Episodes

Is the cost of your health care going up? Have you struggled to access the care your doctor recommends? A group of physicians and health care experts are working to address these growing problems and make care patient-centere...

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have become embedded in the ecosystem of drug pricing– but these middlemen are one of the reasons patients see high prices at the pharmacy counter. This episode is a crash course in everything...

An ongoing 10-year community-based project is improving the health of residents through investments in long-term health programs. Esther Dyson, the founder of Wellville, explains how community collaboration and resident invol...

It takes decades of research, millions of dollars in funding, and numerous failed attempts to develop and approve a new drug for patients. Private investors have helped fund pharmaceutical research and development to bring pa...

In the rare disease community, early diagnosis can put patients on a treatment plan faster and improve outcomes. But that depends on accessible and affordable screenings, genetic testing, and holistic care. Thankfully, there ...

Is your Medicare plan giving you the best deal? It’s a tricky question since seniors have no tools to easily determine if their plan has the best price or coverage compared to others. There’s also a lack of transparency in …

At-home genetic testing allows expecting parents to see if they might be carriers for genetic conditions, like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell. But the data from these tests are only one part of the equation. Patients need acc...

Hospitals and insurers are now required to share their prices and negotiated rates with the public. The problem? Most of the data is inaccessible to patients. Marcus Dorstel, Vice President of Operations at Turquoise Health, ...

Congress inches closer to a massive, 725-page spending bill referred to as “Reconciliation.” It includes several drug pricing provisions that claim to lower Rx costs for seniors. But a closer look reveals that those savings a...

New procedures and nonopioid pain management give patients cutting-edge treatment options. But they’re frequently out of reach due to a lack of insurance coverage. Hosts Terry and Bob discuss how the bipartisan NOPAIN Act see...

In this special bonus episode, Patients Rising Now Executive Director Terry Wilcox provides her perspective as a caregiver to seniors amidst ongoing debates in Congress over how to lower drug costs. She shares why Medicare pr...

For 17 years, the gastroparesis community has fought for the FDA to allow it access to a treatment they say is necessary to improve quality of life. Gastroparesis advocate Michael Smith details the efforts to make sure that p...

Biosimilars have the potential to lower costs. But due to middlemen like pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), those savings don’t always trickle down to patients at the pharmacy counter. How can we fix this system? Julie Reed, e...

Tired of telling your health care history over and over again to providers? Jessica Lunshof, a former nurse and caregiver found herself in this cycle that wasted time and placed an emotional burden on her and her family. She ...

Accelerated approval drugs have given patients access to care they otherwise would have waited years for. A new study shows that these drugs account for less than 1% of Medicaid spending - yet programs have placed restriction...

Keyla Caba is a patient advocate who lives with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Her son was also recently diagnosed with a chronic disease, and she shares the challenges of being both a patient and a caregiver, mental...

This week, patients with chronic disease from across the country convened in Washington D.C. for the We the Patients Fly-In. They met with members of Congress and their staff to advocate for several pro-patient health care bi...

No insurance? No problem. Blueberry Pharmacy in Pittsburgh is forging the path for a new kind of pharmacy. By cutting out the middlemen in the supply chain, Blueberry Pharmacy is able to provide its customers with inexpensive...

Precision medicine harnesses the power of genetic data, which can improve treatment regimens and overall outcomes for patients. But accessing that data remains another challenge. Field correspondent Kate Pecora speaks with ad...

The formula shortage crisis has been devastating for patients with rare metabolic conditions, like PKU, who depend on specialty formulas daily. We hear from patients and families impacted by the shortage, including Lillian Is...

A shark has entered the prescription drug waters. Entrepreneur and ABC Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban founded the ‘Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company’ which aims to slash prices, improve transparency, and provide greater conve...

“Your medication is no longer covered” are the words no patient wants to hear. Yet this is a common occurrence for patients with rare diseases who are on private health insurance plans. In an effort for plans to save money, …

In recognition of ALS Awareness Month, we get a report from the frontlines of ALS research, including new breakthroughs that impact patients. Dr. Sharon Hesterlee, the Chief Research Officer at the Muscular Dystrophy Associat...

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or confused in your health care journey? Many patients juggle numerous phone calls and appointments with labs, pharmacists, and specialists, while also trying to understand what is and isn’t cov...