The Other 80

There’s a lot of hand wringing right now about healthcare affordability, but not enough action. Paul Markovich, the CEO of Blue Shield of California, is on a mission to bring down health costs by reducing administrative overhead and negotiating lower drug prices. In this episode we dive deep into Paul’s call to action for healthcare leaders to tackle the affordability crisis head-on. Paul and I discuss:How Blue Shield slashed the cost of arthritis drug Humira, by offering a biosimilar at 25% of the costWhy reducing healthcare  costs is critical to averting a national economic crisisWhether we need a new national mandate for health data sharingPaul’s advice on tackling fear and being a brave leaderPaul says healthcare affordability isn't just a pocketbook issues for patients, it’s also a huge economic issue for the nation:“The reality is we are facing a huge affordability crisis, a fiscal crisis right now. Even though our economy is running pretty much at or near full employment, we have record fiscal deficits… We cannot keep spending on this program the way that we are. We need to bring the spending down... Even our dysfunctional political system is going to have to deal with that.”Relevant LinksCalifornia’s new data sharing law Announcement of new Humira biosimilar Investment in nonprodit Civica for lower cost genericsNew prior authorization platform with SalesforceAbout Our GuestPaul Markovich is Chief Executive Officer of Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit health plan with $25 billion in annual revenue serving 4.8 million members in the state's commercial, individual, and government markets. Markovich has launched and led numerous initiatives to drive innovation and help reimagine healthcare, including funding support for a statewide provider directory to make it easier for Californians to find physicians and facilities in their plan; supporting development of a statewide health information network for patients’ records, enabling more seamless and holistic care; and investing in a partnership with the California Medical Association to help physicians pilot new care delivery models and leverage technology.Markovich is a North Dakota native and Rhodes Scholar with a master’s in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University. He is a graduate of Colorado College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Political Economy and played Division I hockey.Source: https://www.blueshieldca.com/en/home/about-blue-shield/corporate-information/leadership/paul-markovichStay InformedSign up for The Other 80 Newsletter to receive a monthly update with reflections, news, events, jobs and funding curated for you by Claudia. Click here to sign up.

On so many issues, Congress has not been willing or able to act. But when faced with horrifying stories of death and mismanagement, Congress finally passed legislation to reform the US organ transplant system. They did so because people like Donna Cryer, a transplant recipient and patient advocate, demanded a better system for Americans who need lifesaving organ transplants. Now, as the new law moves into implementation, the work continues. In this episode, Donna and I discuss:The new legislation that is breaking up the deadly organ transplant monopolyHow ignoring the expertise and insights of patients dooms us to slow progress making healthcare safer and better Her advice for young people: “take your shot”Donna says we all need to start listening more closely to patients with lived experience:“I often think if you... had many people with great deals of experience and intelligence who were highly motivated to help you achieve your goal. Why would you not want to use them? Why would you not want to partner with them? Why would you work really, really hard to keep them away from solving the problem? And that's how people treat patients and patient advocates.”Relevant LinksDonna Cryer’s testimony to the Senate Finance Committee on organ transplant system failures (just past the 48:00 mark)Summary of the new law to break up the organ transplantation monopolyMore about the Global Liver InstituteSee more details about the Advanced Advocacy Academy Donna's organization launchedVisit UNOS’ websiteAbout Our GuestDonna R. Cryer, JD is the Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Global Liver Institute, the only patient-driven liver health nonprofit operating across the US, EU, and UK. GLI convenes the NASH, Liver Cancer and Pediatric and Rare Liver Disease Councils, as well as the Liver Action Network, collectively more than 200 organizations.Mrs. Cryer has channeled her personal experience as a patient with inflammatory bowel disease and a 29-year liver transplant recipient into professional advocacy across a career in law, policy, consulting, public relations, clinical trial recruitment, and nonprofit management. At GLI, Mrs. Cryer has raised more than $10 million for liver health initiatives. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of patient-centeredness and patient engagement in healthcare transformation and created a unique model for advocacy that mobilizes patients, influences policy, and coalesces clinicians to improve patient outcomes.Mrs. Cryer serves on the Boards of Directors for the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, Sibley Memorial Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Innovation and Value Initiative (IVI), and the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative. She was the first patient to serve on the ABIM Gastroenterology Specialty Board, was one of the founding members of the AASLD Patient Advisory Committee and is the Community Representative on the AASLD NASH Task Force. She has been named one of the Top Blacks in Healthcare by the Milken Institute at GW School of Public Health and BlackDoctors.org, one of the Top 10 Patients Who Make An Impact by Health 2.0 and one of PharmaVoice’s 100 Most...

Dr. Theresa “Terry” Cullen is on a mission to make Pima County, Arizona one of the healthiest counties in the nation. It’s a challenging goal, and one that will take dedication and a willingness to fight for what’s right. But, Terry is a self-described, life-long pugilist – with an approach to healthcare that goes beyond policies and programs. Everything she does is rooted in her deep belief in accompaniment; that her role is to walk alongside her patients and community offering empathy, dignity and respect. We discuss:Her work as a rural doctor with the Indian Health Service Deploying to West Africa in 2014 for the Ebola crisisWhy the VA and DOD could not agree on electronic health recordsHer commitment to make Pima county one of the healthiest in the nationTerry reminds us that sometimes we need to step back and look at the work we do through a new lens:“My husband's an artist, and he challenges me all the time to look at something and look at the light. Look at the composition. Look at where it is. What's the pattern there? You know, and a lot of medicine is based on pattern, but think of a disruptive pattern. Think of a puzzle where the piece doesn't fit and what do you need to do to make that piece fit? Because if it falls into place, maybe the whole thing will heal.”Relevant LinksDefinition of pugilistResolve to save lives - 717 allianceHealthy Pima Indicators About Our GuestTheresa Cullen is currently the Public Health Director of Pima County, Arizona. She has developed a strategic approach to transformational health status change with a goal of health equity through supporting a learning public health system model based on data and action. She continues to work closely with Tribal, federal, state and local partners to ensure that community needs are integrated into planning with a goal of health justice. Dr. Cullen, RADM (retired) USPHS, began her family medicine clinical career with Indian Health Service (IHS) and worked in leadership positions for 25 years with American Indian/Alaska Native communities with a goal of improving health status through innovation and data informatics. Dr. Cullen worked as the Chief Medical Information Officer for the Veterans Health Administration from 2012-2015 and Associate Director of Global Health Informatics at the Regenstrief Institute. She has been honored with multiple local, state and national awards including the USPHS Distinguished Service Medal, the University of Arizona Medical College Alumni Award, and the AMIA Don Detmer Award for informatics health policy contributions.Source: https://academyhealth.org/about/people/theresa-cullen-md-msStay InformedSign up for The Other 80 Newsletter to receive a monthly update with reflections, news, events, jobs and funding curated for you by Claudia. Click here to sign up.Connect With UsFor more information on The Other 80 please visit our website - www.theother80.com. To connect with our team, please email [email protected] and

With the election just days away, Larry Levitt joins me to discuss where Harris and Trump stand on key health issues: reproductive health, affordability and Medicaid. While health has not taken center stage (as  it has in the past), the outcome of this election will have profound impacts on every aspect of health in the years ahead. We discuss:What's at stake in the electionWhy medical debt and drug prices are key affordability issues to watchThat single issue abortion voters are now Democrats, not RepublicansWhether we could see bipartisan progress on AI governance, long term care or PBM reform over the next four yearsLarry reminds us that health IS an economic issue:“People think of the economy and health care being separate issues, but they're In fact, not separate issues at all. I mean, we spend an enormous amount on health care. A lot of people's household budgets go to health care. So, you know, when you talk about an economic issue, health is an economic issue, issue for people.”Relevant LinksKFF panel: What the 2024 election could mean for health coverage, affordability and the budgetKFF election 2024 pageHow medical debt is the canary in the coal mine for health affordability [article]Project 2025Abortion-related state ballot measuresAbout Our GuestLarry Levitt is the executive vice president for health policy, overseeing KFF’s policy work on Medicare, Medicaid, the health care marketplace, the Affordable Care Act, racial equity, women’s health, and global health. He previously was editor-in-chief of kaisernetwork.org, which was KFF’s online health policy news and information service and directed KFF’s communications. Prior to joining KFF, Levitt served as a senior health policy adviser to the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, working on the development of the Clinton Administration’s Health Security Act and other health policy initiatives. Earlier, he was the special assistant for health policy with California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, a medical economist with Kaiser Permanente, and served in a number of positions in the Massachusetts state government.Levitt holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.Source: https://www.kff.org/person/larry-levitt/ Stay InformedSign up for The Other 80 Newsletter to receive a monthly update with reflections, news, events, jobs and funding curated for you by Claudia. Click here to sign up.Connect With UsFor more information on The Other 80 please visit our website - www.theother80.com. To connect with our team, please email [email protected] and...

How do you create a healthier city? As the climate shifts, screens dominate our lives and cities continue to grow - urban areas are grappling with how to put themselves on a better track to health. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan joins The Other 80 to talk about his ambitious plan to increase health in the Big Apple, with the goal of increasing life expectancy from 78 to 83 years. We discuss:What Paul Farmer taught him about rejecting a scarcity mindset and reaching for bold goalsThe three cross-cutting challenges addressed in the Healthy NYC agenda: access to primary care, mental health and climate changeWhy NY issued a public health advisory on teen social media use and is suing Meta, Tik Tok YouTube and SnapChatAshwin shares why youth social media use is such a major public health priority:“ Our kids are hurting … Fifty percent of teens are saying that they are either moderately or severely depressed …It's hard to ignore the role that digital media and social media is playing … And what we found was pretty troubling …The more time you're spending on social media, the worse your self -reported mental health is. Whether it's symptoms of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, fear for the future.”Relevant LinksArticle: “Using Law to Advance Population Health Management”The City of New York’s Advisory on Social MediaMore information on Healthy NYCViral Video of “Dancing Guy”About Our GuestDr. Ashwin Vasan is the 44th Health Commissioner of New York City. He is a practicing primary care physician, epidemiologist and public health expert with nearly 20 years of experience working to improve physical and mental health, social welfare and public policy outcomes for marginalized populations in New York City, nationally and globally. Throughout his career, he has brought in a unique, unparalleled focus to combating the mental health crisis, releasing a comprehensive citywide mental health plan addressing the second pandemic – a crisis of mental health plaguing youth, vulnerable New Yorkers with severe mental illness, and those impacted by the overdose epidemic. Having begun his career in global health working at Partners in Health and the HIV Department of the World Health Organization, he most recently served as the President and CEO of Fountain House, a US-based mental health nonprofit. He currently serves as faculty at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.Stay InformedSign up for The Other 80 Newsletter to receive a monthly update with reflections, news, events, jobs and funding curated for you by Claudia. Click here to sign up.Connect With UsFor more information on The Other 80 please visit our website - www.theother80.com. To connect with our team, please email [email protected] and follow us on twitter @claudiawilliams and

In July, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a landmark advisory declaring firearm violence a national public health crisis. The advisory builds on decades of work from Dr. Megan Ranney and other researchers who advocate taking a public health approach to reducing firearm violence. She joined us at Aspen Ideas: Health to discuss what this means: namely moving from a focus on law and order to centering harm reduction and prevention. Now, as the Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, Megan is applying the same systems thinking approach to focus on the big changes we need to drive health in the US.We discuss:What it means to be a great public health communicatorHow public health approaches were used to dramatically reduce automobile deaths over the last 50 years, and how the same strategies should be used now to tackle firearm deathsHer take on bridging the gap between medical care and public healthMegan says this is the moment for public health reinvention:“This is a moment where we get to reinvent how we study, teach, and most of all, practice public health, not just locally, but also globally, as we come out of the COVID pandemic, and I think there's a real moral clarity, but also a moral imperative for us, as public health professionals, to seize this moment, to take this kind of pivot point that we're at as a field, and to move it forward in a direction that we will be proud of.”Relevant LinksMegan Ranney testimony on gun violence as a public health issueGun violence panel at Aspen Ideas: HealthSurgeon General advisory on firearm violenceYale Q&A with Dean Megan RanneyCommon health coalitionBipartisan Safer Communities Act UC Berkeley School of Public Health course on urban gun violence preventionMore on Rahimi caseAbout Our GuestDr. Megan L. Ranney is an emergency physician, researcher, and national advocate for innovative approaches to public health. In July 2023, she joined Yale University as Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, where she is also the C.-E. A. Winslow Professor of Public Health. Her research focuses on developing, testing, and disseminating digital health interventions to prevent violence and related behavioral health problems, and on COVID-related risk reduction. She has held multiple national leadership roles, including as co-founder of...

Deena Shakir is an investor who is obsessed with expanding access to the basic health services people need and often can’t access: pediatric care, community health and women’s services. Her journey to investing passed through policymaking, journalism and big tech and her early techno optimism has given way to a much more nuanced and pragmatic view. She is able to see the big opportunities for impact hiding in plain sight.We discuss:The two obvious megatrends hitting healthcare: GLP1s and AIAnd the not so obvious opportunity: doing basic things betterHow Dobbs was an accelerant, not a deterrent, for investments in women’s healthWhy Public Health is great training for healthcare foundersDeena is excited about “asset light” investments that combine new care models – like community health workers – and technology:“There are some things that won't change. And there are things that hopefully tech can help to navigate. And so these asset light models, these models that are leveraging under leveraged care workers – like community health workers that are providing culturally competent care – and at the end of the day, that are improving metrics and outcomes, are the ones that get me excited.”Relevant LinksLux CapitalJonathan Haidt article in The Atlantic titled “Why the past 10 years of American Life have been uniquely stupid”President Obama’s Cairo speechARPA-H Sprint for Women’s HealthHealth companies Deena mentions that she invests in:WaymarkSummer healthMaven Clinic About Our GuestDeena's investments span stages and sectors, and include women's health, digital health infrastructure, health equity, foodtech, and fintech. Above all, she seeks out extraordinary, often underdog, founders on a mission. Prior to Lux, Deena was a Partner at GV (formerly Google Ventures), led product partnerships at Google for health, search, and AI/ML, and directed social impact investments at Google.org. Deena also served as a Presidential Management Fellow at The U.S. Department of State under Secretary Clinton, where she helped launch President Obama’s first Global Entrepreneurship...

Government systems often take a lot of flack for their (sometimes) built-in inability to take risks and make big bets. So, what would it take to encourage the government to take those big, risky moonshots? For Health, that’s the role of ARPA-H – to fund new ways of improving health by investing in people with big ideas. We sat down with ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn at Aspen Ideas Health to talk about how it’s going and what comes next. We discuss:Why ARPA-H is personal for President Biden.How ARPA-H’s special authorities – from flexible hiring to novel contracting – are its secret weapons for speed and scale.The critical role of Program Managers – single decision maker driving the vision and execution of each $50-$200 million initiative.Renee says ARPA-H gives her the ability to direct funds into areas that are sometimes left off the list of “must haves” for innovation:“...one of the only top down things I've done as a director is said, ‘Why aren't we funding more in women's health? We don't have any program managers in the pipeline that want to exclusively focus on this’. But I think we all inherently understand that women are underrepresented in almost every aspect of health. So I asked our [Program Managers].. who wants to raise [a] hand and pick a topic that is really either unique to women, or is disproportionately affecting women that we can do a sprint and invest around. And so I got six Program Managers to come up with topics, everything from Women's Health at home, to brain health, to understanding and quantifying pain – and through the Investor Catalyst Hub we have worked with investors to understand what kind of convincing scale do we need to get to for you to be the second investor. And we competed this across the country.”Relevant LinksAbout ARPA-H ARPA-H Health Equity Factsheet The Minor Consult Podcast EpisodeARPA - H TimelineYoutube Conversation with New Yorker writerWhite House FAQ Sheet on ARPA-HAbout Our GuestDr. Renee Wegrzyn is the first director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), appointed by President Biden on October 11, 2022. Previously, she was the Vice President of Business Development at Ginkgo Bioworks and Head of Innovation at Concentric by Ginkgo, where she focused on synthetic biology for combating infectious diseases like COVID-19.Wegrzyn has experience with DARPA and IARPA, the models for ARPA-H. At DARPA, she used synthetic biology and gene editing to enhance biosecurity and the bioeconomy, managing programs like Living Foundries, Safe Genes, PREPARE, and DIGET. She received the Superior Public Service Medal for her DARPA work. Her career includes leading biosecurity and gene therapy teams in private industry, developing immunoassays and diagnostics. Wegrzyn has served on various scientific advisory boards, including those for the National Academies and the Air Force Research Labs. She holds a Ph.D. and a bachelor's degree in applied biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and completed...