Broken Healthcare

Broken Healthcare

“Broken Healthcare” isn’t just another podcast exposing flaws in the healthcare system—it’s a movement. Hosted by the entertaining and knowledgeable Ray Kober, we pull back the curtain on the hidden forces driving up costs and making care confusing. Whether you’re an employer, an industry insider, or just someone tired of overpriced, low-quality care, we arm you with the insights to fight back. Get real stories, expert insights, and actionable solutions to take control of healthcare decisions—because better choices start with better information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

July 8, 2025 86 mins

In this powerful episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Jeff Bak, CEO of Imagine360, to dismantle the myths around employer-sponsored healthcare and reveal how reference-based pricing (RBP) is slashing costs, improving care access, and offering a real alternative to bloated PPO plans.


🚨 If you're an employer, broker, CFO, or HR leader sick of runaway healthcare costs — this is the episode you can't afford t...

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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 ...

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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 an...

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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 skyrocketin...

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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...

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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:

  • The emotional to...
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📣 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 hig...

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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:

...
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    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.

    ...

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    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...

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    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:

    • Why the U.S. system is...
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    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 ris...

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    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 ag...

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    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 “heal...

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    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:

    • The shocking cost disparities in cancer treatment
    • How to spot and fix hidden was...
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    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...

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    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 ...

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    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 ref...

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    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 #MedicalMan...

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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, Rosa...

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