You went to the doctor expecting to owe $50 and ended up owing $500. You pay thousands a year for insurance and still have a deductible. Your bill shows four different numbers and none of them seems to be the price.
In the first episode of Medicine Unplugged, Dr. Bukola Okoro — board certified in internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine — and Tochi Okoro, an engineer and healthcare operator, take on the question almost everyone asks: why is healthcare so expensive in America?
No sensationalism, no unnecessary jargon. Healthcare explained in plain English by two people who work inside the system.
IN THIS EPISODE
• Why your medical bill has four different numbers on it — charged, allowed, paid, and what you actually owe • Why an Explanation of Benefits is not a bill • How many people are involved in a single doctor's visit (it's more than you think) • What you're really paying for in a 15-minute appointment • Why the same procedure costs wildly different amounts at two facilities • Why your prescription price changes from pharmacy to pharmacy • Prior authorization: when your plan overrules your doctor • Whether we're running a healthcare system or a sick care system • Five things you can do right now as a patient
CHAPTERS
00:00 Everyone has a healthcare story 01:26 A restaurant with no prices on the menu 02:10 What an Explanation of Benefits actually shows 02:56 Billed vs. allowed: why the numbers never match 03:38 How many people touch one healthcare transaction 04:46 What you're really paying for in a 15-minute visit 06:18 Why hospitals cost what they cost 06:52 Same procedure, two very different prices 07:42 Prior authorization and prescription pricing 08:34 Healthcare system, or sick care system? 09:17 What you can actually do as a patient 09:52 Reading your EOB line by line 10:45 Where technology could help — and where it won't 11:26 There is no single villain 11:52 What Medicine Unplugged will cover
READ THE FULL BREAKDOWN https://mytruehealth.us/why-is-healthcare-so-expensive-in-america/
YOUR HOSTS Dr. Bukola Okoro, MD — physician, triple board certified in internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine. https://mytruehealth.us/authors/dr-bukola-okoro/ Tochi Okoro — engineer, entrepreneur, and healthcare operator.
Medicine Unplugged is produced by True Health. New episodes cover insurance, medications, medical myths, preventive health, AI, and the business of medicine. Subscribe wherever you listen: https://mytruehealth.us/medicine-unplugged/
This podcast is general health education, not medical advice, and is not a substitute for care from your own physician. For questions about your coverage, contact your plan. For questions about your health, speak with your clinician.