In this powerful episode of the Broken Healthcare podcast, host Ray Kober sits down with Robert Baird, President of the National Cancer Treatment Alliance (NCTA), to uncover the hidden truths about cancer care in America. Discover how self-funded employers are unknowingly overspending by millions—and what you can do to take back control.

We cover:

• The shocking cost disparities in cancer treatment
• How to spot and fix hidden waste, abuse, and markup in your healthcare plan
• Why independent oncology practices offer better care at a lower cost
• The future of precision medicine and gene therapies
• Actionable strategies for employers to fulfill their fiduciary duty under the CAA
• 
  

If you're a CEO, CFO, HR leader, or Benefits Consultant—this is the episode you can’t afford to miss.

🎧 Brought to you by Benefixa – Empowering smarter healthcare.

👉 Subscribe for more unfiltered healthcare truth and transformation.

Get in touch with Robert here: National Cancer Treatment Alliance (NCTA)

#cancercare #healthcarecosts #employeebenefits #NCTA #brokenhealthcarepodcast #oncology #fiduciaryresponsibility #selfinsured #raykober #robertbaird #brokenhealthcare

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What happens when an HR leader says “enough” to the broken U.S. healthcare system? Stephanie Koch, VP of HR at Hendry Marine Industries, shares her extraordinary journey from corporate gatekeeper to pioneering healthcare reformer.

In this compelling episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober dives deep with Stephanie to uncover how she saved lives, slashed costs, and transformed employee benefits—without sacrificing care. From navigating reference-based pricing to launching an on-site clinic that detected stage 4 cancer in time to save a life, this is a masterclass in courageous, data-driven leadership.

👉 Whether you're in HR, a business leader, or just fed up with sky-high premiums, this episode is for you.

🎧 Topics Covered:

• HR’s role in driving healthcare change
• What reference-based pricing really looks like
• How to build trust with employees through benefits
• Saving money and lives with strategic care models
• Creating a $0 cost healthcare path that works

🔗 Subscribe for more real talk with industry innovators.

#BrokenHealthcare #HRLeadership #EmployeeBenefits #HealthcareReform #StephanieKoch #ReferenceBasedPricing #CostSavingStrategies #WorkplaceWellness #HendryMarine #OnSiteClinic #HumanResources

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Is your healthcare plan quietly bleeding your business dry? In this eye-opening episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with industry veteran Anthony Masotto from Drexi to unpack the tangled web of pharmacy benefits, high-cost drugs, and the real reason your insurance premiums keep rising.

👉 Discover:

- Why your insurance carrier might not be working in your best interest

- How self-funded plans can unlock massive savings (without cutting benefits)

- The truth behind PBMs, rebates, and spread pricing

- Why drugs like Humira and Stelara cost so much more in the U.S.

- Real talk on obesity, GLP-1s, and getting honest about health

Whether you're an HR leader, CFO, or just someone fed up with the status quo in American healthcare—this conversation is a must-listen. No fluff, just facts.

🔔 Subscribe to Broken Healthcare for more real conversations and solutions.

#BrokenHealthcare #PharmaExposed #HealthcareReform #PBM #Drexi #AnthonyMasotto #HealthInsurance #EmployerBenefits #TransparencyInHealthcare #Podcast

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What happens when a CPA with a passion for following the money is handed a failing $200M state health plan? She rewrites the rules.

In this explosive episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Marilyn Bartlett, the woman who dared to fire the PBM, cut out the middlemen, and bring real transparency to Montana’s state employee health plan. From exposing hidden costs to negotiating directly with hospitals using reference-based pricing, Marilyn’s story is a masterclass in financial guts and healthcare disruption.

💥 Learn how she turned a near-bankrupt health plan into a model of efficiency — without cutting employee benefits.

💼 Perfect for CFOs, HR leaders, benefits brokers, and anyone tired of the bloated U.S. healthcare system.

🧠 Topics Covered:

The truth about middlemen in healthcare

How reference-based pricing actually works

Negotiating with hospitals using Medicare as a baseline

Real numbers, real savings, and real pushback

🔍 This is the episode the healthcare industry doesn't want you to hear.

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In this highlight from our latest episode, Ray Kober and healthcare expert Rosalie Faris dive into the power of nurse-led medical management in transforming the healthcare experience. From saving money on high-cost procedures to improving patient outcomes, discover how a new approach is reshaping the future of healthcare. Don't miss this insightful conversation on improving patient care and cutting costs!

#Healthcare #MedicalManagement #NurseLeadership #CostSavingCare #PatientOutcomes #HealthcareInnovation

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What happens when a nurse steps into the complex world of medical management and rewrites the rules of patient care?

In this insightful and engaging episode, host Ray Kober sits down with the passionate and whip-smart Rosalie Faris, a seasoned nurse and healthcare pioneer who's been on the frontlines of both clinical care and health plan navigation.

From her early days in the ER to founding medical management companies, Rosalie shares her incredible journey, hard truths about the opioid crisis, and how her team is flipping the script on traditional insurance models. Learn how bundled healthcare, nurse navigation, and direct primary care can create a path to $0 out-of-pocket costs for patients—without sacrificing quality.

If you're an employer, broker, TPA, or just a curious listener who's tired of broken healthcare, this episode is a must-listen. It's heartfelt, eye-opening, and packed with practical solutions for transforming the healthcare experience from the inside out.

✅ Real stories.

✅ Insider knowledge.

✅ A path to better care at a lower cost.

Tune in. Learn more. Be the change.

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Dr. Ken Yale has seen it all — from the inside of the White House to the top of Tricare, where he oversaw healthcare for nearly 10 million active military members and their families. In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on the tangled web between Washington politics and the healthcare industrial complex.

We cover everything from FDA user fees and Big Pharma influence to the ethics of covering $2M drugs — and what happens when a former dental surgeon, attorney, and health plan CEO calls BS on a broken system.

In this episode:

• What really goes on behind closed doors in DC healthcare policy
• Why the FDA’s funding model is structurally compromised
• How politics shapes your drug approvals — and your grocery list
• The hidden costs of GLP-1 drugs, Medicare, and Medicaid
• Why our food system may be the root of America’s chronic disease epidemic
• Dr. Yale’s eye-opening stories from the frontlines of Tricare decision-making

This one’s got it all — policy, politics, pharma, and plain old common sense. If you care about fixing healthcare, don’t miss it.

🎧 Subscribe for more truth from the front lines of America’s most broken system.

“The FDA takes money from the companies it regulates. The military covers $2 million drugs. And kids are being prescribed weight-loss meds. If that doesn’t scream ‘broken system,’ I don’t know what does.” — Dr. Ken Yale on the DC–Healthcare pipeline.

#DrKenYale #TricareInsider #WhiteHouseToHealthcare #InsiderPerspective #BrokenHealthcarePodcast

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💣 From Collapse to Comeback: Meet Marilyn Bartlett, the CPA who turned a broken $200M state health plan into a national model — and didn’t blink when it meant rewriting the rules of the healthcare game.

💥 The Big Moves:

• Fired the PBM and exposed the hidden middlemen 💼
• Brought reference-based pricing to the table 💵
• Negotiated directly with hospitals using Medicare rates 🏥
• Saved millions — without cutting a single employee benefit 📉✅

👀 Why it Matters: This episode pulls back the curtain on healthcare pricing games and shows exactly how bold leadership and hard data can drive real change.

🎯 For: CFOs, HR leaders, brokers, reform advocates, and anyone sick of being gaslit by the U.S. healthcare system.

🔊 Don’t miss this explosive conversation with a true healthcare rebel.

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What happens when a CPA with a passion for following the money is handed a failing $200M state health plan? She rewrites the rules.

In this explosive episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Marilyn Bartlett, the woman who dared to fire the PBM, cut out the middlemen, and bring real transparency to Montana’s state employee health plan. From exposing hidden costs to negotiating directly with hospitals using reference-based pricing, Marilyn’s story is a masterclass in financial guts and healthcare disruption.

💥 Learn how she turned a near-bankrupt health plan into a model of efficiency — without cutting employee benefits.

💼 Perfect for CFOs, HR leaders, benefits brokers, and anyone tired of the bloated U.S. healthcare system.

🧠 Topics Covered:

The truth about middlemen in healthcare

How reference-based pricing actually works

Negotiating with hospitals using Medicare as a baseline

Real numbers, real savings, and real pushback

🔍 This is the episode the healthcare industry doesn't want you to hear.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this gripping and wildly entertaining episode of Broken Healthcare, Ray Kober sits down with Adam V. Russo — a streetwise legal maverick who grew up in a Polish neighborhood in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and went on to co-found The Phia Group, a powerhouse in healthcare cost containment.

Adam pulls no punches as he shares his journey from working-class roots, single-mom hustle, and duct-taped shoes… to building a multimillion-dollar company that’s disrupting the bloated U.S. healthcare system from the inside. You'll hear how a dream formed at age 12, a job that didn’t pay commission, and a homemade kielbasa gift all played pivotal roles in launching a career — and a mission.

This episode is packed with humor, grit, and deep insights into the legal blind spots of self-funded healthcare. If you care about leveling the playing field for employers and workers—and want a story that punches harder than a Rocky training montage—you won’t want to miss this.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.