Podnosis

Life insurance may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about healthcare. But some life insurers are increasingly interested in incentivizing healthy habits.

John Hancock has invested in its health and wellness program for more than a decade. The program’s goal is to reward policyholders for things like exercise and preventive health screenings. There’s actually a simple business rationale behind this approach. To explain, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks with John Hancock CEO Brooks Tingle.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Mercer survey: Employers eye cost-shifting strategies as health benefit spend rises
• Only 1 in 4 employers able to ‘absorb’ increasing health benefit costs without impacting business 

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As healthcare costs rise and access challenges persist, health plans face growing pressure to engage members more effectively. Employers and plan sponsors expect their plans to play a critical role in that effort.

In this episode of “Podnosis,” Senior Writer Paige Minemyer talks with Dan Kueter, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Employer & Individual, about what employers are asking for in today’s commercial insurance market and how UnitedHealthcare is using digital tools, AI and more personalized benefit design to support member engagement.

Kueter also discusses the push for greater affordability, the role of consumer choice and where he sees the employer-sponsored insurance market heading as health plans look to bring more customization into the member experience.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• UnitedHealth Group spotlights AI investments as part of operational turnaround
• A look at how UnitedHealthcare is developing, deploying AI solutions
• UnitedHealthcare unveils direct-to-consumer tool to shop for health and wellness programs
• Claims for younger adults are on the rise: UnitedHealthcare, HAC study

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What does the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Inspector General do? Today, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Assistant Regional Inspector General Scott Perry to find out.

They dive into the agency’s work, the findings of a few recent audits and what providers can do to ensure they are in compliance.

The latest inpatient rehab facilities report discussed in this episode can be found here. The hospital compliance report can be found here. A general compliance guide is also available.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• OIG: Jury still out on impacts of vertical consolidation in Part D
• More than half of patient harm events missed by hospital surveillance systems: HHS OIG
• OIG: Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care plans often offer limited behavioral health networks

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It’s been more than two years since Eli Lilly announced LillyDirect, a platform that combines telehealth and pharmacy services to provide access to Lilly’s portfolio of diabetes, migraine and obesity medications. The goal is to offer a more transparent and affordable way to access certain drugs. The platform has quickly drawn attention from both consumers and lawmakers.

To understand LillyDirect’s growth and where it’s headed, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya spoke with Jen Mazur, senior vice president and general manager of U.S. LillyDirect and Consumer Services.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Eli Lilly launches oral GLP-1 drug across US through Lilly Direct, telehealth providers
• Lilly makes website to simplify access to obesity drug Zepbound, plus diabetes and migraine meds
• 'Abuse of power': Senators call out 'shady tactics' after investigating Pfizer, Lilly DTC platforms

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Is AI in health care overhyped — or underutilized? In this sponsored episode of Podnosis, host Irena speaks with Sanjay Subramanian, SVP & Head of Healthcare Payer Business at Cognizant at Cognizant, about where artificial intelligence is delivering measurable ROI today and why many organizations struggle to scale adoption.

Sanjay explains that back‑office functions such as claims processing, prior authorization and revenue cycle management are seeing the strongest results, thanks to data‑rich workflows and clear operational metrics. He also outlines why more complex use cases, including autonomous clinical decision‑making, remain constrained by fragmented data, regulatory requirements and trust challenges.

The discussion explores common mistakes leaders make when funding AI initiatives, including chasing disconnected use cases, underestimating data readiness and focusing on pilots instead of enterprise outcomes. Looking ahead, Sanjay describes how connected intelligence, responsible AI governance and human‑in‑the‑loop models will shape the next phase of health care transformation — and why AI’s future lies in augmenting decision‑making, not replacing it.

Guest Bio

Sanjay Subramanian is a transformational leader with over 29 years of expertise in profit and loss management, sales and delivery across management consulting, systems integration and outsourcing. He is recognized for guiding CXO clients through strategic business decisions and digital transformation, consistently delivering measurable outcomes in challenging environments. Sanjay has led successful turnarounds, managed large teams exceeding 5000 members and originated transformative outsourcing contracts totaling over $8 billion with Fortune 100 clients. His experience spans Asia Pacific, the UK and North America, across industries including healthcare, life sciences, automotive, manufacturing, retail, energy, utilities, transportation and logistics. He has built and scaled businesses, launched new consulting capabilities and enabled cross-functional collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Sanjay brings a strong focus on client relationships and long-term value creation, supporting sustained growth across major global accounts.

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As almost 1 in 4 American teens identify as LGBTQ, affirming therapy can be life-saving. Yet availability is shrinking. Access to mental healthcare for LGBTQ youth dropped from 80% to 60% from late 2023 to late 2024, according to The Trevor Project. In 2025, though 84% of LGBTQ youth wanted mental healthcare, 44% could not get it.  

In a recent collaboration between Fierce Healthcare and Uncloseted Media, Anastassia Gliadkovskaya and Sam Donndelinger dive into the barriers to mental health access for queer youth.

In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” they discuss their reporting process and introduce listeners to trans teens and the experts featured in the project.

Read the full story at FierceHealthcare.com or UnclosetedMedia.com.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• The broken pipeline of mental healthcare for LGBTQ teenagers
• NYU Langone Health says it received grand jury subpoena over gender-affirming care
• Texas Children's Hospital agrees to launch nation's first 'detransition clinic' to settle state, DOJ investigation
• Executives examine the benefit of DEI practices for building trust in healthcare

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Payers and providers felt the upheaval and instability on the Affordable Care Act exchanges in the first quarter of this year.

Marketplace plans saw significant enrollment declines alongside tier shifts, while providers felt the impact in both volumes and payer mix.

Fierce Healthcare's Dave Muoio and Paige Minemyer sit down this week on “Podnosis” to break down those trends and other first-quarter throughlines, including the effect of winter storms on provider finances and signs of a rebound in Medicare Advantage.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• The ACA exchanges dominated Q1 earnings calls. Here's what payer, health system execs had to say
• Tenet Healthcare met Q1's volume curveballs with 'old-fashioned discipline'
• Cigna to exit ACA market, pursue strategic alternatives for eviCore unit
• Universal Health Services' Q1 2026 earnings growth dampened by volume hits
• Centene swings to $1.5B profit as Medicaid business improves even as ACA membership falls by 2 million
• HCA Healthcare executives shrug off Q1 volumes disruptions, reaffirm FY2026 guidance

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Fertility services—and conversations about them—are expanding across the U.S. But the sector remains underregulated, expensive and, in some cases, outdated.

These factors are reshaping how Americans seek care, sometimes in ways that may put quality and safety at risk. Where are the biggest gaps? And what would make the system safer?

Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya breaks it down with Brian Levine, M.D., founding partner and practice director of CCRM Fertility of New York and founder of Nodal, a platform connecting surrogates and intended parents.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Trump admin takes aim at the cost of IVF with new coverage guidance
• Women's health sector could grow to $600B industry by 2030: PwC report
• Emotional support crucial in addition to financial support for fertility journey, Maven finds

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In this sponsored episode of Podnosis, experts examine how molecular residual disease testing is transforming how clinicians assess recurrence risk in triple-negative breast cancer. Drawing on new data from the NSABP B-59 substudy presented at SABCS and AACR, the discussion highlights how circulating tumor DNA is providing earlier and more precise insight into patient outcomes.

Dr. Priya Rastogi, chief medical officer of the NSABP Foundation, explains how MRD testing can detect residual disease that standard tools may miss, often months or years before clinical recurrence. The conversation explores key findings, including the strong correlation between post-surgical ctDNA positivity and recurrence risk, as well as the prognostic value of ctDNA status earlier in the treatment pathway.

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Condoms can be purchased almost anywhere, from big retailers to small convenience stores. The same can’t be said for female birth control. One company is trying to change that.

Cadence OTC sells the morning-after pill, a cheaper alternative to Plan B. Recognizing that many communities in the U.S. are pharmacy deserts, the company is pursuing atypical distribution channels such as convenience stores and gas stations to get emergency contraceptives into the hands of more Americans. Cadence is also advocating for a daily birth control pill to be made available over the counter.

Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Cadence OTC co-founder and CEO Samantha Miller to discuss how this approach could reshape reproductive healthcare and what policy and awareness challenges remain.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Insurers not covering 12-month contraception supply as required: study
• The quiet collapse of America's reproductive health safety net
• Perrigo's over-the-counter birth control launch takes flight in the US
• Amid Trump victory, women's health providers see flood of orders for contraception, abortion pills

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