1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: The HHS secretary is hitting the streets. The Department of 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: Health and Human Services Secretary at Robert F. Kennedy, He 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: is implementing streets safety through recovery, engagement and evidence based 4 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: treatment and supports. So on Monday, they announced a new 5 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,439 Speaker 1: one hundred million dollar effort, and this is to fight 6 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: opioid addiction, and they said it's to highlight the country's 7 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: fragmented system for addressing substance abuse. The goal here is 8 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 1: to integrate housing, law enforcement, treatment centers, outpatient care, and 9 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: sober living all in one coordinated pathway. And they're using 10 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: one hundred million dollars to do it. 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is really interesting. 12 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 3: I mean, we obviously still have a pretty big addiction 13 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,639 Speaker 3: problem for all sorts of substances in this country. It's 14 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 3: been going on for decades now. Opioids have certainly come 15 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 3: to the forefront the last decade or more now that 16 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 3: has proved recently, but the government was still spending an 17 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 3: incredible amount of money trying to combat addiction and mental 18 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,680 Speaker 3: health programs. And the Trump administration tried to cancel a 19 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,399 Speaker 3: huge block of dollars two billion dollars that they were 20 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 3: funding for certain things. 21 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 2: And of course Congress. 22 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 3: You know, there was a ton of backlash from the 23 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 3: Democrats on that, and so we ended up doing it. 24 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 3: But I think this is a really interesting program that 25 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 3: RFK Junior is trying to roll out. 26 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 2: Here, because it's a pilot program. 27 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 3: So instead of sitting here and saying, Okay, we're throwing 28 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:27,680 Speaker 3: another two billion dollars at this and see what happens, 29 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 3: they're saying, Okay, let's let's take a chunk of that 30 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 3: one hundred million dollars. 31 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:32,960 Speaker 2: Let's do a pilot program. They're going to do it 32 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 2: in eight. 33 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 3: Cities across the country, and let's put some metrics in, 34 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 3: some accountability behind it, so that if you're addicted and 35 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 3: you know you want to get federal assistance for housing 36 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 3: or federal assistants to find you a job or to 37 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 3: pay your bills, great, be part of an addiction recovery program, 38 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,639 Speaker 3: meet some milestones in that, and then we'll talk about 39 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 3: getting you some help to find housing or to find 40 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 3: a job, or to help pay your bills. And I 41 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 3: think that that's probably a lot smarter than what we've 42 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 3: currently been doing, which is just throwing billions of dollars 43 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 3: at this and really not seeing many results. 44 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 2: From it. 45 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: So Kennedy's message is to break down stigma, acknowledge addiction 46 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: realities also prevent the national crisis from worsening. And he 47 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: of course had his own issue. A fourteen year heroin 48 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: addiction says he's been in recovery for forty three years. 49 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: The former lieutenant governor of Indiana, that was a big 50 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 1: part of her tenure. She was very outspoken on mental 51 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 1: health issues. And then when the new Lieutenant governor went 52 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: into office and was in his budget meetings, they asked 53 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: if he was going to continue that message, and he said, sure, 54 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,519 Speaker 1: if you give me the money, but then they did 55 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,119 Speaker 1: not do that. So he also went on to say 56 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: that every hospital in the country is now going to 57 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: have to publish their prices. 58 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 4: Every hospital in the country is now going to have 59 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 4: to publish their prices clearly, legibly beforehand. If you go 60 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 4: to buy a car and the guys, well, I'm gonna 61 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 4: excit you the car, but you I'm not gonna tell 62 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 4: you the price till after you bought it, would you 63 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 4: buy it? If you go to a restaurant and look 64 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 4: at the menu and the prices are there. Healthcare is 65 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 4: the only place where you can see your prices. If 66 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 4: you're pregnant in this country, you can go nine months 67 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 4: just trying to figure out what how much is going 68 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 4: to cause you to have that baby, and you will 69 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,679 Speaker 4: not be able to do it, and many many hospital systems. 70 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 4: And so now you're gonna be able to do it, 71 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 4: we already have. I looked at the mock up of 72 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 4: the web page yesterday and it was extraordinary. It showed 73 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 4: I asked the question, how much does it cost to 74 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 4: have a baby? And within a mile of Manhattan with 75 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 4: thirty hospitals, and they all have different prices. The lowest 76 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 4: price was thirteen hundred, the highest price was twenty two thousand. 77 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: So this is the rewards transparency, But are you really 78 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: going to do that research. If you're having an emergency, 79 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: you're going to go to the closest place, not the 80 00:03:58,920 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: least expensive. 81 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 3: If you've got a gunshot, wound, whatever, you know, closest 82 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 3: emergency room is where you're going to go. I mean, 83 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 3: this is a nice step, but it's clear that this 84 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 3: really isn't going to move the needle a whole lot 85 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 3: and solving the healthcare cost problem that we've got going 86 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 3: on in this country. And the problem is the insurance 87 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 3: companies because we hear about this. We hear about how 88 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 3: certain hospital systems are struggling, especially rural hospital systems, a 89 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 3: lot of them are closing. We hear about the consumers 90 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 3: they're struggling to afford healthcare. Never hear about the insurance companies. 91 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 3: I don't know that you ever. I've never heard a 92 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 3: story about a health insurance company that's going out of 93 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 3: business or declaring bankruptcy. They're the ones making all the 94 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 3: money in the current health structure in our country. And 95 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,279 Speaker 3: until that is addressed, I think this is all just 96 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 3: putting lipstick on a pig at this point. And what's 97 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 3: interesting about this is you can look at the difference 98 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 3: between the way our normal health industry has progressed the 99 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 3: last ten or twenty years and the plastic surgery industry 100 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 3: has progressed because plastic surgery, the vast majority of time, 101 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 3: is not covered by HEALTHCA insurance. It is a cash 102 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:05,119 Speaker 3: option only. And what we've seen the last twenty years 103 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 3: in plastic surgery is prices have come down, Prices in 104 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:10,919 Speaker 3: some areas have come down dramatically, and the quality of 105 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 3: care has come up because it's a true free and 106 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 3: open market to provide that it's not a free and 107 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 3: open market in healthcare. And this is why, you know, 108 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 3: people always make the joke, Hey, we got you know, 109 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 3: eleven aircraft carriers, but no free healthcare. We've got the 110 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 3: world's biggest military, but no free healthcare, you know, and 111 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,160 Speaker 3: they and they blame it on capitalism. Capitalism is not 112 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 3: happening in healthcare right now. What's happening in healthcare has 113 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:35,840 Speaker 3: nothing to do with capitalism. And that's the reason why 114 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 3: prices have gone out of control. And it's been such 115 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,359 Speaker 3: a drag and a burden on both the consumer paying 116 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 3: for health insurance and then paying the actual bills. But 117 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 3: it's also been a burden on a lot of these 118 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 3: hospital systems, especially in these rural areas. 119 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,279 Speaker 1: The prices also depend on the customer. They change depending 120 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:52,919 Speaker 1: on who you are and what your insurance offers. And 121 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,359 Speaker 1: that does include your prescription prices, for example. And the 122 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: other thing that you have to consider. He says that 123 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: the hospitals are going to have to publish their prices. 124 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: Are they going to say zero dollars for illegals. 125 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 3: Well, that's a whole other issue here too that we 126 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:11,679 Speaker 3: can talk about, is that you know, you know, the 127 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 3: tax dollars being used to pay for illegals healthcare, and 128 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 3: and that is that is that that's a huge problem 129 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 3: of it too. And look, I'm not you know, bashing 130 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,600 Speaker 3: what RFK Junior is doing on this. I think if 131 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 3: we have the opportunity to take these steps, that's great. 132 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:25,840 Speaker 3: If we have the opportunity to make sure that there 133 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 3: aren't tax dollars being paid for illegals health care, that's great. 134 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 2: We should be doing those things too. 135 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 3: But none of this is really going to fix the 136 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:35,919 Speaker 3: core of the problem until they address the insurance companies 137 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 3: and them being the intermediary between the consumer and the hospitals.