RFK Jr Podcast Broken Health Insurance System with Brigham Buhler
7 snips
Nov 16, 2023 
RFK Jr dissects America's greedy, misguided health insurance system with expert Brigham Buhler. They explore unethical practices of big pharma, broken pharmacy benefit managers, doctors operating outside the insurance system, FDA's influence on drug availability, medication bans, the opioid crisis, corrupt practices, and challenges faced in the health insurance system.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Personal Journey Reveals Systemic Harm
- Brigham Buhler described his career from pharma rep to device rep to entrepreneur and how each role exposed systemic harms.
- He lost his brother to opioids and tried to build non-addictive pharmacy solutions but faced insurer pushback.
PBMs Shifted From Cost-Savers To Profit Centers
- Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) were meant to cut drug costs but became profit centers after being bought by insurers.
- PBMs now negotiate rebates for insurers instead of lowering prices for patients or taxpayers.
Gag Clauses Hide True Drug Prices
- Buhler explained gag clauses prevent pharmacies from telling patients cheaper cash prices when insurance is used.
- PBMs claw back the perceived savings and pocket the difference, leaving patients overpaying.