Ep 35 | Healthcare at a Breaking Point: Costs, Policy Gridlock, and What 2026 Holds скачать в хорошем качестве

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 government shutdown tensions 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