Inside a New Model Changing American Healthcare
Over half of Americans now live with at least one chronic condition, yet our healthcare system still revolves around episodic, reactionary care instead of continuous, coordinated support.
Why Healthcare Is Totally Unprepared for AI
US healthcare has more unproductive labor and more unstructured data than any other industry, making it both especially vulnerable to disruption from generative AI and especially unprepared for it.
A New Era at Optum
Over 160 million Americans are served by Optum, yet many still don’t fully understand what it actually does—or why it matters.
The Flywheel Holding Women’s Health Back
Women make 80% of healthcare decisions and outspend men two to one on care—yet when it comes to designing, funding, and scaling health tech, they’re still treated like a niche.
Stopping Healthcare's Tapeworm with Zero Inflation Healthcare
The average American family spends over $24,000 a year on healthcare, and costs continue to rise faster than inflation. Why can't we create a healthcare system that delivers more value for less money?
Family Business to Startup Success
Each year, 2 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer and face a fragmented, overwhelming healthcare system with minimal guidance between doctor visits, even as they make life-altering decisions.
The Health Insurance Founder That Hates Insurance
In this episode, we talk with Mario Schlosser, co-founder and CTO of Oscar Health, about building a tech-first health insurance company in an industry notorious for poor customer experiences.
Healthcare’s Eras Tour
Venture capital in healthcare has evolved from "the trailer park of venture investing" to a fundamental core tenant of the ecosystem, reflecting a quarter-century transformation of the entire industry.
In this episode, we sit down with Mohamad Makhzoumi, co-CEO of NEA, who shares his 25-year journey from unpaid intern to leader of one of the largest healthcare investment funds, offering his insights into the evolution of healthcare startups and VC.
A Brave New Medicaid World
One in four Americans relies on Medicaid, yet the program faces billions in federal funding cuts.
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Rajaie Batniji, co-founder and CEO of Waymark, about delivering tech-enabled community care to Medicaid patients.
The Real Reason the Teladoc-Livongo Merger Went Sideways
In 2020, telemedicine company Teladoc acquired remote patient monitoring company Livongo for a record $18.5 billion, creating a $38 billion entity. Today, the combined company is worth less than a tenth of that.
YC Wants Your Hard Tech Solutions
Startup accelerator and venture capital firm Y Combinator has a long history of backing early-stage healthcare startups, with a particular focus on technical founders tackling difficult problems. In this episode, YC partners Jared Friedman and Ankit Gupta share their insights on healthcare investing, the potential of AI in our industry, and why they believe young, tactical founders can play a role in reshaping healthcare.
Lessons from an $11B Healthcare Exit
From law school to leading one of healthcare's most successful value-based care companies, Oak Street Health co-founder Mike Pykos shares the story of building, scaling, and ultimately selling his company to CVS for $11 billion.
He reveals the challenges of scaling a new care model, the importance of focusing on outcomes over financials, and what it takes to transform American healthcare.
The Low Down on Full-Body MRIs
Full-body MRIs are a controversial and expensive screening tool that some believe could revolutionize early cancer detection, while others worry they create unnecessary anxiety and waste medical resources.
In this episode, we dive deep into this debate with Emi Gal, founder & CEO of Ezra, who is using AI to make full-body MRI screening faster, more accessible, and more accurate.
Can We Make Companies Care About Your Health?
In this episode about corporate responsibility and public health, the former WIRED editor explains why changing company behavior may be easier than changing consumer habits – and how a new health accountability index could help transform America.
The Shkreli Awards
From selling deceased patients' body parts to denying cancer treatment over upfront payments, the Lown Institute's annual Shkreli Awards spotlight the most egregious examples of profiteering and dysfunction in American healthcare. Dr. Vikas Saini, President of the Lown Institute, walks us through 2024's "winners" and what they reveal about the state of our healthcare system.
What's Ahead for Healthcare Innovation in 2025
In this special episode, Bessemer Venture Partners’ Healthcare and Life Sciences team shares the top industry developments they anticipate in the year to come, covering:
⚖️ The future of Obamacare exchanges under Trump
💊 Novel drug modalities
📊 Improved GLP-1 payment models
🏥 Caregiver workforce shifts
🤖 Multimodal clinical AI in practice
🔮 And more!
Is Medicine an Art or a Science?
Join us for many mic-drop moments with recording artist-turned-healthcare-investor D.A. Wallach.
2025 Digial Health Predictions
Five-time Midas List investor Annie Lamont has seen every healthcare cycle since the genomics revolution. Now, as co-founder of Oak HC/FT and early investor in category-defining companies like One Medical, Athena Health, and Devoted Health, she believes 2025 could mark the return of animal spirits to healthcare investing. In this forward-looking conversation, Annie shares why AI might finally deliver on technology's promise to transform American healthcare, even as she warns entrepreneurs to watch out for the "revenge of the incumbents."
2024 Digital Health Year in Review
From the return of "historic norms" in funding to the rise of AI and strategic pharma partnerships, 2024 was quite the year for digital health. Rock Health Advisory CEO Megan Zweig joins us on this episode to unpack a year defined by resilience, consolidation, and the 'revenge of the Goliaths.' We look at the funding data, reveal how the industry's unicorns survived their valuation hangovers, and share why 2024 might be remembered as healthcare's boiling point.
Breaking Dunbar's Number in Home Care
After building and selling Meebo, Seth Sternberg wanted his next venture to transform lives at scale. A decade later, Honor has become the world's largest in-home senior care network, delivering care to 35,000 US homes daily. In this candid conversation, Sternberg reveals how AI saved the company from near collapse in 2015 and why treating caregivers like true professionals creates better outcomes for everyone.