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U.S. healthcare is in financial crisis. Patients are feeling the pain, acutely. Nearly 90 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid at a time when medical bills have become the leading cause of bankruptcy. As a whole, the U.S. 18% of its GDP on healthcare, nearly twice as much per citizen as any other country. All this, while achieving the worst health outcomes among its 12 richest peers.
As patients grapple with the cost of care, major health systems are fighting their own battles for survival. Last month’s megadeal between Kaiser Permanente (where cohost Robert Pearl spent 18 years as CEO of the medical group) and Geisinger Health is yet another example of healthcare consolidation—one that has industry observers scratching their heads.
In this episode of ‘Diving Deep,’ Dr. Robert Pearl discusses these trends with cohost Jeremy Corr as the two dive into the implications of medicine’s rising prices and the acquisition of yet another major hospital system.
Click play to learn more or check out the various links below for additional information.
HELPFUL LINKS
- The healthcare cost crisis: How zigzagging is hurting America (Forbes)
- What Kaiser’s acquisition of Geisinger means for all of us (Forbes)
- Monthly Musings on American Healthcare (Robert Pearl’s newsletter)
- How does Kaiser benefit from the Geisinger deal? (The Health Care Blog)
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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.
Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.