Richard Helppie's Common Bridge

Richard Helppie
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The problems we have in the country are solvable, but not solvable the way we’re approaching them today, because of partisan politics. Richard Helppie, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist seeks to find a place in the middle where common sense discussions can bridge the current great divide.

  1. 6d ago

    Episode 344- Direct Contracting That Actually Works. With Nick Stefanizzi

    Health insurance is supposed to buy peace of mind, but too often it buys a new kind of stress: surprise bills, long waits, and prior authorization hurdles that hit when you’re already sick. We sit down with Nick Stefanizzi, president of Northwell Direct, to unpack a provider-led, direct-to-employer contracting model designed to lower healthcare costs while improving the actual experience of getting care. Nick explains how Northwell Direct serves self-funded employers and unions by building a high-performance network without becoming an insurance company. We dig into the practical “product stack” behind the scenes: third-party administrators for claims, PBMs for pharmacy, stop-loss and reinsurance to cap risk, and a broad wrap network that helps prevent out-of-network exposure. Then we get specific on benefit design and the two-tier network approach, including how lower copays and smarter incentives can move members toward high-value care without taking choice away. We also tackle the issues that decide whether any affordability strategy survives contact with real life: prior authorization burden, specialty access, wait times, and how you measure quality so cheaper care doesn’t become worse care. Nick shares how navigation teams, load balancing, and better data and analytics (including Epic EHR transformation) can support access and outcomes, plus what success looks like over months and years for employers, members, and the health system. If you’re an employer, broker, union leader, or just someone who wants healthcare to work like a normal service, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who deals with benefits, and leave a review with your take: what would it take for you to trust a direct-to-employer health plan? Support the show Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

    Episode 344- Direct Contracting That Actually Works. With Nick Stefanizzi

  2. Sep 24

    Episode 343- Rural Care On The Edge. with Tonya Darner

    If you’ve ever wondered what “access to care” really means, picture a region that holds 30% of Michigan’s land mass and just 3% of its population. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Tanya Darner, Market Chief Executive Officer at UP Health System, to unpack how a single regional hub in Marquette delivers Level II trauma services and specialty care for communities spread across the Upper Peninsula. We talk about the quiet backbone of rural healthcare in Michigan: critical access hospitals. Tanya explains why keeping those small hospitals open is essential, how collaboration across CEOs and presidents becomes a survival strategy, and where gaps appear when staffing, supply chains, and aging infrastructure collide. We also get practical about telemedicine and telehealth, because “just go virtual” breaks down fast when broadband and IT capacity are inconsistent across remote towns. Policy and logistics come into sharp focus as we discuss Medicare and Medicaid cuts, the downstream impact on skilled nursing placement, and the real-world barriers created by weather, bridge closures, and long-distance transport. EMS access, subsidized services, and transfer timing are not abstract topics here, they are the difference between waiting hours and getting the right level of care. If you care about rural hospitals, healthcare affordability, and Michigan health policy, listen now, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review so more people can find these conversations. What should decision-makers understand first about healthcare in the UP? Support the show Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

  3. Sep 21

    Episode 342- Hospital Bingo And Brain Waves Fix Tremors.

    Healthcare gets argued like a spreadsheet, but most of what matters shows up as a human moment: a parent trying to make sense of a diagnosis, a patient who just wants care close to home, a kid in a hospital room who lights up because it’s bingo time. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we talk with Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health, and Lamont Yoder, president of Corewell Health East, about what it really takes to improve healthcare access, affordability, and outcomes across Michigan.  We dig into how technology can lower the cost of care while making care simpler to reach. Think telehealth visits, remote clinical support across a 21-hospital system, and the operational work required to keep innovations safe for patients, clinicians, and communities. Tina also shares a striking example of focused ultrasound used to target a tiny area in the brain and eliminate a tremor, letting a patient walk out able to hold a cup again. That story is a reminder that healthcare innovation is not hype when it restores everyday life.  Then we zoom out to policy. We talk about the unusual power of getting insurers, providers, legislators, and partners in the same room, plus a concrete Michigan win: collaboration that helped authorize Medicaid payment for newborn genetic testing, a model other states have copied. We also tackle a topic many people avoid until it is too late: advanced care planning and end-of-life care. If we want real healthcare cost savings without sacrificing quality, we have to reduce stigma, start conversations earlier, and modernize regulations that no longer match today’s accountability and capabilities.  If you care about healthcare reform, patient-centered care, and practical policy that can actually move the needle, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the Common Bridge. Support the show Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

  4. Sep 17

    Episode 341- A Better Front Door To Health Care. With Shannon Striebich

    Seven days. That’s the average wait time Trinity Health Michigan says it takes to get a new patient in with a primary care doctor and it’s a clue to how affordability and access can actually improve at the same time. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, I sit down with Shannon Striebich, president and CEO of Trinity Health Michigan, to talk about what a modern health system has to do differently if we want shorter waits, stronger prevention, and healthier communities across the state. We start with Trinity’s “coast to coast” Michigan footprint and then get specific about what drives real patient access: expanding primary care, making scheduling easier with online tools, and keeping people connected to preventive care once they enter the system. Shannon makes a straightforward point that too often gets lost in policy talk: it’s cheaper to be healthy than to develop a significant illness. That idea becomes the thread running through the whole conversation on healthcare affordability, prevention, and total cost of care. Then we widen the lens to community health, including Trinity’s “food is medicine” work and hospital-based farms that provide tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce to people facing food insecurity. Finally, we take on the hardest issue: healthcare payment reform. Shannon explains why today’s incentives still favor hospital-based care over community-based prevention, and why double digit healthcare inflation in pharmaceuticals and supplies makes the current patchwork funding approach feel unsustainable. If you care about Michigan healthcare policy, value-based care, and practical steps that can move outcomes fast, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who cares about health policy, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. Support the show Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

  5. Sep 14

    Episode 340- Building Michigan’s Healthcare Workforce. With Russ Kavalhuna

    Healthcare workforce shortages are not a single problem with a single fix, they are a pipeline problem. I’m joined by Russ Kavalhuna, President of Western Michigan University, to talk about what it looks like when a community decides to grow its own talent instead of hoping someone else moves in. From physicians and nurses to lab techs, radiology techs, OT, and PT, we dig into the roles that keep care available in real life, not just on paper.  We get specific about what Western Michigan University already has in place: a strong base of allied health education and a cutting-edge medical school, WMED, that attracts thousands of applicants for just 88 seats. Then we explore an ambitious idea that could change the math for Southwest Michigan: a healthcare talent pipeline that starts as early as eighth grade, moves students through high school and higher education, and connects them to local clinical training and employment. The Kalamazoo Promise adds a rare advantage by reducing tuition costs, making healthcare education more reachable for local families.  We also zoom out to the regional ecosystem. Kalamazoo’s two independent hospital systems, Bronson and Beacon, collaborate with the university and medical school, creating a foundation that employers care about when deciding where to invest and where to recruit. And because Michigan’s population is aging, we talk about healthy aging research, prevention, and why keeping people out of acute care can improve quality of life while easing staffing pressure.  Finally, we tackle policy: what incentives could actually keep graduates in Michigan after they train here? We discuss options like student debt relief, down payment support, and employer-friendly tools that help new clinicians put down roots. If you care about healthcare access, medical education, and smart workforce development, this conversation will give you a blueprint worth debating. Subscribe, share the show with someone building in Michigan, and leave a review with your take on what would make you stay. Support the show Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

  6. Sep 10

    Episode 339- How Grand Rapids Builds Talent And Health. With Rick Baker

    Health care is not just a line item for employers, it’s a defining force in whether a region can grow, attract talent, and stay competitive. From the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Rick Baker of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce to connect the dots between community investment and the health care systems that keep West Michigan working. We talk about what the Chamber actually does across 3,100 member businesses, then zoom in on what makes Grand Rapids “sticky” for graduates and early-career workers. Rick shares how quality-of-life investments and higher education partnerships help employers recruit and retain, and why hospitals and health systems are true community assets. We also explore the region’s long-term goal of becoming a destination city for health care, including the growth of the Medical Mile and the role of major institutions like Corewell Health, Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, and the Van Andel Research Institute. Then we get candid about the toughest issue: rising health care costs and the real impact on employer benefits and workforce decisions. We close with a hopeful shift, discussing how COVID-era awareness accelerated more open conversations about mental health and why “above the neck” care must be aligned with physical health to support whole-person outcomes. Subscribe, share this conversation with someone who cares about Michigan health care, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. Support the show Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

  7. Sep 7

    Episode 338- Medicaid On The Line in Michigan. With Monique Stanton

    A lot of health care headlines sound distant until you realize how quickly a policy tweak can turn into a long drive, a missed refill, or an ER visit that could have been prevented. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Monique Stanton, President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, to talk about why Medicaid is the number one health care issue for so many Michiganders and why people feel genuinely scared about what comes next. We get specific about what’s changing and what isn’t. Monique explains that Medicaid income eligibility in Michigan stays roughly at 138% of the federal poverty level, yet major barriers can still knock people off coverage, including work requirements, twice a year eligibility checks, and the paperwork that creates “churn” for families already stretched thin. We also dig into the potential impact of HR1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and why advocates expect as many as 200,000 to 250,000 people in Michigan could lose coverage if rollbacks move forward. Then we zoom out to what these changes mean on the ground, especially in rural Michigan. When coverage shrinks, clinics and hospital service lines can close, and that hurts everyone, not only Medicaid recipients. A labor and delivery unit shutting down or a behavioral health clinic moving farther away can turn routine care into an hours long trip, making it harder to stay healthy, work consistently, and care for family. We also talk about why hospitals and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association are key partners, and how Healthy Michigan Medicaid expansion helped cut uncompensated care by about 50% while shifting chronic care from emergency departments to primary care. If you care about Michigan Medicaid, rural health care access, and practical health policy that improves real lives, you’ll want this conversation. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Support the show Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

  8. Sep 3

    Episode 337- Fixing Michigan’s Broken Mental Health System. with Michael Webber

    A brand-new building can look like progress, but what happens when the real problem is leadership and accountability behind locked doors? From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Michigan State Senator Michael Webber to talk candidly about state-run psychiatric hospitals, what he says he saw after taking a closer look, and why mental health care oversight can’t stay in the shadows. We get specific about patient safety and operational failures, including the fallout from a false active shooter drill at the Hawthorne Center, the cascading trauma it created for patients and families, and what that kind of breakdown signals about governance. Webber walks us through the push for an Auditor General review, the significance of multiple severe audit findings, and why agreeing with findings is not the same as fixing them. We also dig into recipient rights, patient advocacy, and how adding lived experience to oversight boards could change decision-making in behavioral health care. Then we zoom out to the economics: hospitals as major employers and community anchors across Metro Detroit and Michigan, and the affordability crisis constituents bring to lawmakers every day. Webber explains how well-intended insurance coverage mandates can still raise premiums, why transparency matters across hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and health plans, and what happens when families face high deductibles and start avoiding care. If you care about Michigan health care policy, mental health reform, hospital accountability, and making coverage more affordable, this conversation will give you real stories and clear policy tensions to think about. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who cares about mental health care, and leave a review, what policy change would you want lawmakers to prioritize first? Support the show Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

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About

The problems we have in the country are solvable, but not solvable the way we’re approaching them today, because of partisan politics. Richard Helppie, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist seeks to find a place in the middle where common sense discussions can bridge the current great divide.

Information

  • Creator
    Richard Helppie
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    348
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Richard Helppie's Common Bridge
  • Show Website
    Richard Helppie's Common Bridge

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