Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Dr. Maria Ryan on Cutting Healthcare Costs and Improving Health Through Education
Jul 31, 2025
Dr. Maria Ryan shares her vision for reforming healthcare by tackling preventable costs and emphasizing education. She highlights how unnecessary regulations and chronic diseases inflate expenses. By integrating health education into schools, she aims to foster a healthier future generation. The discussion also covers the need for funding and commitment to track health improvements in communities.
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Cost Drivers in Healthcare Spending
- Healthcare spending is heavily impacted by unnecessary regulations, premature births, and end-of-life care that may not improve quality of life.
- Many regulations increase costs without enhancing safety, while preventable conditions drive up expenses significantly.
Challenges of Chronic Disease Prevention
- Chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes are largely preventable but still heavily burden the healthcare system.
- Changing adult health habits is difficult because unhealthy behaviors are deeply ingrained by the time people reach adulthood.
School-Based Health and Education Plan
- Integrate health education and physical activity into traditional school curriculum to build healthier future generations.
- Provide all children with nutritious meals and daily exercise during school to combat sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition.