America blames insurance companies, pharma and physicians for rising health care costs, but the reality is more complex and frightening.  74% of healthcare costs are attributed to ‘Administrative Expenses’.  By comparison registered nurses and doctors combined make up for 13%.  Where is all this money going?  Why is the cost of hospitalization rising faster than the cost of college tuition?

Marion Mass, MD, is a practicing physician, a patient advocate, and a founding member of the PPA (Practicing Physicians of America), explains the shocking and secretive world of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM’s) and Group Puchasing Organizations (GPO’s) and follows the money to uncover the truth behind rising health care costs.

The results can be surprising. In some instances buying medication out of pocket can cost less than the co-pay when purchased through your health insurance plan. How is that possible? 

Healthcare costs are rising and yet the quality of care is being eroded.  Access to quality care is being denied at increasing rates and Americans are being squeezed.  Big Pharma is vertically integrating and reducing patient choice and access in the process.  The future of healthcare in America hangs in the balance.

Did you know that kickbacks are legal in the pharmaceutical industry?  And how does CVS make more money from its PBM business than from running its pharmacies?

If you want to understand what is driving the cost of healthcare in the United States, and what this means for the future of healthcare in America, you owe it to yourself to listen to this episode.

Some of the websites and apps Dr. Mass mentions in the podcast:
opensecrets.org – website containing information on healthcare cost related information

goodRx  – app that provides information on drug costs in your area, overlaid on a map

free2care.org – a group working to change health care for the better by reducing cost through reducing waste

Dr. Mass is very active politically, and is the vice chair of Practicing Physicians of America (PPA), a non-profit group dedicated to improving the doctor-patient relationship through confronting laws and regulations that limits the ability of physicians to serve their patients.

Last year, Dr. Mass co authored the Free2Care White paper which detailed how to improve access and lower costs to patients by reducing waste with specific legislative solutions.” You can read the paper here: http://free2care.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Free2care.pdf

You can learn more about Dr. Mass’ efforts to challenge the status quo by visiting the sites below:

Practicing Physicians of America, co-founder https://practicingphysician.org/  Facebook: @PPAofUSA

Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership, board: https://www.bchip.org/

Bucks County Courier Times, Doylestown Intel, editorial Board: https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/