Broken Healthcare

David Slepak & Caleb Parker (Angle Health) on fixing the broken U.S. healthcare system.Why do healthcare costs keep rising? Why do employers feel stuck? And what would it actually take to fix the experience?In this episode of Broken Healthcare, we break down what’s really driving costs, what most plans get wrong, and how smarter design + technology could reshape employer healthcare.#BrokenHealthcare #AngleHealth #HealthInsurance #EmployerBenefits #HealthcareCosts #HealthcareInnovation #AIinHealthcare #Podcast #BenefitsConsulting #HealthcareLeadership0:00 Why Healthcare Feels Broken1:02 From State Farm to Fixing Healthcare5:02 What Makes Angle Health Different7:02 Bad Benefits vs Bad Experiences11:00 The Tech + AI Advantage16:00 Why Speed Wins in Healthcare21:00 Palantir Roots & Data Strategy24:30 Why Costs Keep Exploding30:00 The Insurance Card Problem34:30 Fixing Friction in Healthcare40:00 Guiding Patients to Better Care44:00 Why Legacy Carriers Struggle49:00 Incentives That Actually Work57:00 The Truth About Pharmacy Spend59:30 Final Thoughts

Sanju Sriram on fixing one of the most overlooked problems in business: IRS compliance.Why do so many companies miss required filings? Why are IRS forms so difficult to understand? And what would it take to simplify a system that frustrates even experienced professionals?In this episode of Broken Healthcare, Ray sits down with Sanju — CEO of Simple Tax Suite — to talk about her journey from Silicon Valley gaming engineer to building an IRS-authorised platform that has processed more than 5 million filings.🔗 Learn more: https://simple720.com/ - Use code BROKEN for 10% off#BrokenHealthcare #TaxCompliance #IRS #Fintech #HealthcareCompliance #EmployerBenefits #CFO #BusinessFinance #Startup #Podcast 0:00 Intro + Why IRS Compliance Confuses Businesses 2:05 Sanju’s Background (Gaming + Engineering Journey) 5:10 How She Got Into Tax Technology 7:15 The Moment IRS Forms Didn’t Make Sense 10:05 Partnering With the IRS 13:10 Identifying the Compliance Gap 16:00 What Businesses Get Wrong About Reporting 19:30 What Is PCORI (Explained Simply) 23:15 Who Needs to File + Deadlines 27:00 Why Companies Miss Required Filings 30:10 Paper Filing vs Electronic Reality 33:20 Avoiding Penalties & Getting It Right 37:10 Forms Explained (720, ACA, 5500, 5330) 41:45 Working With Brokers, TPAs & Employers 46:30 Small Businesses vs Enterprise Clients 50:10 AI + Automation in Compliance 54:30 The Future of Tax Compliance 58:20 Final Thoughts

There is a healthcare court case unfolding right now that could have massive implications for patients, employers, and how hospital consent is interpreted across the entire system.In this critical episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with healthcare outcomes expert and Validation Institute founder Al Lewis to break down a real case involving OhioHealth, a 29-hospital system in Ohio, that is now testing how consent and payment agreements actually work in practice.In this case, treatment was provided and accepted without objection. Payment was then sent via check clearly marked as payment in full for the agreed-upon amount. The check was cashed.But the story didn’t end there.After accepting and cashing the payment, additional demands for thousands more followed — raising serious questions about how consent, financial responsibility, and patient agreements are enforced in healthcare.This case is now becoming a powerful test of how consent is used — and why patients and employers need to understand exactly what they are agreeing to.One of the most important takeaways Al shares is simple but critical:Always ask for a printed copy of anything you sign in a healthcare setting.Because consent forms often contain language that can have long-term legal and financial consequences most people never fully realize.In this episode, you’ll learn:• The OhioHealth court case and why it could impact healthcare nationwide• How hospital consent forms actually work in practice• Why accepting treatment can sometimes be interpreted as accepting consent• Why requesting printed copies of consent forms is essential• How employers may unknowingly expose themselves to significant financial risk• The mission behind Quizzify and how it helps people make smarter healthcare decisions• How the Validation Institute independently verifies healthcare solutionsMost people assume healthcare is straightforward.But the reality is far more complex.This conversation exposes how the system actually works — and why awareness is one of the most important protections you have.⚠️ This episode is essential viewing for:• Employers and benefits leaders• Healthcare executives and advisors• HR professionals• Anyone who has signed hospital paperwork• Anyone who wants to understand their rights and risks in healthcareBecause what you sign — and what you don’t question — can matter more than you think.👤 About Al LewisAl Lewis is founder of the Validation Institute and Quizzify, and one of the most respected and outspoken healthcare outcomes experts in the country. His work focuses on bringing transparency, accountability, and evidence-based validation to healthcare.🎙 About Broken HealthcareHosted by Ray Kober, Broken Healthcare explores the real drivers of healthcare costs, consent, incentives, and accountability — and brings clarity to leaders navigating one of the most complex systems in the world.No spin. Just reality.🔔 Subscribe to Broken HealthcareIf you want to understand how healthcare really works — and how to protect yourself and your organization — subscribe and turn on notifications.💬 Join the conversationHave you ever signed healthcare paperwork without fully understanding it?

What happens when Sir Winston Churchill walks into a modern podcast studio… and then steps out of character?In this unforgettable episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Randy Otto — a financial advisor, historian, and the only man ever endorsed by the Churchill family to portray Sir Winston Churchill.For over 54 years, Randy has embodied Churchill on stages around the world. In this conversation, he does something extraordinary:🎩 Part one: He is Winston Churchill — recounting war, leadership, failure, resilience, and the legendary “black dog” in Churchill’s own voice.🧠 Part two: He steps out of character as Randy Otto, revealing what decades of studying Churchill taught him about creativity, mental health, destiny, money, and leadership.You’ll hear:- How Churchill survived his greatest failure (Gallipoli)- Why painting saved his life — and his mind- The real story behind the “black dog” of depression- Leadership lessons forged in war that still apply today- What it means to believe in destiny — and fight for itThis isn’t history class.This is living history, performed by the man who knows Churchill better than anyone alive.🎙️ Sit back, listen closely — and decide for yourself when the character ends and the wisdom begins.

America doesn’t have a healthcare problem.It has a healthcare business problem — and we’re all trapped inside it.In this powerful episode of Broken Healthcare, host Ray Kober sits down with Chris Deacon — attorney, healthcare policy expert, former Director of State Health Benefits for New Jersey, and author of The Great American Healthcare Heist — to expose how America’s healthcare system became a $5 trillion machine that patients, employers, and taxpayers can’t escape.Chris isn’t a theorist.She ran healthcare for nearly 800,000 lives and managed a $6–7 billion annual healthcare budget inside government.What she discovered changed everything.In this episode, you’ll learn:- Why Americans are paying $17,000–$50,000 per family per year and still can’t afford care- How insurers, PBMs, and hospitals operate as vertically integrated monopolies- Why “nonprofit” hospitals behave like Wall Street corporations — without paying taxes- How consolidation destroyed community hospitals and accountability- Why politicians of both parties are trapped by lobbying and reelection incentives- How young government staffers are “educated” by industry lobbyists- Why $1.5 BILLION in savings was realistically achievable — without cutting benefits- How employers blindly write healthcare checks they’d never approve anywhere else- Why Americans are handed a $50,000 system with no instruction manual- How the healthcare system itself can become dangerous if navigated incorrectlyChris delivers one of the most important analogies in healthcare today:“We hand people a $50,000 Volvo and say ‘good luck’ — no driving lessons, no instruction manual — and then blame them when it goes wrong.”This conversation isn’t partisan.It’s not theoretical.And it’s not about selling you anything.It’s about education, accountability, and taking control of a system that quietly drains families, employers, and communities.If you’ve ever:1- Been afraid to seek care because of cost2- Opened a medical bill and thought “this can’t be real”3- Managed employee benefits and felt completely boxed in4 - Wondered why healthcare feels impossible to fixThis episode will change how you see everything.Watch. Share. And start asking better questions.ABOUT CHRIS DEACONChris Deacon is an attorney, healthcare policy expert, former Director of State Health Benefits for New Jersey, national speaker, whistleblower, and featured voice in the documentary It’s Not Personal, It’s Just Healthcare. She oversaw healthcare for nearly 800,000 public employees and dependents and managed one of the largest state healthcare budgets in the country.She now focuses on education, policy consulting, and public advocacy to help employers, policymakers, and the public understand how the system actually works — and how it can be improved.PURCHASE HER BOOKThe Great American Healthcare Heist by Chris DeaconAvailable at:AmazonMajor online book retailersIndependent bookstores (by request)(Search: The Great American Healthcare Heist – Chris Deacon)HOW TO CONTACT CHRIS DEACONLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdeaconc/Active on LinkedIn with regular healthcare insights and commentaryLong-form writing available via Substack: https://substack.com/@chrisdeaconahealthcareheistOpen to messages, dialogue, and education-focused engagementSUPPORT THE SHOWIf this episode resonated:Like the videoSubscribe to Broken HealthcareShare with someone who’s tired of the status quoHealthcare doesn’t change without informed pressure — and that starts here.

Broken healthcare is failing millions of Americans — especially hourly and frontline workers.In this episode of the Broken Healthcare Podcast, host Ray Kober sits down in-studio with Lexie Leitner, PA-C, Vice President of Clinical Operations at River Health, to unpack why the traditional U.S. healthcare system no longer works — and what it will take to fix it.Lexie shares her journey from family medicine to healthcare innovation, and explains how River Health is rethinking access, affordability, and care delivery for workers who are often left behind by employer-sponsored insurance.One of the most powerful parts of River Health’s model? Mental health is treated as essential care — not an add-on. Members receive unlimited virtual therapy plus free access to the Calm app, helping address anxiety, burnout, depression, and everyday stress without barriers, copays, or long wait times.In this episode, we cover:Why high-deductible health plans leave Americans functionally uninsuredHow hourly workers fall through the cracks of traditional healthcareThe real reason healthcare costs keep rising (and who actually pays)How River Health delivers unlimited virtual primary care, labs, prescriptions, imaging, and urgent care access for a flat monthly costWhy unlimited teletherapy and Calm access are critical in today’s mental health crisisHow employers can support workforce health without $40,000 insurance plansThe difference between insurance and actual access to careHow healthcare became so complex — and what simplicity looks like againIf you’re an employer, HR leader, healthcare professional, or someone frustrated with the cost and confusion of U.S. healthcare, this conversation will challenge how you think about coverage, value, and care.🎧 Subscribe to Broken Healthcare for real conversations about what’s broken — and what can actually fix it.