Listening In (With Permission): Conversations About Today's Pressing Health Care Topics

In this episode of Listening In (With Permission), Ryan Olmstead sits down with Mike Hanlon, founder and CEO of Abbet, to unpack some of the boldest ideas in health benefits management—and why they might not be so radical after all.

Hanlon, whose company builds automation tools for large employer plan sponsors, offers a candid look at why traditional approaches to benefits data and cost management have failed to move the needle, and what it will take to finally deliver better outcomes at lower costs. From real-time data to market-based carve-outs, Hanlon shares practical insights and hard-won lessons for employers ready to challenge the status quo.

In this episode of Listening In (With Permission), Shawn Gremminger, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, joins Andréa Caballero of Catalyst for Payment Reform to dive into a pressing but often overlooked issue: the impact of the 340B Drug Pricing Program on pharmacy costs for employers and healthcare purchasers.

The 340B program, originally intended to support safety-net hospitals and community health centers, has expanded drastically over the years. Today, it's the second-largest drug purchasing program in the U.S., with an explosive $65 billion price tag. But what does this mean for employers and employees in the commercial market?

In this episode of LIWP's Healthcare Highway, Ryan Olmstead of Catalyst for Payment Reform speaks with Kendra Gipson, Director, Vendor Services & Contracts at State of Tennessee. Kendra oversees health plans for over 300,000 employees, and in this engaging conversation, she delves into the impact of recent pharmacy and PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) bills being considered at the Tennessee State House.

Kendra provides an insightful overview of two pivotal bills making their way through the legislature: one involving the use of 340B drug pricing programs and another focusing on alternative funding plans for prescription drugs. These legislative changes could significantly affect the state’s ability to manage healthcare costs and offer meaningful savings to both the state and its members. She also highlights the financial ramifications of recent laws impacting low-volume pharmacies and member cost-sharing accumulators.

Patricia Kelmar, Senior Healthcare Campaigns Director for USPIRG, sits down with Andrea Caballero from Catalyst for Payment Reform to discuss one of the most pressing issues in healthcare affordability: facility fees. These hidden charges are adding significant costs to medical bills, even for routine visits and telehealth appointments. With her extensive background in patient safety and healthcare advocacy, Patricia shares her insights on how these fees are becoming more widespread and the policy efforts underway to combat them.

Episode 138: Hospital Consolidation Across Geographic Markets with Katie Gudiksen and Brent Fulton by Catalyst for Payment Reform

In this inaugural episode of the Healthcare Highway, CPR's limited podcast series, Ryan Olmstead sits down with Misha Sharp, the Assistant Director of Policy at the 32BJ Health Fund, to explore the Fund's innovative approaches to tackling health care costs. In the episode Misha delves into the Fund’s active role in shaping health care policy, including its involvement in New York’s Fair Pricing Act and efforts to promote price transparency in hospital services.

She also highlights 32BJ’s innovative purchasing strategies, such as contract-aligned vendor procurement and expanding direct contracting for specialized medical services like joint replacement surgeries.

In the latest episode of Listening In (With Permission), we dive deep into the challenges and potential solutions around high healthcare costs that employers face in states like Florida, Michigan, and Nevada.

This conversation brings together Karen van Caulil, Bret Jackson, and Chris Syverson to discuss findings from CPR's recent research, reflecting on state-specific struggles and opportunities for policy intervention. They explore the implications of soaring insurance premiums—like the 16.9% increase facing nonprofits in Michigan—and the burden of surprise facility fees that can cost consumers and employers alike.

This episode offers a thoughtful and urgent look at the healthcare crisis, with a focus on how businesses and policymakers can collaborate to create more sustainable solutions. Tune in to hear what’s working, what’s not, and how we can pave a path forward in the ongoing battle against rising healthcare prices.

On this episode Ryan calls Glen Tullman, CEO of Transcarent, to discuss the untapped power of generative AI in revolutionizing healthcare accessibility and affordability.

Glen describes the concept of "wayfinding", which integrates benefits navigation, clinical guidance, and care delivery into a seamless user experience using generative AI as the conductor. This new take on traditional "navigation" models could be poised to significantly disrupt the norm, consolidating fragmented services into a unified platform accessible via mobile devices.

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In this episode, Ryan Olmsted from Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR) sits down with Paul Grady, Principal at Alera Group to discuss the critical role of purchaser activation in mitigating rising costs in healthcare and improving value.

Paul and Ryan also delve into the importance of purchasers' involvement in policy-making and how their participation in committees like the Connecticut Cost Growth Benchmark Advisory Board is essential for addressing healthcare cost increases. Paul shares real-life examples of how being actively involved in policy and marketplace initiatives can positively influence one's career.

Tune into our latest episode of Listening In (With Permission) as Ashok Subramanian, CEO and founder of Centivo, and Ryan Olmstead dive deep into the critical issues of healthcare affordability and access. Discover groundbreaking insights from Centivo's recent guide, "Breaking Down and Breaking Through the Healthcare Affordability and Access Crisis," which highlights the alarming statistic that 43% of working Americans earning under $50,000 regularly skip necessary care due to cost. Ashok and Ryan explore the human side of these challenges, emphasizing the urgency for disruptive strategies in healthcare reform. Learn about innovative solutions and practical steps employers can take to improve healthcare access and affordability for their employees. Don't miss this engaging discussion on how to achieve radical affordability and ensure a healthier future for all. Listen In (With Permission) now to stay informed and inspired!