Most people believe hospitals exist to serve patients first.

But there’s a rule buried inside the healthcare system that most people have never heard about… and it changed everything.

Years ago, doctors were quietly blocked from owning new hospitals. Almost no one talks about it. Yet that one move reshaped who controls healthcare in this country.

In this episode, I dig into what really happened, why physician-led hospitals became such a threat, and how some doctors are finding a different path forward.

Because when doctors control the care… something very different starts to happen.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why physicians were suddenly blocked from building new hospitals
• The surprising reason physician-owned hospitals perform differently
• The quiet workaround some doctors are using to build a new kind of healthcare system

Learn more about Dr. Lucas Myers:

• http://www.selkirkcenter.com/
• on X: @DrLGarl
• Physician-Led Healthcare for America: Physiciansled.com

Most people believe they have a doctor.

But the truth is… most don’t.

What they really have is a system. A system where doctors are rushed, appointments are short, and decisions are often controlled by insurance companies instead of the people sitting in the exam room.

I see this problem every day.

In this episode, I talk about a different model of medicine that quietly puts the relationship between doctor and patient back where it belongs. It changes how care is delivered, how doctors practice, and how patients experience healthcare.

But most people have never heard of it.

And once you understand how it works, you start to see why the current system feels so frustrating.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why the modern healthcare system often prevents doctors from truly helping patients
• The surprising model of care that removes insurance from the middle of the doctor-patient relationship
• Why some doctors say this approach completely changed the way they practice medicine

If you’ve ever felt rushed, unheard, or stuck inside the healthcare system… this conversation may completely change how you think about medical care.

Learn more about William Steelman:

• Willam Steelman of Steelman Medical Group, steelmanmedicalgroup.com
• Direct Primary Care Alliance dpcalliance.org
• Best way to find Direct Primary Care Physicians: mapper.dpcfrontier.com

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a model in which patients pay a monthly subscription fee to a physician for unliminted primary care. This doesn't involve insurane, but you can use your insurance for any follow up services needed.

When a hurricane knocked out one factory… hospitals across the country suddenly ran short on IV bags.

Surgeries were delayed.

Treatments were canceled.

And hospitals were scrambling.

But the real question is this:

Why was the entire healthcare system depending on one single plant?

In this episode, I break down a part of healthcare most people have never heard of — group purchasing organizations.

These middlemen control the flow of medical supplies into hospitals across the country. And the rules around them created a system where a few companies can quietly shape the entire medical supply chain.

Once you understand how this system works, a lot of the strange shortages in healthcare start to make more sense.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why one factory failure caused a nationwide shortage of IV bags
• The little-known organizations that control most hospital supply contracts
• How certain healthcare rules quietly changed the entire medical supply chain

Learn more about Dr. Marion Mass:

• https://free2care.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/report.pdf
• https://www.bucksindependence.com/author/marion-mass/

Chapters:

00:00 – The IV Bag Shortage That Shocked Hospitals

00:11 – How One Factory Disrupted the Entire System

02:05 – What Group Purchasing Organizations Actually Do

04:23 – Why Medical Shortages Keep Happening

06:01 – The Growing Problem With Drug Supply Chains

08:29 – The Conflict Built Into Medical Purchasing

11:13 – Why No One Is Looking at the Contracts

12:53 – The Hidden Costs Inside Hospital Supplies

14:58 – How One Company Controls Huge Parts of the Market

17:21 – The Rise of Hospital Care at Home

21:17 – Why Hospitals May Not Be Needed for Some Care

27:00 – The Direct Care Model Changing Healthcare

36:43 – How Electronic Records Changed Doctor Workflows

Most people blame doctors or insurance companies for the cost of healthcare.

But that’s not where most of the money actually goes.

In this episode, I break down the part of the healthcare system almost nobody talks about… hospitals.

Hospital care now makes up about a third of all healthcare spending in the United States. And over the past two decades, hospital prices have grown far faster than almost anything else in the economy.

So what’s really driving these costs?

We talk about price transparency, nonprofit hospital systems, government programs that quietly funnel billions into hospitals, and why the system keeps getting bigger and more expensive.

Once you see how the money actually moves through healthcare… you start to understand why costs keep rising.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why hospital prices have risen dramatically compared to other medical care
• The surprising reason many hospitals still hide their prices
• How certain healthcare programs quietly shift billions into hospital systems

Learn more about Dr. Marion Mass:

• https://free2care.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/report.pdf
• https://www.bucksindependence.com/author/marion-mass/

Chapters:

00:02 – Where the Money Is in Healthcare

00:10 – Why Hospital Costs Are Growing So Fast

02:34 – The Problem With Price Transparency

04:07 – Why Hospitals Resist Showing Prices

06:43 – The Truth About Nonprofit Hospitals

09:34 – Inside Hospital Executive Pay

12:42 – Government Programs Funding Hospitals

14:55 – How Hospital Consolidation Happens

18:00 – Why Hospitals Buy Physician Practices

21:27 – The 340B Drug Program Explained

27:34 – How Payment Systems Favor Hospitals

33:31 – Who Actually Represents Physicians and Patients

38:41 – Why Hospital Care Costs So Much More

43:48 – How Hospital Systems Became So Powerful

I see this every day… people think they have “good” health insurance.

But then something happens.

A bill shows up. A claim gets denied. Or worse… you realize you can’t even afford the plan anymore.

And no one explains why.

In this episode, I break down what’s really going on behind the scenes—and why so many people feel stuck, frustrated, and confused.

This isn’t about selling you anything. It’s about helping you see the system clearly… so you can start asking better questions.

Because once you see it… you can’t unsee it.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your “covered” care may not actually be covered when it matters most
• The hidden ways you’re paying for insurance… even when you think you’re not
• A different way to think about healthcare that most people never consider

Connect With Talia Berkefeld: taliangmteam@gmail.com

Imagine paying $30,000 a year for something you barely use.

That’s how health insurance works for many families in America.

You pay your premiums.

You pay your deductible.

And when you finally need help… you enter a confusing system of approvals, networks, and denied claims.

In this episode, I break down how the health insurance system actually works behind the scenes.

We talk about the difference between fully insured and self-funded plans, why employers struggle with healthcare costs, and how the Affordable Care Act changed the entire insurance landscape.

Most people think they understand their health insurance.

But the truth is… they’re missing the most important parts of the system.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- Why many families pay thousands before insurance pays anything
- The confusing difference between self-funded and fully insured plans
- How major healthcare laws quietly reshaped the insurance industry

Connect With Talia Berkefeld: taliangmteam@gmail.com

Chapters:
00:01 – The $30,000 Health Insurance Problem
00:21 – Why Health Insurance Feels So Confusing
01:46 – Fully Insured vs Self-Funded Plans
03:06 – Who Actually Pays Your Medical Bills
04:18 – Why Employer Health Plans Keep Getting More Expensive
06:38 – The Role of Insurance Brokers
09:11 – How the Affordable Care Act Changed Insurance
12:23 – The Consolidation of the Healthcare Industry
14:17 – The 10 Essential Benefits Explained
16:12 – Why Insurance Covers the Wrong Things
17:10 – The Truth About High Deductible Plans and HSAs
21:33 – How Hospitals Write Off Medical Bills

In the 1960s, people paid their doctors in cash. It was simple. It was cheap. Then everything changed.

We were told insurance would protect us. Just pay one price and everything is covered.

But is it?

I’ve seen families pay $30,000 a year before insurance even kicks in. I’ve seen an $8,000 bill for a 15-minute procedure. I’ve seen a $5,000 bag of saline that cost the hospital a few dollars.

And here’s the part no one wants to admit: many doctors are just as frustrated as you are.

So what if we’ve been thinking about health care the wrong way?

What if paying directly could actually cost less… and feel more human?

In this episode, I pull back the curtain on what’s really happening inside the system—and why more people are walking away from traditional insurance.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- Why higher medical prices often mean worse care
- The hidden reason your insurance bill keeps going up
- How a different model is quietly helping families avoid medical bankruptcy

If you feel stuck… confused… or tired of surprise bills and denied claims—this episode will change how you see health care.

Listen now. Then decide if the system deserves your trust.

Connect with our guest Andy Schoonover: andy@joincrowdhealth.com

Chapters:
00:00 – How Health Insurance Changed Everything
00:59 – Why Costs Exploded
02:22 – An Alternative to Insurance
03:41 – The $8,000 Ear Surgery
06:19 – Paying Cash vs Insurance
11:02 – How Community Funding Works
13:24 – Why Doctors Hate the System
20:11 – The $250 Heart Test
29:08 – Radical Transparency
34:05 – The $5,000 Saline Bag
46:20 – Growth, Diabetes, and the Future
53:39 – The Biggest Challenges

Most people think the biggest problem in healthcare is cost.

I don’t believe that.

From what I’ve seen inside the system, the real issue is something much deeper—and it’s the reason so many people delay care, get surprise bills, or feel completely lost trying to get help.

The system was supposed to make healthcare easier.

Instead, it created layers of rules, vendors, billing steps, and confusion that most people never see… until they’re the patient.

In this episode, I walk through what’s actually happening behind the scenes—why doctors struggle to get paid, why patients struggle to access care, and why the system often works against the very people it’s meant to help.

Once you see how it really works, it’s hard to unsee.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why the healthcare system turned into a 50-step process just to get care
• The surprising reason insurance can sometimes cost more than paying cash
• The hidden layer of the system most patients never realize exists

If you’ve ever wondered why healthcare feels so complicated… this conversation will change how you see it.

Chapters:

02:02 – The Real Problem With Healthcare Access

03:37 – Why Deductibles Became a Barrier to Care

06:13 – The Hidden Cost of Getting Doctors Paid

08:15 – Discovering the True Price of Medical Procedures

12:06 – Why Transparency Is Missing in Healthcare

16:10 – The Problem With Drug Pricing and Hidden Rebates

24:24 – Why Healthcare Became So Complicated

27:26 – The Power of Having a Guide Through the System

36:34 – How the Platform and Model Started

40:12 – Bringing Both Sides of Healthcare Together

45:12 – The Hardest Part of Expanding Access to Care

52:14 – Why Hospitals Aren’t Always the Best Place for Treatment