Broken Healthcare

What if your city could save millions AND give employees better healthcare?

In this eye-opening episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Jolee Perez, Director of Employee Benefits for the City of McAllen, Texas. She shares how her team broke away from the broken system, embraced Direct Primary Care, and revolutionized healthcare for over 3,000 lives—saving the city $8 million in just two years.

👉 Discover how a dysfunctional system was transformed with common sense, courage, and care.

🔥 Topics Covered:

What happens when two badass HR rebels crash the Broken Healthcare podcast? A hilarious, brutally honest takedown of burnout, broken systems, and the BS that’s choking workplace sanity.

Join host Ray Kober as he welcomes Keri Ohlrich, PhD, and Kelly Guenther, co-authors of “Whatever the Hell You Want”, for an unfiltered convo on:

🔥 The real reason HR gets a bad rap (spoiler: it's not just The Office)

📉 How broken benefits and health plans sabotage your people and your bottom line

🧠 Psychology, purpose & giving the middle finger to outdated expectations

In this eye-opening episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Shay Forbes, Head of Employer Solutions at Turquoise Health, to expose the shocking truth about healthcare pricing.

💥 Shay shares how the same MRI can cost $4,000 at a hospital—or just $450 across the street. Together, they dig into the hidden world of machine-readable files, price transparency laws, and how employers can take control of skyrocketing healthcare costs.

👉 You’ll learn:

- What the Hospital Price Transparency Act means for you

- How “machine-readable files” are changing the game

In this powerful episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with healthcare transformation leader Keith Pinter, CEO of AristaMD, to expose the truth about America's healthcare crisis — and reveal the revolutionary solutions that are already changing the game.

From jaw-dropping stories of medical inefficiency and outrageously long wait times to innovative tech that empowers primary care doctors and slashes unnecessary specialist visits, this conversation pulls no punches. 🚑

Keith shares hard truths, personal stories, and real-world examples of how AristaMD is eliminating waste, improving outcomes, and restoring trust in a system that's been...

In this powerhouse episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Dr. Mary O’Connor — a former Olympic-level rower, nationally recognized orthopedic surgeon, and trailblazer for healthcare equity. From her protest days at Yale that reshaped Title IX enforcement to leading at Mayo Clinic and reforming care delivery at Vori Health, Dr. O'Connor's journey is anything but ordinary.

We dive deep into:

📣 In this explosive episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with bestselling author and marketing strategist Steve Napolitan — a man who built a thriving business with clients like Apple and Intel… then walked away from the grind after life hit hard.

💥 After being diagnosed with Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS) — a rare neurological disorder that left him temporarily paralyzed — Steve was forced to confront the high cost of the hustle. His body shut down, but his mind woke up.

This is the story of how one of the sharpest business minds in the game reclaime...

How do you provide quality healthcare to thousands of employees—many of them hourly, spread across multiple states—with costs rising and transparency shrinking?

In this eye-opening episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with seasoned HR leader Amanda White, who pulls back the curtain on what it's really like to manage benefits for a workforce where affordability isn’t a perk—it’s survival.

🎧 What you'll hear:

In this episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Mike Stancil, a reform-minded healthcare executive and former CEO of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health. Now at the forefront of ethical PBM transformation with AffirmedRx, Mike unpacks the dysfunction of the U.S. pharmacy benefit system — from opaque rebate schemes to profit-driven care decisions — and lays out a bold new model that puts people before profit.

💊 What does a Public Benefit Corporation PBM look like?

💥 Why are legacy PBMs compared to car salesmen with rigged pricing?

💡 How can employers and patients...

In this episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Carey and Batya from The Big Plan to unpack one of the most disruptive ideas in employee healthcare benefits today — ICHRAs (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements).

✅ What is an ICHRA and why should employers care?

✅ Can it actually lower costs and offer better employee coverage?

✅ Why more brokers and businesses are waking up to this game-changing strategy

✅ And how a tech-powered platform (with a squirrel mascot!) is flipping traditional group benefits on its head

From insurance...

From a small town in South Carolina to leading healthcare efforts in Abu Dhabi, Zack Cooper’s journey is anything but ordinary.

In this powerful episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Zack — a nurse, global health advocate, and executive director of an addiction treatment organization — to explore the deeper issues behind America’s broken healthcare system.

🎙️ What you'll learn:

In this explosive episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Dae Lee—a PharmD, attorney, and certified pharmacy benefit specialist—who is on the front lines of one of healthcare’s biggest battles: taking on the 3 powerful PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers) that control 80% of U.S. prescription drug claims.

💣 What you'll learn:

- How PBMs manipulate drug pricing and hurt patients

- Why employers are at legal risk under the Consolidated Appropriations Act

- How Dae Lee helps pharmacies and plan sponsors fight back in court

- Re...

What happens when the system meant to protect your health becomes the very thing that threatens it? In this explosive episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Dan LaBroad—activist and outspoken advocate for medical freedom.

Dan shares his firsthand experience battling a healthcare system plagued by bureaucracy, political interference, and corporate greed. From confronting insurance nightmares to standing up against government mandates, Dan’s journey is a powerful call to action for anyone who’s ever felt powerless in the face of “healthcare.”

👉 We cover:

In this explosive episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Joe Shields, Executive Director of Transparency-Rx, to reveal the truth about pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—and why most employers are unknowingly bleeding money in a rigged system.

From hidden fees and offshore rebate schemes to broken fiduciary responsibilities and regulatory wake-up calls, this conversation pulls back the curtain on how the “healthcare” system works against the very people it's supposed to serve.

🎯 Topics include:

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:

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...

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 cos...

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 in...

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...

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:

💣 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:

👀 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...

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 in...

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 homema...

In this explosive episode of the Broken Healthcare Podcast, host Ray Kober sits down with former Cigna executive turned whistleblower, Wendell Potter. Wendell reveals the life-changing moment that opened his eyes to the harsh realities of America’s healthcare system—and why he walked away from a lucrative career to tell the truth.

💥 What you’ll hear:

•The heartbreaking scene that made Wendell leave Cigna

•How insurance companies manipulate public opinion and policy

•The shocking power of lobbyists and Wall Street in shaping healthcare

•Why Medicare Advantage isn’t what it seems—and...

Just A Taste of an in-depth interview with David Jones, where he opens up about his early life, the challenges he overcame, and the mindset that carried him from the projects to prosperity.

Want the full story? Watch the complete episode here ➡️ https://youtu.be/nkY7Q661Ojs

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

In this powerful episode of the Broken Healthcare Podcast, Ray Kober sits down with David Jones, VP of Sales at Homestead Smart Health Plans, to discuss his incredible journey from growing up in public housing and battling addiction to becoming a county commissioner, a corporate executive, and a leader in the fight for affordable healthcare.

David shares:

✅ His early struggles and how he overcame them

✅ The moment that changed his life forever

✅ His perspective on America’s broken criminal justice system

✅ Why healthcare isn’t actually broken—it’s rigged

✅...

Meet Ray’s cousin, Charlie DiMaggio! 🎙️

In this episode of the Broken Healthcare Podcast, Ray Kober sits down with Dr. Charles J. DiMaggio—a brilliant epidemiologist with a wild backstory, including time spent working in the ER of one of New York City’s busiest hospitals as a physician assistant. Charlie has seen it all—emergencies, pandemics, and more than his fair share of medical mayhem. But beyond that, he’s spent years deep in the data, studying public health, injury prevention, and the real-world impact of medicine on people’s lives.

This isn’t your typica...

Healthcare should be about people, not profit—but unfortunately, that’s not the system we have today. In this episode of Broken Healthcare, I sit down with Dr. Michael Fine, a physician and author of On Medicine as Colonialism, to expose how corporate interests have hijacked healthcare. From hospitals exploiting public funds to private equity draining community resources, we break down the real cost of profit-driven healthcare—and what we can do about it.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
1. How corporate greed is draining healthcare dollars: Why public hospitals are being sold off for profit while patients...

What if your healthcare plan is costing you more than it should? In this episode of Broken Healthcare, I sit down with Mike Hill to discuss why traditional health insurance models are failing employers and employees alike. We dive into the challenges businesses face in managing healthcare costs, the hidden inefficiencies in standard plans, and how strategic approaches can create better outcomes for companies and their teams.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
1. Why traditional health insurance is broken: Employers are stuck in a system designed to extract maximum revenue, not provide better care.
2. The real co...

Are you overpaying for healthcare without realizing it? The reality is that most employers are blindly trusting third-party administrators, brokers, and carriers without questioning the hidden costs baked into their plans. But with new regulations under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), it's time for employers to take a proactive role in managing their healthcare plans like they do their 401(k)s.

In this episode of Broken Healthcare, I sit down with Jamie Greenleaf of Fiduciary in a Box to uncover how employers can cut costs, increase transparency, and meet their fiduciary responsibilities when it comes to healthcare...

Are you aware of the hidden inefficiencies and costs in your company’s healthcare plan? In this episode of Broken Healthcare, I sit down with Julie Selesnick, an expert in ERISA law and healthcare compliance. Julie sheds light on how employers can better navigate healthcare regulations and make impactful decisions for their teams.

We dive into key issues like the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), fiduciary responsibilities, and the pivotal role employers play in shaping the future of healthcare. Julie shares eye-opening insights into the mismanagement in the system and actionable steps employers can take to drive meaningful ch...

Are healthcare plans doing more harm than good? In this episode of Broken Healthcare, I’m joined by Dr. Garrisson Bliss, a pioneer in direct primary care and a long-time advocate for better healthcare solutions. Dr. Bliss shares his insights on why our current insurance-driven system is broken and how employers can take proactive steps to deliver better care for their teams.

We discuss why transparency, direct primary care, and putting patient needs first are key to fixing the system. Dr. Bliss breaks down practical ways employers can cut costs while offering meaningful benefits that truly support th...

Are your employees truly benefiting from the healthcare plans you offer? In this episode of Broken Healthcare, I sit down with Adam Russo, CEO of The FIA Group, to dive into the vital topic of why employers must rethink and invest in smarter healthcare plans. Adam shares his journey, insights into cost containment, and strategies for improving healthcare outcomes while reducing expenses.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How can AI make healthcare simpler and more effective? In this episode of Broken Healthcare, I sit down with Sasha Gribov, co-founder of Milu Health, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we approach patient care. Sasha shares the vision behind Milu Health, a platform leveraging AI and electronic health records to improve healthcare accessibility, cost management, and patient outcomes.

We discuss the hurdles of navigating today’s complex healthcare system and how technology can bridge gaps by providing real-time, actionable insights to both patients and providers. From streamlining processes to identifying cost-saving opportunities, Sasha explains ho...

This week on Broken Healthcare, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Maryal Concepcion, a passionate advocate for patient-centered healthcare and direct primary care (DPC). Dr. Maryal shared her personal journey through the challenges of working in traditional fee-for-service healthcare systems and how she transitioned to founding her own direct primary care practice.

As a family medicine physician, Dr. Maryal’s mission is to bring personalized care back to the forefront, enabling meaningful patient-doctor relationships and promoting preventive care over reactive measures. Her story sheds light on the systemic issues plaguing healthcare and why the DPC mo...

In this episode, I’m joined by Chris Tucker and David Flakus from Diathrive, a company disrupting the diabetes care landscape. If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by the costs, bureaucracy, and inefficiencies of managing chronic conditions like diabetes, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
1. Why diabetes rates are skyrocketing in the U.S. and the role our food supply plays in it.
2. How Diathrive makes diabetes care more affordable and accessible for patients.
3. The truth about continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and why traditional testing still matters.
4. Practical ways employ...

Tired of the same old healthcare runaround? You're not alone. You've probably been told to just "trust the system" and wait for the results, but let's be real, that's left you feeling frustrated and stuck. It's time to break free from the cycle of uncertainty and take control of your healthcare journey. Let's uncover the secrets to streamlining your healthcare transactions and unlocking substantial cost savings. It's time to rewrite the rules and put you back in the driver's seat of your own health.

In this episode, you will be able to:
1. Discover how direct pay healthcare...

In today’s episode of Broken Healthcare, I’m joined by Rob Archibald, a tech innovator and healthcare advocate. Rob’s unique journey from working at Intel to creating revolutionary solutions for transparency in healthcare payments will inspire you to rethink how the system works.

We dive deep into Rob’s experiences, from his time developing mission-critical software to addressing the inefficiencies and corruption in healthcare billing today. His work focuses on cutting administrative waste, improving transparency, and ensuring every dollar spent on healthcare delivers actual value.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Are employee benefits an expense or an opportunity? On this episode of Broken Healthcare, I sit down with Gary Becker, a pioneer in transforming how employers approach benefits. As the founder of ScriptSourcing, Gary brings a unique perspective on cutting healthcare costs while improving employee satisfaction and retention.

We explore how innovative solutions like international medication sourcing, patient assistance programs, and hidden paycheck tools are reshaping benefits packages. Gary shares success stories and actionable strategies to help employers save millions while improving the lives of their employees.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
1. How innovative be...

In today’s episode of Broken Healthcare, I’m joined by Dr. Jonathan Wiesen, a critical care physician and the visionary founder of MediOrbis. Jonathan is on a mission to revolutionize healthcare through telemedicine, making quality care more accessible for people everywhere.

Jonathan shares how MediOrbis is tackling some of healthcare’s biggest challenges, from chronic disease management to integrating scalable telemedicine solutions for diverse populations. With a global perspective shaped by his experiences in the U.S. and Israel, Jonathan breaks down what’s working, what’s not, and how we can do better.