Fixing Healthcare Podcast

In this week’s episode of Medicine: The Truth, hosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl unpack a wide range of developments shaping healthcare in America today, including the TrumpRx drug discount program.

From new legislation affecting telehealth and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to the rapid spread of measles and growing public concern about vaccine policy, this month’s discussion highlights the policy decisions and scientific debates influencing medicine right now.

The episode opens with the latest federal legislation passed to avert a government shutdown. While healthcare was not the central focus of this particular political battle, the bill contains several provisions that affect medical practice. These include extensions for telehealth coverage and hospital-at-home programs, reforms targeting PBM transparency and new requirements designed to address “ghost networks” in Medicare Advantage provider directories.

Dr. Pearl explains that while these provisions represent incremental progress, they are unlikely to solve the larger problems driving healthcare costs and access challenges in the United States.

Here are the other major storylines from episode 104:

Healthcare costs remain nation’s top concern: A new KFF poll finds that healthcare expenses rank above food, housing and utilities as the economic issue Americans worry about most.

Prior authorization frustrations grow: Many patients report delays or denials of care due to insurance requirements, highlighting persistent tension between insurers, physicians and patients.

Drug pricing debates continue: Pearl examines a new prescription drug website initiative and explains why it may have limited impact compared with broader policy proposals such as “most favored nation” pricing.

Telehealth’s uncertain future: Although the latest legislation extends certain pandemic-era flexibilities, the lack of a permanent solution leaves virtual care programs in limbo.

PBM reforms move forward slowly: New policies aim to increase transparency and reduce incentives tied to drug list prices, though Pearl notes that meaningful change will depend on future implementation.

Site-neutral payment gains attention: A provision requiring unique identifiers for outpatient services could pave the way for policies that eliminate higher reimbursement for hospital-owned facilities providing identical care.

Measles outbreaks surge: Nearly a thousand cases have already been reported in 2026, with the overwhelming majority occurring among unvaccinated children.

Trust in the CDC declines: Polling shows confidence in the agency has dropped significantly following changes to vaccine recommendations.

Independent vaccine review groups emerge: Medical organizations and states are forming new committees to evaluate vaccine evidence as federal guidance becomes more contested.

Early colon cancer deaths rise: The death of actor James Van Der Beek at age 48 highlights the growing incidence of colorectal cancer among younger adults and the importance of earlier screening.

FDA confusion over a new flu vaccine: The agency initially declined to review Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine before reversing course and agreeing to evaluate it ahead of the next flu season.

Younger Americans face worsening health trends: New claims data suggest chronic disease is appearing earlier among millennials and Gen Z, driven by lifestyle factors and reduced connection to primary care.

Wearable data reveal health disparities: Apple Watch data show significant differences in resting heart rates across states, reflecting variations in lifestyle, access to care and public health conditions.

As the episode concludes, Dr. Pearl warns that growing political conflict around vaccines and biomedical research risks undermining public trust in science. The consequences, he argues, could shape American medicine for decades to come.

Tune in for more fact-based analysis and discussion of the biggest stories in healthcare.

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of the new book “ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Patients & Doctors Can Take Back Control of American Medicine” about the impact of AI on the future of medicine.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn

The post MTT #104: TrumpRx, rising measles cases & the politics of vaccine science appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Season 11 of Fixing Healthcare continues its shift away from the traditional top-down model of interviewing CEOs, policymakers and medical leaders to focus this week on something new, different and fascinating: listening to the generation that is inheriting this American healthcare system.

In this episode, Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr speak with Grace Lynn Keller, VP at Executive Podcast Solutions, former Miss America contestant and the show’s first-ever Gen Z guest.

Grace brings a rare vantage point: Professionally, she is immersed in conversations with healthcare executives. Personally, she is part of the generation that consumes health information through social media, wearables and AI tools. For healthcare professionals, the conversation offers an important lens on how Gen Z gathers health information, how they decide when to seek care and what they expect from clinicians, insurers and government leaders.

One insight stood out immediately. When asked where she would turn first with a non-emergency symptom, Grace answered without hesitation: ChatGPT.

Her answer signals how much the healthcare landscape is changing. While Gen Z may turn to generative AI for initial medical advice, that is only one piece of a broader shift. In this conversation, Grace outlines how her generation is redefining health, prevention and trust. Key insights include:

Verification Over Blind Trust. Gen Z does not simply accept what it reads online. Grace describes a culture of cross-referencing, double-checking and comparing sources across platforms before acting.

Prevention As Identity. Her generation emphasizes whole foods, ingredient awareness and minimizing processed products. Health is considered a long-term lifestyle investment rather than reactive medical intervention.

Wearables As Standard Equipment. Smart watches and rings are commonplace. Continuous data on sleep, movement, heart rate and hormonal cycles shape daily decisions and reinforce prevention.

Convenience And Cost Sensitivity. Time away from work, co-pays and scheduling delays influence care decisions. If reliable AI-based treatment were available for routine conditions, many Gen Zers would use it immediately.

Mental Health As Mainstream. Therapy is normalized. Work-life balance is considered protective, not indulgent. “Mental health days” may frustrate older generations but are viewed as necessary boundaries by younger workers.

Skepticism Of Bureaucracy. Insurance complexity is a major frustration. Deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums and opaque pricing create confusion for first-time independent users.

Demand For Transparency. Grace compares healthcare to e-commerce: if nearly every other industry offers clear pricing and frictionless purchasing, why not medicine?

Alcohol And Cultural Moderation. Among her peers, alcohol consumption is more situational and less habitual. Health-conscious decision-making extends beyond diet and exercise.

Education Gaps. Public school health education was limited largely to sex ed and anti-drug messaging. She sees schools as the only scalable venue to improve health literacy nationwide.

There’s so much more to this episode. Tune in to find out what the next generation of patients expects from doctors, nurses and healthcare leaders.

Helpful links

“From TikTok to Telehealth: 3 Ways Medicine Must Evolve to Reach Gen Z” (Fulcrum)

“Why younger patients turn away from doctors & toward GenAI” (Fixing Healthcare podcast)

“Healthcare Regulators’ Outdated Thinking Will Cost American Lives” (Forbes)

“ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Doctors and Patients Can Take Back Control of American Medicine” (Pearl’s newest book)

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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.

The post FHC #206: What Gen Z expects from healthcare & why it matters appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

In this Unfiltered episode of Fixing Healthcare, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr sit down with cardiologist and mindfulness expert Dr. Jonathan Fisher for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, culture and team performance, inspired by lessons from the movie F1.

What begins as a discussion about racing quickly becomes a deep exploration of how high-performing teams operate under pressure. In the movie (and in real Formula 1 racing), success depends not on a single star driver but on flawless coordination, communication and shared accountability. The same, the trio argues, is true in healthcare where patient outcomes increasingly depend on the strength of teams, not individual brilliance.

From there, Drs. Pearl and Fisher focus on how leaders are developed, how to handle disruptive personalities, how to align departments and how physicians can prepare for long-term career success in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape that includes the rise of generative AI.

Some of the key ideas discussed:

Healthcare is a team sport. Like an F1 pit crew, modern medical teams operate in high-stakes, time-sensitive environments. Excellence requires clarity of roles, rehearsal, debriefing and mutual trust not just individual skill.

Leadership can be learned. Charisma helps, but effective leadership is less about personality and more about behavior. Empathy, emotional regulation and intentional communication are skills that can be developed with practice.

Delivery often matters more than content. Fisher emphasizes the gap between what leaders intend to communicate and what their teams hear. Non-verbal cues (posture, tone, eye contact and “prosody”) often determine whether a message lands.

Curiosity over judgment. When faced with disruptive or “toxic” behavior, leaders must stay regulated, address unacceptable actions clearly and then seek to understand the underlying drivers.

Culture flows from leadership. If an entire department resists change, the issue often centers on the department’s leader. Alignment requires clarity of values, expectations and consequences … and sometimes difficult conversations.

Excellence requires transparency. High-performing organizations define standards, measure outcomes and make performance visible. Coaching and incentives must align with expectations.

Physician leaders need training not just promotion. The group discusses how brilliant clinicians are often elevated into leadership roles without preparation, and why formal leadership development is essential for healthcare’s future.

Planning for succession matters. Pearl points out that great leaders build a “bench.” Teams should be structured to endure transitions, not collapse when one individual exits.

The future of medicine will reward human skills. As generative AI takes on more algorithmic tasks, communication, empathy and leadership will become even more essential competencies for physicians.

Throughout the episode, Dr. Fisher reminds listeners that leadership is not about dominance or perfection. It is about presence, self-awareness and the willingness to understand how others think, feel and respond. For more unfiltered conversation, listen to the full episode and explore these related resources:

‘Just One Heart’ (Jonathan Fisher’s newest book)

‘ChatGPT, MD’ (Robert Pearl’s newest book)

Monthly Musings on American Healthcare (Robert Pearl’s newsletter)

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Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post FHC #205: What ‘F1’ movie teaches us about leadership in medicine appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

In this week’s episode of Medicine: The Truth, hosts Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl examine a sweeping set of developments shaping American healthcare. From the first state-approved use of generative AI to prescribe medications without human oversight to rising healthcare costs, from worsening vaccine misinformation to the stubborn persistence of preventable disease, this show focuses on biggest stories in medicine today.

The episode opens with a groundbreaking and controversial pilot program in Utah that allows a generative AI system to renew prescriptions for chronic disease without physician involvement.

From there, the conversation turns to the relentless rise in healthcare spending. New federal data show Americans now spend more than $15,700 per person annually on medical care, with costs growing twice as fast as the economy.

While insurance coverage remains high for now, Pearl warns that expiring subsidies, Medicaid restrictions and rising premiums are already pushing millions out of coverage. For many families, healthcare affordability has become a top issue and, increasingly, a political fault line heading into the midterm election cycle.

Here are more major storylines from MTT episode 103:

Exercise as medicine for depression: A large meta-analysis finds that regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medication for many patients.

Trump’s healthcare plan fades quickly: Pearl explains why the president’s proposal disappeared from the headlines.

Measles returns in force: Cases are nearing 1,000 and outbreaks concentrated in under-vaccinated communities.

Vaccine battles intensify under RFK Jr.: New appointments to federal advisory committees raise alarm among scientists, as anti-vaccine voices gain influence.

Chronic disease remains America’s top killer: Cardiovascular disease continues to claim nearly one million lives annually.

Generative AI’s biggest promise: Pearl makes the case that AI-driven, at-home monitoring could finally transform chronic disease management.

Cancer trends turn ominous: Colorectal cancer deaths among Americans under 50 are rising sharply, becoming the leading cancer killer in this age group.

Genetics vs. lifestyle revisited: New research suggests genetics may account for half of lifespan variation but lifestyle still determines how many of those years are lived in good health.

High-deductible health plans: New data show cancer patients with high-deductible insurance have significantly higher mortality.

GLP-1 weight-loss pills arrive: The first oral GLP-1 drug launches to record demand.

A devastating flu season for children: Despite the availability of safe vaccines, pediatric flu deaths reach alarming levels among unvaccinated kids.

As the episode closes, Dr. Pearl delivers a stark warning about the resurgence of pseudoscience in medicine. Tune in for more fact-based coverage and analysis of healthcare’s biggest stories.

 

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of the new book “ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Patients & Doctors Can Take Back Control of American Medicine” about the impact of AI on the future of medicine.

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

The post MTT #103: Can generative AI safely prescribe medicine on its own? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

This Diving Deep episode with Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr looks at U.S. healthcare across three time horizons: past, present and future.

The hosts use 2025 as a case study in disruption without reform, 2026 as a year of mounting pressure and near-term transition, and the coming decade as a period when generative AI will fundamentally reshape how medicine is practiced.

Looking back at 2025

Dr. Pearl argues that despite political upheaval, executive orders, agency shakeups and constant headlines, American healthcare ended the year largely unchanged. Just more expensive and less trusted. He walks through five domains where chaos dominated but improvement failed to materialize. The throughline? Intense disruption produced little structural change in care delivery, affordability or outcomes.

Turning to 2026

The conversation shifts from stagnation to pressure. Pearl identifies two forces that make inaction increasingly risky: the midterm elections and accelerating healthcare costs. He outlines how that pressure is likely to shape behavior across the system — not through sweeping reform, but through targeted, politically visible moves.

Looking further ahead

Pearl describes how generative AI could alter medicine at a profound level, especially through the convergence of AI and surgical robotics. He argues that autonomous surgery, once the realm of science fiction, is now technologically plausible and could upend long-standing hierarchies between cognitive and procedural specialties.

Helpful links

Healthcare In 2025: A Year Of Chaos, Confusion — But Little Improvement (Forbes)

Healthcare In 2026: How Much Change Should We Expect? (Forbes)

Will Your Next Surgeon Be A Robot? (Forbes)

Monthly Musings on American Healthcare (RobertPearlMD.com)

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of “ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Patients & Doctors Can Take Back Control of American Medicine.” Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post FHC #204: Why healthcare chaos didn’t lead to change & what comes next appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.