Why does American healthcare cost so much—and deliver so little?

In this eye-opening episode of Take Charge with HELPcare, we talk with Chris Deacon, author of The Great American Healthcare Heist and featured voice in the documentary It’s Not Personal, It’s Just Healthcare. Chris has spent years inside the system—first as a lawyer, then as the director of one of the largest public-sector health plans in the country, covering more than 820,000 New Jersey employees and retirees.

From that insider perspective, she shares why she calls our healthcare system a “coordinated heist.” Hospitals, insurers, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) all play their parts in keeping costs high and transparency low—while the rest of us foot the bill.

👉 In this conversation, we cover:

• How Chris’s journey from public service to advocacy revealed the system’s deep flaws

• Why she describes American healthcare as a “heist” — and who’s really profiting

• The misaligned incentives that reward growth and sickness over health and prevention

• The role of hospitals, insurers, and PBMs in driving up costs

• How “vertical integration” lets giant corporations profit from every part of your care

Chris brings candor, courage, and clarity to a topic that affects every American household. Her book, The Great American Healthcare Heist, breaks down a complex system into simple truths—and our conversation does the same.

🎙️ Tune in to understand why we’re paying more, getting less, and what it will take to change it.

📘 Learn more about Chris Deacon’s book: The Great American Healthcare Heist
🌐 Explore HELPcare Clinic’s direct primary care model: 
🔔 Subscribe to Take Charge with HELPcare for the next episode, where we explore real solutions for taking charge of your healthcare.

For more than two decades, Christy Haag lived with the exhaustion, brain fog, and frustration of Hashimoto’s disease. Despite countless doctor visits, she was told her labs looked “normal.” But she didn’t feel normal—and she was ready for a change.

In this episode of Take Charge with HELPcare, Christy shares her powerful journey of transformation:

• How personalized care at HELPcare Clinic helped her finally understand her thyroid and trust her body again

• The one-on-one coaching that guided her through real-life challenges—even a cruise buffet line

• The lifestyle changes that led to a 38-pound weight loss, renewed energy, and a calmer spirit

• How her husband joined her journey and lost 45 pounds too

Christy’s story is a reminder that you don’t have to settle for “normal.” With the right support, you can take charge of your health—and your future.

👉 Learn more about HELPcare Clinic at HELPcare.health

What if your company could dramatically reduce healthcare costs while improving quality of care? In this episode of Take Charge with HELPcare, guest Matt Ohrt shares how employers can stop overpaying for overpriced procedures, embrace direct primary care as the heartbeat of smarter health plans, and give employees better access to the care they deserve.

Matt joins hosts Lee Aase and Dan Hinmon to break down practical strategies that HR leaders and business owners can use to manage claims, avoid runaway premiums, and put people—not insurance companies—back at the center of healthcare. From real-world cost comparisons to the power of local, community-based solutions, this conversation reveals how cutting costs doesn’t mean cutting care.

When rising healthcare costs threatened Merrill Steel, HR leader Matt Ohrt pioneered a direct primary care clinic that saved millions and improved employee health. Now as Executive Director of the Free Market Medical Association and co-founder of new health plans, Matt shares how direct primary care (DPC) and direct specialty care (DSC) are transforming healthcare for employers, patients, and communities.

In this episode of Take Charge with HELPcare, hosts Lee Aase and Dan Hinmon talk with Dr. Steve Borene, an anesthesiologist and co-founder of Renovo Health, about how direct specialty care is challenging the traditional healthcare system—and winning.

Dr. Borene shares real stories of patients avoiding care due to high costs, and how transparent, bundled pricing through direct specialty care is helping people get the treatment they need without fear of surprise bills. From $17,000 colonoscopies reduced to under $3,000 to companies saving thousands per employee, this episode reveals how simple shifts in the delivery model can drive massive improvements in access, affordability, and outcomes.

Whether you're a patient, employer, or healthcare provider, you’ll learn how direct care restores relationships, reduces costs, and puts the focus back where it belongs—on people, not paperwork.

🎧 Subscribe for more insights into direct primary and specialty care.

#DirectCare #HealthcareReform #TakeChargePodcast #SteveBorene #RenovoHealth #TransparentPricing #MedicalInnovation #PatientCenteredCare

In this episode of Take Charge with HELPcare, we welcome our newest nurse practitioner, Kristen Ehmke, to the team! Hosted by Lee Aase and Dan Hinmon, this conversation explores Kristen’s 12-year journey in nursing, her passion for serving rural communities, and why HELPcare’s relationship-based approach to care felt like the perfect fit.

Kristen shares what inspired her to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice, how mindfulness plays a role in both patient care and provider wellbeing, and what she hopes to accomplish as she begins seeing patients in our Austin clinic. You'll also hear about her interest in dermatology, her commitment to long-term patient relationships, and the future she envisions within the HELPcare model.

If you’re curious about what makes HELPcare different—or just want to hear from a compassionate provider who truly cares—this episode is a must-listen.

📍 HELPcare Clinic | Austin & Rochester, MN
🩺 Relationship-Based Primary Care | Time-Rich Appointments | Member-Focused Healthcare

In this episode of Take Charge with HELPcare, host Lee Aase is joined once again by healthcare policy expert John Kelly for an in-depth look at how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is reshaping healthcare options for employers—especially those in high-cost regions like southern Minnesota.

John breaks down what the new law means for benefit plan design, including:

• Why Direct Primary Care (DPC) is no longer considered insurance—and why that matters

• How employers can now pair DPC with traditional insurance or offer it as a standalone benefit

• Upcoming changes in 2026 allowing HSA funds to cover DPC subscriptions

• The increasing viability of self-funded and level-funded plans for small businesses

• How employers can support low-wage workers through complex Medicaid renewal processes

• A look at Medicare Advantage MSA Group Waiver Plans, and how they can include DPC coverage for Medicare-eligible employees or dependents

If you're a business owner, HR professional, or benefits advisor, this episode offers valuable insights into building smarter, more affordable, and employee-friendly healthcare plans under the new legislation.

🎧 Listen now to take charge of your healthcare strategy.

Learn more at helpcare.health

Health policy expert John Kelly joins us to discuss an important change contained in the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which makes direct primary care memberships such as at HELPcare Clinic an eligible expense for people with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

Healthcare has become too rushed, too impersonal, and too controlled by outside forces. In this episode, we explore how HELPcare is restoring the soul of medicine through relationship-based care, practitioner ownership, and a model built on values that truly matter.

In this episode of Take Charge with HELP Care, Lee Aase and Dan Hinmon engage with Rick and Sally Kennedy, exploring their journey from graphic design to creating a mission-driven agency. They discuss the importance of branding in healthcare, emphasizing that effective branding goes beyond visuals to include company culture and values.

The conversation highlights the role of user experience in website design and the significance of collaboration in achieving shared goals. The episode also touches on the impact of COVID-19 on their business purpose and the empowering nature of the direct primary care model.