MTT #97: Drug prices, Big Tech EHR promises & the 7,000-step surprise

In this episode of Medicine: The Truth, Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr cover a whirlwind of headlines, from a White House push to tie U.S. drug prices to wealthy-nation benchmarks (with tariff threats) to a Big Tech pledge to make medical records truly interoperable. They also unpack what ACA exchange enrollees should expect in 2026 as cost-sharing subsidies teeter and insurers file double-digit premium hikes.

On care delivery, the hosts examine the direct primary care + HSA shift: what it could improve, and where it might widen disparities. They then turn to the FDA’s accelerated approvals, gene-therapy turmoil and why scientific independence matters.

Other key topics discussed:

• Kids’ health: Hand-foot-and-mouth disease basics (spread, home care, when to call) and a rare, deadly flu-related encephalopathy — another reason childhood flu vaccination matters.
• Cancer prevention: How hepatitis B/C control, metabolic health and alcohol use drive (and can prevent) liver cancer.
• Exercise clarity: Why 7,000 steps/day delivers nearly all the health gains long credited to 10,000.
• Lyme 101: Ticks, timelines, treatment (and why prompt checks for bites are protective).
• Pharma’s DTC pivot: Drugmakers selling directly via telemedicine, and what that means for GLP-1 access and brand bias.
• Rural stability: A new $50B Rural Health Fund aimed at offsetting Medicaid-related shortfalls for hospitals.
• Maternal health: 56% of new moms miss recommended postpartum visits, even as one-third of maternal deaths occur after discharge.
• CTE explainer: What we know (and don’t) about repetitive head trauma and long-term brain disease.

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of the new book “ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Patients & Doctors Can Take Back Control of American Medicine” about the impact of AI on the future of medicine. All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn

 

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