinicians and provider practices warning them of fraud, waste, and abuse for off-label prescribing of FDA-approved drugs. PBMs are making more money than the insurers that own them, and they engage in spread prici...

In this podcast, David Contorno and Emma Fox explore the US healthcare system and how it affects employers and patients. They discuss how insurance companies, brokers, hospitals, and drug companies all benefit from higher costs, and suggest that people should be aware of both sides of the equation and how it affects their pocketbook. To illustrate this, they share their experience of finding medic...

The healthcare system is designed to make money rather than promote health, and Emma Fox and David Contorno discuss how to be a more informed and empowered consumer of healthcare. They provide advice on how to access financial assistance programs and discuss the high salaries of hospital executives, who are not necessarily making decisions based on clinical outcomes. Emma and David share their sto...

Do you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the US healthcare system? Are you tired of paying more for worse outcomes? If so, you're not alone. As healthcare consultants who build health plans for employers outside of the traditional channels, David Contorno and Emma Fox understand the perverse incentives within the US healthcare system and how those incentives guid...