Health:Further

In this episode, Vic sits down with Ben Lytle, founder of Anthem and serial entrepreneur, to discuss the future of healthcare, including AI’s role in solving clinician shortages, the creation of SilverSneakers, and how lifestyle changes can tackle chronic disease. They also cover healthcare system reform, the importance of bounded AI for clinical accuracy, leadership strategies, and how individuals can prepare for rapid societal shifts by building health, financial resilience, and a sense of purpose.

Ben’s website: Link

Ben’s Books

• The Potentialist I: Your Future in the New Reality of the Next Thirty Years 
• The Potentialist II: The Pursuit of Wisdom

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In this episode, Vic and Marcus cover a wide range of topics including the current state of the U.S. economy, rising tensions and negotiations around tariffs between the U.S. and China, the volatility of the housing market, and recent VC activity across healthcare, nutrition, and biotech. They discuss the Greater Nashville Private Capital Association event, trends in venture capital funding, the impact of political decisions on biotech innovation, Medicaid policy changes, the attack on PBMs, retail pharmacy challenges, healthcare earnings updates, and developments in AI regulation and corporate actions.

Links

3:32 -  - Fed, Tariff Fears Send Dow Down More Than 900 Points WSJ

4:02 - Tech Shares Drive Stocks Higher for a Third Straight Session WSJ

4:52 - White House Considers Slashing China Tariffs to De-Escalate Trade War WSJ

6:44 - Bessent says China tariffs are not sustainable as US signals willingness to de-escalate Reuters

7:23 - DHL Suspends High-Value Deliveries to U.S. Consumers Amid Tariff Turmoil WSJ

9:06 - Home Sales in March Fell 5.9%, Biggest Drop Since 2022 WSJ

11:27 - Gold Hits $3,500, Setting Another Record, as Investors Remain Uneasy NYT

13:11 - Nutrition counseling startup Nourish clinches $70M to expand services Fierce Healthcare

14:03 - Healthee lands $50M to streamline benefits Axios

15:20 - Superpower scores $30M to offer personalized health testing Fierce Healthcare

17:58 - Overture Life raises $20.6M for IVF automation Axios

19:38 - HCA veterans raise $10 million to launch PathPoint Health NBJ

21:08 - Biolinq raises $100M Series C for glucose monitoring device Axios

22:11 - Trump’s FDA Sends a Bullish Signal to Biotech WSJ

24:39 - The True Origins of Covid-19 White House

31:30 - Congressional Republicans signal on Medicaid cuts HFMA

34:17 - RFK Jr. Unveils Plan to Phase Out Artificial Food Dyes WSJ

36:02 - In a reversal, the Trump administration restores funding for women's health study NPR

37:12 - Arkansas governor signs bill banning PBMs from owning pharmacies Healthcae Finance

39:34 - Arkansas PBM law could spur lookalike restrictions Axios

39:42 - Judge Rules Google Operates Illegal Ad Monopoly WSJ

42:20 - Justice Department Urges Tough Action to Break Google’s Search Dominance WSJ

46:19 - A Startling Admission From a G.O.P. Senator: ‘We Are All Afraid’ NYT

50:13 - Elevance Health execs seek to ease Wall Street's concerns about elevated MA costs Fierce Healthcare

52:56 - Centene boosts revenue guidance for 2025 as it brings in $

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In this episode, Marcus and Vic break down a whirlwind week across healthcare, policy, economics, and AI. They cover the volatile market reaction to trade tensions and Jerome Powell’s inflation warnings, the downturn in healthcare stocks and payor performance, and continued disruption in the hospital sector. They examine critical funding cuts at HHS, CMS policy shifts, and policy changes affecting food stamps and Medicaid waivers. The conversation also touches on investment rounds in health tech, Mark Cuban’s take on drug pricing, antitrust actions against tech giants, California’s challenge to federal tariffs, and a surprising rise in autism rates. In AI news, they review Claude’s Gmail integration, OpenAI’s improved memory, and Nvidia’s strategy in the U.S. Vic and Marcus end with a reflection on Daniel Kahneman’s death and the ethics of aging and end-of-life care.

Links

1:08 - Trade Tensions Weigh Down Nvidia, Tech Stocks WSJ

2:40 - Powell Warns of ‘Challenging Scenario’ for Fed as Trade War Rages WSJ

6:50 - NY Fed: Business Leaders Survey for April New York Fed 

9:52 - China Halts Critical Exports as Trade War Intensifies NYT

13:51 - What the Weak Dollar Means for the Global Economy WSJ

15: 08 - Brellium snags $16.7M Series A to use AI on patient charts Axios

15:52 - PolicyMe announces $30 million CAD in funding Coverager

16:35 - Deacon Health Launches bringing Tech-Enabled Care Coordination to Specialty Care Businesswire

17:26 - Chapter, a Medicare startup with links to Vance, Thiel, and Ramaswamy, just raised a round at $1.5B valuation TechCrunch

18:19 - Hellocare.ai scores $47M for AI-enabled virtual care for smart hospitals Mobi Health

19:18 - Attovia Therapeutics raises $90M to treat autoimmune diseases Axios

20:00 - HHS funding slashed by 30 percent in budget proposal Politico

21:01 - CMS proposes 2.4% bump to inpatient pay in fiscal 2026, calls for deregulation, MAHA suggestions Fierce Healthcare

23:05 - USDA Is Fast-Tracking Requests to Yank Soda From Food-Stamps Program WSJ

23:51 - CMS to end federal match for states’ Medicaid funding requests Fierce Healthcare

27:07 - Trump targets health care costs with executive order on drug price negotiations, hospital payments Stat

28:55 - Mark Cuban: EO on healthcare and drug pricing could save hundreds of billion X

31:21 - What to Know About Trump’s Antitrust Efforts Against Tech Giants NYT

32:27 - Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Failed Negotiations to End Antitrust Case WSJhttps://bit.ly/4iuwwpl

34:11 - Japan Regulator Orders Google to Stop Anticompetitive Practices WSJ

35:13 - Google Faces Potential $6.6 Billion U.K. Antitrust Lawsuit Over Search Advertising WSJ

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In this episode of the Health Further podcast, hosts Vic and Marcus sit down with former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and heart transplant surgeon, Senator Bill Frist, to explore the intersection of environmental policy, healthcare, and innovation. Senator Frist discusses his role as Global Board Chair of The Nature Conservancy and why climate change and biodiversity loss are now the greatest threats to human health. He shares stories from his recent trip to the Amazon, the medical breakthroughs enabled by nature, and how depolarizing political issues is key to scalable solutions. They dive into healthcare’s role in emissions, the need for planetary and human health integration, and how medical education must adapt to address climate-linked diseases and health crises.

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In this episode, Marcus and guest host Paul Kappelman discuss the chaotic pace of global and domestic events impacting healthcare leaders, starting with Donald Trump’s energy and policy unpredictability. They analyze the 90-day tariff pause with China and its effect on the markets, the symbolic rollback of chip restrictions involving Nvidia, and the importance of American manufacturing resilience. The conversation shifts to employer healthcare costs, the Transparent-Accolade merger, and the looming economic war with China. They also unpack Jamie Dimon’s letter to shareholders, the controversy over Medicare Advantage overpayments, and the impact of biosimilars and PBM incentives. The episode concludes with reflections on Medicaid supplemental funding, consolidation in the hospital sector, and the ethics of implicit bias pledges in medicine.

5:50 - Nasdaq Soars to Best Day Since 2001 After Trump Pauses Some Tariffs - WSJ

12:46 - Inflation rate eases to 2.4% in March, lower than expected; core at 4-year low - CNBC

16:05 - Trump administration backs off Nvidia's 'H20' chip crackdown after Mar-a-Lago dinner - NPR

18:50 - Jamie Dimon’s Annual Letter - JP Morgan

24:08 - Transcarent completes $621M merger with Accolade, eyes further investment in AI technology - Fierce Healthcare

33:23 -  Health Insurer Stocks Soar on Medicare Rate Boost WSJ

35:50 - We Won’t Sign an ‘Implicit Bias’ Pledge WSJ

40:52 - Senate and House Republicans Set to "Kick the Can" on Medicaid Spending Cuts - The 80 Million

48:18 - CareSource acquires Commonwealth Care Alliance for over $400M - Modern Healthcare

49:05 - Medicare Advantage plans reaped $33B extra from 'coding intensity' - Modern Healthcare

52:01 - CVS, Express Scripts, Optum warm up to biosimilars - Modern Healthcare

55:03 - Kaufmann Hall M&A Quarterly Activity Report: Q1 2025 - Kaufmann Hall

59:38 - Say Hello to Your New Colleague, the AI Agent -  WSJ-Op

1:04:29 - Google NEXT 2025 Rundown - TechRadar

1:04:58 - "The opportunity with AI is as big as it gets" - Google CEO Sundar Pichai pledges $75 billion cloud, AI spending spree - TechRadar

1:07:24 - Google unveils new security AI agents to keep your business safe from the latest threats - TechRadar

1:08:43 - AgentSpace - Google

1:11:04 - AI 2027 - AI 2027

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In this episode, Vic and Marcus sit down with Doba Parushev, Managing Partner at Healthworx, to unpack the distinct differences between traditional and corporate venture capital, particularly within healthcare. Doba shares his career journey from engineering to Latin American VC, through McKinsey and Edison Partners, to leading Healthworx at CareFirst. The conversation covers the pros and cons of corporate VCs for startups, the expectations versus realities of these partnerships, how investment strategies are shaped by member needs, and Healthworx’s multi-pronged investment approach including its ventures, accelerator, studio, and LP programs. They also explore systemic inefficiencies in U.S. healthcare, the value of tech-enabled services, and how Healthworx balances financial returns with strategic impact. Doba closes with hard-won advice for both startups and enterprises considering corporate venture capital.

Doba Parushev - https://www.linkedin.com/in/parushev/

Healthworx Website - https://www.healthworx.com/

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In this episode, Vic and Marcus focus on the sweeping economic impact of the new “Liberation Day” tariffs, including market reaction, healthcare supply chain disruptions, inflationary concerns, and implications for startups and venture capital. They discuss shrinking margins in healthcare, funding shifts in tech and AI, layoffs at major institutions like Vanderbilt and UnitedHealth, the Circle IPO in the crypto space, and how the AI therapy chatbot study may reshape mental health treatment. The episode concludes with commentary on cyber threats, stablecoins, and the rapid policy changes reshaping Washington and Wall Street.

15:15 - Trump Tariffs Aim to Bring Down Curtain on Era of Globalization WSJ

11:23 - Trump Tariffs Send Dow to 1600-Point Decline, Dollar Slumps WSJ

12:09 - U.S. Stocks Post Worst Quarter Since 2022 on Threat of Trade War WSJ

12:57 - Senate budget blueprint empowers GOP chair to decide if Trump tax cuts add to deficit The Hill

16:08 - Senate Pencils In $5 Trillion for Tax Relief, Leaves Blank Spaces for Spending Cuts WSJ

1:16 - Consumer Sentiment Hits Lowest Since 2022 as Anxiety Rises Over Inflation and Jobs WSJ

17:41 - CoreWeave Stock Ends Flat on First Day of Trading After Scaled-Back IPO WSJ

19:08 - CoreWeave shares rip nearly 42% higher, rising above IPO price CNBC

23:16 - Venteur Raises $20M To Help Employers Administer ICHRAs MedCity News

29:00 - Notable Systems snags $12M Series B Axios

31:12 - RapidClaims corrals $11M for claim denial prevention Axios

31:20 - Post-CoreWeave, Venture Investors Rethink Their Outlook on IPOs WSJ

31:47 - Stablecoin issuer Circle files for IPO as public markets open to crypto CNBC

38:20 - The M&A Boom Wall Street Wanted Is Here, if You Know Where to Look WSJ

39:12 - 2024 VC Fund Performance Carta

42:13 - Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos White House

45:51 - Health Department Begins Sweeping Job Cuts WSJ

47:06 - Vanderbilt University Medical Center braces for $250M budget cut Axios

48:34 - Trump Media to Debut on New York Stock Exchange Texas Newswire

49:32 - North Korean IT worker army expands operations in Europe Bleeping Computer

51:44 - Health insurers slash thousands of jobs, more cuts ahead Modern Healthcare

53:14 - Who Should Pay for Ozempic Is the Next Big Workplace Fight WSJ

55:13 - Oracle Health breach compromises patient data at US hospitals Bleeping Computer

58:09 - FTC’s Case Against Drug Managers on Hold After Commissioners Fired WSJ

1:01:00 - Trump’s T

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In this episode, Marcus and Vic discuss the nonstop barrage of breaking political and economic news, starting with NCAA March Madness brackets and how NIL and the transfer portal have reshaped college sports. They cover February's unexpected 4.2% rise in home sales, Trump's proposed 25% car tariffs, and broader conversations on globalization, economic nationalism, and JD Vance’s key arguments at the American Dynamism conference. The hosts analyze implications of U.S. trade strategies, April's looming tariff escalations, and domestic reinvestment from companies like Johnson & Johnson. They also examine Silicon Valley’s shifting stance on Trump, tightening export controls on China, Delaware’s legal changes to compete with Texas for incorporations, and major AI-driven VC funding rounds including Navaa and Arlo. Further topics include Medicaid waste, bioethics of embryo research, China’s controversial gene-editing comeback, GLP-1 access restrictions, centralized hospital command centers, 23andMe’s bankruptcy, and the neurological impact of retirement. They close by exploring biofeedback’s role in elite performance and the future of work amid rapid technological change.

4:43 - Home Sales Rose 4.2% in February, Beating Expectations WSJ

5:40 - Trump Announces 25% Tariffs on Imported Cars and Car Parts NYT 

19:57 - What to know about the April 2 tariff day Axios

21:39 - Johnson & Johnson to Invest Over $55 Billion in U.S. in Next Four Years WSJ

22:46 - Trump Takes Tough Approach to Choking Off China’s Access to U.S. Tech WSJ

27:32 - Delaware Punches Back at Texas Efforts to Lure Away Companies WSJ

30:06 - Navina lands $55M from Goldman Sachs Modern Healthcare

32:05 - Silna Health gets $27M for insurance automation Axios

33:46 - Startup insurer Arlo raises $4M on back of AI-powered underwriting Fierce Healthcare 

34:33 - Healthtech VCs Look to AI for Next Wave of Returns WSJ

34:56 - Two of a Kind: Founder of Snack Company Seeks to Back Next Big Consumer-Health Startup WSJ

36:12 - Andreessen Horowitz Aims to Raise a Smaller Bio Fund WSJ 

37:45 - Duke-Margolis launches council to build health-focused frameworks for private equity Fierce Healthcare

39:38 - RFK Jr. prepares 10,000 more job cuts across HHS, outlines office consolidations Fierce Healthcare

40:29 - RFK on X

41:12 - Taxpayers Spent Billions Covering the Same Medicaid Patients Twice WSJ 

46:36 - How Medicaid and SNAP cuts could affect your state Axios

48:09 -  CDC, DOGE claw back $11 billion in COVID-19 grants nationwide as agency roots out 'censorship' contracts Fierce Healthcare

50:01 - Senate confirms nominees to lead FDA, NIH under RFK Jr. Modern Healthcare 

51:39 - What Do We Owe This Cluster of Cells? NYT

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Vic and Marcus break down how MMA, politics, and media are increasingly intertwined, starting with Conor McGregor’s presidential bid and the UFC's political influence. They discuss the Fed’s economic outlook, inflation, tariffs, and consumer sentiment. In healthcare, they cover CMS reforms, Medicare Advantage scrutiny, hospital mergers, FTC shakeups, and major investments in senior care, pathology, and hospital-at-home models. The episode wraps with concerns over proposed HIV funding cuts and the long-overdue reckoning with U.S. deficit spending.

11:09 - Fed Dims Economic Outlook, Citing Uncertainty Over Tariffs WSJ

14:27 - Consumer Sentiment Tanks as Americans Expect More Pain Ahead WSJ

15:13 - Retail Sales Edge Up in February but Miss Expectations WSJ

17:08 - Trump Team Explored Simplified Plan for Reciprocal Tariffs WSJ

18:52 - Nasdaq Plans Second U.S. Headquarters in Texas WSJ

25:32 - Inspiren banks $35M to scale AI-powered senior living technology Fierce Healthcare

26:29 - Proscia pulls in $50M for digital pathology Axios

27:51 - Medalogix, Forcura Merge to Form a $1 Billion Healthcare Software Business WSJ

28:52 - The Israeli Startup That Just Inked the Largest Cybersecurity Deal Ever WSJ

30:18 - GSR Ventures spins out new US branch, Informed Ventures, with tenured partners Fierce Healthcare

31:05 - Dr. Oz describes changes he would bring to Medicare, Medicaid as CMS administrator HFMA

36:05 - Trump administration charts a new course at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation HFMA

36:53 - Startups Prep for Potential Medicaid Cuts WSJ

39:25 - Trump fires 2 Democratic FTC commissioners, Andrew Ferguson defends decision Fierce Healthcare

42:56 - FTC again pushes back on Indiana hospitals' 2nd merger attempt Fierce Healthcare

46:39 - RFK Jr.'s HHS picks up Biden admin legal fight against 340B rebates Fierce Healthcare

48:38 - Trump Administration Weighing Major Cuts to Funding for Domestic HIV Prevention WSJ

53:30 - Cigna closes $3.3B sale of Medicare plans to HCSC Fierce Healthcare

54:06 - Employers Get Big Drug Discounts Through Program For Hospitals That Serve Poor Patients WSJ

55:40 - Highmark posts $29.4B in 2024 revenue amid ongoing rise in utilization Fierce Healthcare

57:06 - Mass General Brigham announces $400M cancer care investment ahead of Dana-Farber split Fierce Healthcare

58:54 - DispatchHealth and Medically Home merge, creating one of nation's largest hospital-at-home providers Fierce Healthcare

1:00:26 - Pfizer Has a New Playbook for Reviving Sales—and It’s Starting to Pay Off WSJ

1:01:42 -

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Vic and Marcus discuss the volatile stock market and its connection to political uncertainty, the shifting media landscape, and the impact of global news narratives. They analyze the latest jobs report, Trump’s trade policies, and their effects on market stability, interest rates, and inflation. The episode covers the future of telehealth, major healthcare funding cuts, and their consequences for hospitals and medical research. They also examine the growing role of AI in medicine, the latest innovations in gene therapy, and China’s rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. The discussion concludes with insights into venture capital struggles, IPO market slowdowns, and the potential collapse of numerous VC firms.

Links:

3:50 -  Democrats Clear Way for GOP Funding Bill, Ending Threat of Government Shutdown WSJ

4:29 - U.S. Added 151,000 Jobs Last Month WSJ

5:24 - An ‘Untradable’ Market: Trump Sows Profound Uncertainty for Stocks NYT

7:56 - CNBC’s interview with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Youtube

16:01 - Inflation Cooled to 2.8% in February, Lower Than Expected WSJ

18:26 - An ‘Untradable’ Market: Trump Sows Profound Uncertainty for Stocks NYT

18:26 - Virtual musculoskeletal care provider Vori Health nabs $53M Fierce Healthcare

19:09 - Motivity gets $27M from Five Elms for ABA software Axios

20:11 - Hinge Health files to go public, signaling potential IPO revival in digital health Fierce Healthcare

20:55 - Venture Investors Hoped for an IPO Recovery in 2025. Now It’s On Hold. WSJ

25:11 - House votes to extend telehealth for 6 months, sends funding bill to Senate Fierce Healthcare

26:51 - CMMI to cut participation in payment models, estimates $750M in savings Fierce Healthcare

27:30 - Provider revenues to drop $80B in 2026 if cuts drive states from Medicaid expansion, analysis find Fierce Healthcare

31:14 - Is Trump Taking a ‘Liquidationist’ Approach to the Economy? WSJ

32:21 - CMS scraps contracts to upgrade online Medicare system and hands over control to DOGE, agency says Fierce Healthcare

34:18 - Why the $2.8B Blue Cross Antitrust Case Won't Die Modern Healthcare

36:27 - The Hologram Doctor Will See You Now WSJ

39:04 - Landmark Holdings of Florida files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Modern Healthcare

39:43 - Prospect Medical’s Pennsylvania hospitals at risk of closure Modern Healthcare

40:39 - Johns Hopkins Plans Staff Layoffs After $800 Million Grant Cuts WSJ

42:30 - Mass General Brigham's 2nd wave of layoffs begins Fierce Healthcare

42:49 - CVS’s New Mini Stores Go All In on Medicine and Skip Everything Else WSJ

43:39 - Breathing ne

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