"There is a long-simmering debate in the healthcare industry on whether we should cut out health insurers as the middlemen in paying for checkups, prescription drugs, procedures and more. Despite paying monthly fees, health plan members have to pay thousands in premiums, which can lead to significant out-of-pocket costs for prescription medication and medical visits. The latest episode of the Debunked podcast explores an ongoing debate on this topic led by investor Mark Cuban, which spilled onto social media channel X."
"Arundhati and Samir discuss whether payers are gaming the health system by taking advantage of a public who may not fully understand their health insurance options or the consequences of choosing one plan over another, which can lead to unexpected out-of-pocket costs to pay premiums. "The system is not set up to support patient-doctor [price] negotiations," Samir said, pointing to a rising trend of subscription-based primary care services offered through companies like One Medical, which Amazon acquired in 2023."
"Despite assurances made to U.S. Senators that Kennedy would leave vaccine recommendations in place, he has made several changes to longstanding vaccine policy. He did away with a recommendation to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to pregnant women and women nursing children under 6 months old. Susan Monarez, the former Senate-confirmed director of the CDC, was ousted over her vaccine policy stance, which prompted other CDC executives to resign in protest. Kennedy also replaced a board overseeing vaccine policy with vaccine skeptics."
A long-simmering debate centers on whether to remove health insurers as middlemen paying for checkups, prescription drugs, procedures and other care. Plan members often pay monthly fees and still face thousands in premiums and significant out-of-pocket costs for medications and medical visits. Investor Mark Cuban pushed the debate onto social media channel X, elevating public scrutiny. Payer practices can confuse consumers about plan choices and consequences, producing unexpected out-of-pocket costs despite premiums. A rising trend of subscription-based primary care, exemplified by One Medical after its 2023 acquisition by Amazon, bypasses traditional insurer-mediated pricing models. Leadership upheaval at HHS under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prompted changes to longstanding vaccine policy, including removal of a Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for pregnant and nursing women, and prompted CDC leadership departures and replacement of a vaccine policy board with skeptics.
Read at MedCity News
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