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ONLY HEALTHCARE
The “Only Healthcare” podcast reveals shocking truths about the healthcare industry. Why are US Healthcare costs and risks so high? How will new technologies impact the system? What are the challenges in accessing new therapies and treatments? What is happening with Big Pharma and how do they influence other stakeholders in healthcare? Hosted by industry experts Michael Navin and Dr. Randy Vogenberg, to provide you with actionable and inspirational insights on how we can improve healthcare cost, care and accessibility for all.
Hosted by:
Michael Navin & Dr. Randy Vogenberg
Michael's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-navin-7411388/
Randy's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyvogenberg/
Sponsored by:
Only Healthcare is sponsored by Peek and the Institute for Integrated Health.
Peek: Peek is reimagining access through innovation, technology, connectivity, and partnership. Peek offers a comprehensive and unique suite of solutions to help clients improve access and affordability for prescription drugs.
The Peek Meds Marketplace is one of Peek’s differentiated offerings that gives employers a revolutionary new approach to controlling runaway prescription costs for their employees by providing unprecedented transparency, simplicity - and cost savings. The Peek Meds Marketplace aggregates cash discount cards, manufacturer copay offset programs, and an employee’s insurance information to provide a holistic and personalized view of prescription price options. This easy-to-use platform offers a one-stop-shopping experience for prescription drugs.
Peek’s team has decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and offers various services to biopharma manufacturers, brokers, benefits consultants, third-party administrators and employers. Visit peekmeds.com to learn more.
Institute for Integrated Health (IIH):
Healthcare benefits, insurance coverage regulations, and business in the healthcare industry can be complicated. At IIH, Dr. Randy Vogenberg and his team understand these unique challenges and provide strategic guidance customized to every client. To help overcome your unique challenges, IIH delivers education, planning, and advisory on market trends and U.S. healthcare market intelligence. The firm’s decades of proven success are due to strategic collaboration with associates from the business, clinical, and scientific communities. Learn more by visiting https://iih-online.com/.
Music by:
Hanu Dixit, https://www.youtube.com/hanudixit
Disclaimer:
© 2025 Only Healthcare Podcast. All rights reserved.
This podcast and its content, including but not limited to audio recordings, images, and text, are the property of the Only Healthcare Podcast and are protected by international copyright laws. We appreciate all distribution and content sharing. Contact us at onlyhealthcarepodcast@gmail.com to access our media kits, provide feedback or inquire about guest participation. Thank you for listening.
ONLY HEALTHCARE
Ep 35 | Healthcare at a Breaking Point: Costs, Policy Gridlock, and What 2026 Holds
In this episode of the Only Healthcare Podcast, hosts Michael Navin and Randy Vogenberg welcome back healthcare policy veteran Deborah Williams for a candid conversation on why 2025 became such a difficult year for employers, patients, and policymakers alike.
Coming off the tensions of the government shutdown and escalating healthcare costs, the discussion breaks down what is actually driving premium increases, prescription drug spending, hospital consolidation, and benefit design changes. Deborah draws on decades of Washington experience to explain why many policy ideas keep resurfacing, why they continue to fall short, and what risks lie ahead as the system moves into 2026.
From direct-to-consumer drug pricing and PBM reform to political gridlock and consumer backlash, this episode explores where healthcare policy may realistically land next and why affordability remains the unanswered question.
Key Topics Discussed
- Why employer healthcare costs outpaced exchange inflation in 2025
- Hospital consolidation and cost-shifting pressures
- Prescription drug spending trends and policy spillover effects
- Direct-to-consumer drug pricing and deductible portability
- PBM reform debates and unintended consequences
- Political gridlock, populism, and healthcare affordability
- What employers, plans, and consumers may face in 2026
Chapters with Time Stamps
00:04 Welcome and episode framing
00:44 Deborah Williams' background and policy perspective
01:44 Why 2025 was a brutal year for employers
03:34 Hospital consolidation and cost shifting
04:35 Prescription drug costs and market pressure
07:15 Consumer behavior, adherence, and affordability
09:00 Political realities and exchange subsidies
12:08 Insurers, public sentiment, and misinformation
14:03 Drug pricing models and global comparisons
16:41 Employer leverage and failed market solutions
17:49 Emerging therapies and future cost risk
20:24 What could improve in 2026
24:26 Populism and the next policy inflection point
Michael's LinkedIn
Randy's LinkedIn
Sponsored by:
Peek: A game-changing prescription shopping solution that allows its members to view all their prescription cost options across cash discount programs and their insurance in one easy-to-use platform. Peek is currently being offered to organizations to help both employees and plan sponsors save money on their prescription spend. https://peekmeds.com/.
Institute for Integrated Health (IIH): Health care benefits, insurance coverage regulations, and doing business in the healthcare industry can be complicated. At IIH, Dr. Randy Vogenberg and his team understand these unique challenges and provides strategic guidance customized to every client. To help overcome your unique challenges, IIH delivers education, planning and advisory on market trends, and U.S. health care market intelligence. The firm’s decades of proven success are due to strategic collaboration with associates from the business, clinical, and scientific communities. https://iih-online.com/.
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