Healthcare On Trial

Kristen Rivers
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

The podcast putting the healthcare industry on the stand.

Episodes

  1. Jul 29

    Better Benefit Plans Can Save Lives | with Ed Ligonde

    This week on Healthcare on Trial, benefits advisor Ed Ligonde joins me to put the 12-month insurance renewal cycle on the stand. We're pulling back the curtain on an industry that expects employers to just accept double-digit rate hikes while leaving their people completely abandoned when they need care the most. Ed & I get into the terrifying reality of what happens when benefit plans fail, including a near-fatal medication error that almost cost his mother her life. We dive into his personal journey from a devastating college soccer injury to the benefits space, why high deductibles are actively harming patients, and the uncomfortable truth about systemic racial bias in medical care that leads to deadly misdiagnoses. It's going to take a massive shift to fix how employers approach their health plans, but we're no longer accepting the status quo. It's time to stop treating healthcare as a sunk cost, start turning it into a controllable asset, and demand the standard of care your people deserve. "Inaction is also a decision. Choosing to do nothing means you can't complain you're getting significant double-digit renewals every year. You have to be willing to get uncomfortable to get comfortable again." - Ed LeGande Timestamps: 00:00 The problem with healthcare access today00:19 Welcome to Healthcare on Trial01:23 Meet Ed LeGande04:27 The college soccer injury that changed his path11:45 Falling into the benefits industry by accident18:22 Volunteering to help underserved patients navigate their benefits22:32 Why the healthcare system is working exactly as designed30:37 Breaking the 12-month insurance renewal cycle42:52 The truth about concierge medicine & doctor burnout55:39 How a client bought a $150k tractor with health savings59:39 The medical error that almost killed his mom01:07:02 Health insurance vs. healthcare01:08:07 Confronting systemic bias in US healthcare

    Better Benefit Plans Can Save Lives | with Ed Ligonde

  2. Jul 22

    "I Refused To Leave" | How To Advocate For Your Own Care (with Danielle Cruz)

    What happens when the doctor who's supposed to save your baby just gives up? This week on Healthcare on Trial, attorney and mother Danielle Cruz joins me to put medical gaslighting on the stand. We're pulling back the curtain on a system that expects you to be a compliant patient and leaves you completely abandoned during life-altering crises. Danielle & I get into the terrifying reality of her first pregnancy, where she was diagnosed with a rare and highly dangerous condition called Vasa Previa. We dive into her personal healthcare battle, where her maternal-fetal medicine specialist offered zero preventative care, told her that if anything went wrong her baby would die, and expected her to simply wait at home and hope for the best. It's going to take a massive shift to fix how patients are treated, but we're no longer accepting the status quo. It's time to stop being spectators, trust your gut, and demand the standard of care you deserve. Let's get into it. "If your gut is telling you, like this isn't right, then listen to it. And just keep asking questions and keep fighting for answers or the second opinion or the seventh opinion or whatever it might be. Because there are good doctors out there and there are great places where you can get good care." - Danielle Cruz Timestamps:  00:00 The ultimatum that saved her baby  00:16 Welcome to Healthcare on Trial  01:32 Meet Danielle Cruz  07:06 How to actually choose the right OB  11:35 The anatomy scan that changed everything  12:45 What is Vasa Previa?  18:47 The shocking recommendation from her specialist  20:31 Seeking a second opinion from a top fetal surgeon  28:00 Checking into the hospital against medical advice  33:45 Finding support in Facebook groups and community  44:30 The million dollar hospital bill  52:20 The ultimate lesson in trusting your gut

    "I Refused To Leave" | How To Advocate For Your Own Care (with Danielle Cruz)

  3. Jul 15

    Fixing Healthcare Will Be A Herculean Effort | with Randy Rider

    In this episode of Healthcare on Trial, I am sitting down with Randy Rider, Executive Vice President at HUB International, to pull back the curtain on an industry that thrives on keeping employers in the dark.Randy & I get into the ugly truth about why so many consultants push fully insured plans: because it keeps them "fat and happy" on the path of least resistance. We also dive into my own personal healthcare battle, where a legacy provider tried to push $300,000 a year in prescription drugs on my employer instead of doing a simple root-cause analysis.Breaking out of this system isn't easy. It requires moving past the illusion of carrier "premium holidays" and doing the hard work to build bespoke, unbundled plans that actually serve employees - like integrating functional medicine to cure root issues rather than just medicating symptoms.It is going to take a Herculean effort to fix this, but we are no longer accepting the status quo. It is time to stop being spectators and rise up.Let's get into it."Alone you can go fast, together we can go far. What we're doing isn't a solo race. We need great, great partners who can help to insulate and protect the risk. We can do a lot of great stuff." - Randy RiderTimestamps:00:00 Introducing Randy Rider02:24 Why Randy ditched medical school for the insurance industry09:11 The "existential crisis" and the financial cancer destroying US businesses 14:58 Healthcare costs doubling: Why the system isn't broken, it's rigged by design 21:13 The power of functional medicine vs. a traditional "sick care" system 23:39 My personal story: Refusing $300,000 in drugs to fix the root cause of my illness 33:40 How fully insured plans block employers from actually helping their people40:22 Breaking down self-funding myths and overcoming employer fears 44:39 Exposing "fat and happy" brokers who refuse to do the hard work 48:40 Why I stopped selling fully insured plans and unbundled my strategy 53:15 The Herculean effort required to fix healthcare (and why we must rise up)

    Fixing Healthcare Will Be A Herculean Effort | with Randy Rider

  4. Jul 8

    Every Hour Mattered. The Healthcare System Told Us to Wait. | with the Lambs

    My name is Kristen Rivers, and welcome to the very first episode of Healthcare on Trial. Today, I’m sitting down with Natalie and Eric Lamb - two ICU and hospital nurses who found themselves held hostage by the very system they work in.  When their six-day-old daughter, Etta, was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the clock started ticking. Without a breakthrough $2.3 million gene therapy, the irreversible nerve damage would progress by the hour. But instead of a rapid-response protocol, they were met with administrative red tape, a facility that was "winging it” with no protocols in place, and a system that actually told them to wait until Monday. If two trained medical professionals have to fight this relentlessly just to get a hospital to act, what chance does a standard patient have? In this episode, we break down exactly how Natalie and Eric refused to be spectators. We talk about the agonizing reality of escalating multi-million-dollar insurance claims, how a rigid, fully-insured employer plan denied them the IVF coverage that could have changed their family's trajectory, and how they ultimately hacked the system to save their son from going down the same path. This isn't just their testimony; it’s a blueprint for how you can fight back when the system says "no." Let's get into it. "Just because we aren't the doctor, or the insurer, doesn't mean that we can't make the difference. We can help progress things to something better." - Natalie Lamb Timestamps: 00:16 Welcome to Healthcare on Trial 00:42 Meet Natalie and Eric: ICU nurses who had to fight their own industry.  03:11 Day 6: The SMA diagnosis and the reality of a progressive disease.  10:10 The $2.3 million gene therapy option.  11:47 "They were winging it": What happens when a hospital has no protocol for a miracle drug.  14:27 The devastating cost of "we'll call you on Monday."  20:08 The IVF Denial: How inflexible employer benefits forced this family into an impossible choice.  24:43 Creating the blueprint: Escalating claims and refusing to accept "no."  28:29 Hacking the bureaucracy: How Natalie forced insurance approvals for a baby that wasn't even born yet.  32:48 Demanding an early delivery to stop the disease's progression.  42:11 The critical reality of newborn screening (do not skip this).  50:53 Why you have the power to force the healthcare system to change.

    Every Hour Mattered. The Healthcare System Told Us to Wait. | with the Lambs

  5. Jul 6

    Healthcare On Trial | Launch Trailer

    The healthcare system is not broken. It's working exactly as designed - just not for you. That is exactly why I'm launching my new podcast, Healthcare On Trial. Watch this trailer to learn more; episode 1 drops this Wednesday, July 8th. Over the past 20 years working inside healthcare’s biggest companies, I’ve seen how the machine operates: hidden prices, unreadable contracts, and incentives that reward everyone except the people paying the bill. And I've seen who pays the price. Patients are denied care they've already funded, and employers waste millions on coverage their people can’t access. Complexity is how the legacy system survives. We're changing that. At ParetoHealth, which is helping employers break this cycle. Now, this podcast takes that mission further. When we finally pull back the curtain, employers and patients stop being spectators, and are empowered to be the catalyst for change. Massive thank you to everyone who helped bring this to life: Nathaniel Smith, 🎙Spencer Smith, CSFS®, Kimberly Carleson, Warris Bokhari, MD, Randy Rider, Edwige Ligonde, Chris Vanderwolk, Esq., CEBS, Joseph M. Shields, Esq., and Kelly Springer MS, RD, CDN. If you’ve ever felt held hostage by this system, this show is for you. Tell me in the comments: What is the one thing about healthcare you’ve never gotten a straight answer on? That's where we'll start. Tune in on Wednesday.

    Healthcare On Trial | Launch Trailer
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About

The podcast putting the healthcare industry on the stand.

Information

  • Creator
    Kristen Rivers
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kristen Rivers
  • Show Website
    Healthcare On Trial