This podcast puts in the work, delivering information and insights that help to explain health and healthcare issues. So many podcasts are simply promoting fads and products - this doesn’t.

I am a 20 year BH professional. This podcast started out honest, fair, and reflective of so many challenges to our imperfect healthcare system. I consider myself politically neutral and appreciate the objectivity. Unfortunately, the most recent episode shifted to a political “side” and seemed dismissive and perhaps even discriminatory of those who believe differently. I’ve lost my trust….

Working in healthcare, I totally get how dysfunctional our healthcare system is. This podcast brings so many great discussions that we need to engage so we can provide high value care (quality care at low cost).

Looking forward to this hopefully y’all keep this going

Uninformed and wrong podcast. Never gets into personal responsibility. Admits that the problems with insurance only started because of government interference and socialist actions but thinks that more socialism is the answer!

As a “healthcare provider” I have been shielded from the realities of how the system actually works. Exploiting us as pawns and as consumers of the very same system. not only is this podcast informative, it guides listeners on how to advocate for ourselves.. this system can’t continue to work as it is working… we’re all victims. Give it a listen. It’s worth it.

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Such an important topic. Information provided in an interesting and real-life way.

Having experienced UK (NHS) and decades of for profit American health care for my chronic issues this is my take on this podcast. Focus on anecdotal experiences and graphic tragic outcomes doesn’t illustrate the everyday mindset and relationship with health care of most Americans. To illustrate: There’s a billion dollar industrial complex of over the counter treatments, alternative care and health and wellness that Americans routinely access in lieu of standard western medical care because the health care system is problematic. Everyday people self diagnose and practice frontier medicine on themselves because of the cost and well known inefficacy of the medical establishment in America. My own chronic condition routinely gets prescribed a cocktail of drugs that are peer review researched to have about the same effect as a placebo and a slew of cumulative nasty side effects that include suicidal ideation. I opted out of those standard treatments. Go figure. And mine is an average experience here in America. In general we don’t trust our health system. And the ramifications of millions of people who no longer use the established medical system (unless they absolutely have to) is the unnecessary death toll (Covid for example)and general unmitigated medical maiming of the population that’s not seen in other countries. When I was living in the UK I was straight up told first day I arrived (apropos of nothing) and like I was a slow child that health care was a human right. And in practice, observing my UK friends/colleagues receive health care and my own personal experiences with NHS made me realize that my experience with the monetization of American health care impacts me in every aspect in a negative way because humans are not disease widgets that need just in time attentions of a mechanized system of delivery that weaponized profit making over good health outcomes. Moreover I learned that on all levels my ideas about health care and how I accessed it were grounded and lensed in the for profit model. And so too is this podcast’s framework and lens intrinsically tied to the for profit model in its unexamined bias and editorial choices that rely on anecdotal evidence of “the cost of human suffering” to drive the narrative. Until we as Americans examine “what is”... that we see basically everything as a marketplace to our own detriment- we’re gonna just have more of the same. And no matter how groundbreaking the discussion is- it will be rendered moot. Health care is a commodity in America not a human right. Yes, medical care has a “price” and billions of other humans planet wide have figured out how to provide for each other because they do not see the overarching need to make profit from medicine.

Validation!! As a registered nurse, this podcast shows the corrupt greed and dysfunction of the healthcare industrial complex. Money, slick lobbyists, and million of dollars buying off politicians keeps justice and equity in healthcare out of reach for the majority of people in the US. People need to wake up, get the facts and stop believing the big lie that a universal healthcare system would take away our choices. This country would be a whole lot healthier and we would pay less for everything.

I just found this podcast and already I’m obsessed. It’s super pro and the audio and editing are amazing. I was an RN for 20 years and worked on a renal unit for 4 years, so the episode on dialysis was very enlightening. I’m now a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and the episodes tackle so many of the psychosocial factors that influence care. Don’t miss out on this very special podcast!

Dave and his team have put together an enlightening podcast that everyone can relate to. This fantastic podcast goes beyond humanizing healthcare and dives into the others topics surrounding the important various social issues related to healthcare. The information presented is reliable and factual, delivered through research and qualified professionals. I’ve really enjoyed the personal examples they share and the data-driven information it provides to better educate me on healthcare. This podcast is well worth your time.

Excellent podcast about an complex broken system. I will take issue with the idea that the outcomes based payment models described in episode 5 may be a 'long fix' solution to the Fee for Service model. Having worked in primary care with this 'new and improved model', it does have curb appeal. In practice it creates yet another layer of administrative bureaucracy providers must burden, resulting in less time with patients and more burn out. Bush's blanket approach to education outcomes with 'No Child Left Behind' did not work where schools were tasked with fixing all of societies dysfunction, and I believe we will see that an outcomes based approach in healthcare will unduly strain an already strained primary care system. My two long fixes: 1) Universal Primary Care (with an incremental transition to s Single Payer System over a generation and 2) The creation of an federal public health ARMY of Community Health Workers to work on the front lines of the social determinants of health, disease prevention and health promotion.

This might be one of the best podcasts I have listened to thus far. Wonderful reporting, insightful stories and deep perspective. I recently went through receiving a medical bill of 16k expenses billed via a less than two hour cardiologist visit for one of my teens. I fought and fought and lost. On HDP, we owe over 4K out of pocket. We have to do better. I’m grateful for my healthcare, but I agree, I am avoiding Drs solely for the fear of the unknown bill. Very sad. Thank you for your dedication to this very important topic.

This is such a hot button topic for me having had a few nightmare billing situations, I was hesitant to listen concerned it would trigger strong feelings back to the surface. Convincing myself to try the first two episodes, I now look forward to the next one each week. Appreciate the case data being solicited and not having a pre-conceived solution - it’s not either what we have now or what Canada (insert other country) has - it’s determine what makes sense here. I’m cautiously optimistic about where this could actually lead. Is it really possible the scariest thing about aging doesn’t have to be the unknown costs of healthcare?

Thank you for this enlightening series. As a Union-member RN, I knew the hospitals were misrepresenting their Non-profit model to avoid paying RNs what we earn in our blood and sweat, but the veil is off now! Single payor system for all. What waste we trim could pay for all citizens to remain healthy. Let’s see what Biden can accomplish.

I own a small business. After Obamacare I could only afford the premium not any healthcare. I’m sorry but it’s unfair that Thst small businesses pay for Medicaid where people can use theER as a primary dr. And I have to think twice if I have a legit emergency. I want poor people to go to the hospital but can I go 2 without it costing thousands ? I pay the premium for “poor” people but if I have to pay through the nose . Poor people and goverment workers have great insurance ! Obamacare was not insurance reform it was just an expansion of Medicaid . Many independent dr had to join big hospital to meet the administrative requirements of Obamacare . Now big hospital is unstoppable . Super powerful. We need price transparency now ! Big hospital took the trump administration to court over price transparency to keep the current collusion in place . So your insurance carrier negotiates a price for a service and u wind up paying the bill and the premium too . Obamacare made big hospital and big insurance monopolies . Obamacare is great if u qualify fir subsidy but if u do not there’s a subsidy cliff . It’s a mess . I

As an American citizen who has lived many years in Europe I can attest how our healthcare system is the most expensive, insensitive and discriminatory. Thank you for digging into this issue and bringing light into a broken system in so much need of a reform.

It’s heart breaking to hear the loss of family members of the host. However, the tragedy has more to do with the genetics makeup and personal responsibility than anything else. Also, when I hear that health care profesional claims “because our healthcare system is no good, so we must rely on vaccines to overcome COVID”, I almost fell off the chair. What an idiot!!! This show has no credibility. Not worth wasting my time. Going to unsubscribe now.

I was really engaged by this series until David Smith blithely justified the rampant greed of health care providers in the most recent episode. He asserts that “any one of us” would do the same were we in a position to make obscene amounts of money from a rigged system that is literally allowing people to die. What surprises me so much by the turn this podcast took is that it started with such promise in its acknowledgment of how broken our health care system is. But then, aren’t we the public just a bunch of suckers for allowing ourselves to be charged outrageous amounts of money for often unnecessary procedures and tests? No, I am tired of this idea that greed s “just part of our system” in the U.S. I hope you do better in episode 4, David.

Appreciate listening to the podcast, on many levels. My mother passed away, 1/8/21, after a life of chronic kidney disease, chronic pain and related mental health illness. I grew up with the specter of suicidal ideation before mental health became adequate enough to start helping. Obviously there remains a long way to go. My father dealt with this through domestic abuse & alcoholism. Anyway, I’ve seen the evolution of the healthcare system & it is more broken than ever. Keep this podcast going! It is cathartic, informative and so enlightening.

I am a certified medical coder and it breaks my heart to hear these stories. People don’t understand how insurance works and it’s very sad. Not to mention the evil practitioners that over bill.

Even w insurance, it is all so difficult to navigate, deal with especially when you are sick! I don’t understand why the US can’t get this fixed.

Honest and intriguing. I can’t wait for more episodes!!!!

Simultaneously vulnerable and educational. Thank you for telling this story that unfortunately many of us have our own versions of. I highly recommend this podcast!

This is a sensitive yet powerfully informative podcast. So much to understand in order to produce change. Great production!

Talk that talk 💯

As a young adult suffering from neuromuscular issues resulting from a medication that I was taking for years, this podcast describes basically all that I am going through navigating the “health care” system in the United States; this system is wasteful, racist, elitist and profit driven. I am flying to a third world country within the next three months for health care and I am almost certain that if I don’t find a cure to reverse the neuromuscular damage , at least I will be treated like a human being !

This story must be told and thankfully “last day” brought me here. Thank you David for delivering this storyline, beautifully and thoughtfully told and researched. I am well informed on a lot of these themes and you’ve proven to be an expert in them, both professionally and personally

As someone who just lost a parent to a failing healthcare system, this podcast hits home. I’m very much looking forward to hearing David and his guests share their experiences but even more importantly, we simply cannot wait anymore to change a system that fails it’s citizens every day while bankrupting them at the same time. Bravo David Smith and Lemonada for taking on this important topic! 👏👏👏

I have been so impressed with the podcasts from Lemonada, they tackle some of the hardest but also most important topics with erudition and empathy. Looking forward to this newest series!!!

I have been working with David for a little under a year now and to say the least, he is one of my biggest inspirations. He has help me kickstart a small non-profit dedicated to bridging the gaps on social and racial inequalities, and his efforts always seem genuinely motivated by his passion for helping others. I’m excited to see what he takes on next. I can’t wait to hear more!

Excited for this show, can’t wait for April 15th l.

the US health care system is so broken 🥲can’t wait to listen to this podcast!!

I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside David Smith for a couple of years and where he goes next always keeps me off-balanced. His knack for story-telling with a purpose in healthcare is unparalleled - this is surely going to keep you on your toes.

I think healthcare costs and the money-making industry behind insurance is front-of-mind for a lot of folks - sounds like this show will tackle this head-on!

As a client who has worked with David Smith for the past few years, I’ve come to understand how deeply he understands the dynamics of healthcare and cares about making it easier to access and pay for. I have no doubt this podcast will dig into really important conversations about the systemic issues of US healthcare and how to solve them.

LOVE having an economist head up such an impactful and meaningful show, definitely a must-listen

Really looking forward to this show. I’ve been terrified of the healthcare system most of my life, and have family members who were driven to bankruptcy due to medical care for chronic conditions. I can’t wait to listen, and hope this reaches as many people as possible!

I can’t count the number of hours I’ve spent on the phone with insurance companies and billing reps. Our system is so broken! We need solutions now. Excited to listen to this.

I worked with David Smith back in our Leavitt Partners days and his grasp our our nation’s health issues has always been strong. I’m very much looking forward to this project.

Love David. Excited for this.

Healthcare is a mess in this country. Excited someone in digging in, in a way that’s meaningful!

I could not stop listening!! So good. I recommend to everyone

From personal experience, yes, healthcare and insurance are confusing! Looking forward to learning why. And what we can do about it as patients. Also the artwork rocks!

Amped for this. We need this. Subscribed.

Not only is David Smith a phenomenal speaker, but his knowledge of the healthcare industry is extensive. Those things, coupled with his desire to close the gap on health and social inequities are going to make this podcast a hit!

Excited to see where this goes