Fred Roeder, health economist and managing director of the Consumer Choice Center, joined the Health Policy Podcast to explain why price transparency remains one of the biggest failures in the U.S. healthcare system. Roeder discussed how opaque hospital pricing leaves patients exposed to unexpected medical bills, even for routine procedures such as MRIs and lab work.

During the conversation, Roeder outlined how high deductibles and cost-sharing mean patients often pay thousands of dollars out of pocket before insurance coverage applies, making price awareness critical. He shared real-world examples showing how the same medical service can vary dramatically in cost depending on the provider, even when quality and equipment are identical.

Roeder also addressed structural issues driving high healthcare costs, including weak enforcement of hospital price transparency rules, administrative overhead, and the misuse of the federal 340B drug pricing program, which allows hospitals to purchase discounted drugs without passing savings on to patients. He argued that these practices contribute to rising premiums, medical debt, and reduced consumer trust.

The episode concludes with practical advice for patients, including how to ask the right questions before scheduling non-emergency care, how to compare providers, and why stronger enforcement of existing transparency laws is necessary to restore consumer choice and accountability in healthcare.

Jared Rhoads, Director of the Center for Modern Health, joins the Health Policy Podcast to discuss why healthcare has drifted away from free-market principles and why reform remains so difficult.

Rhoads explains how healthcare evolved from an individual responsibility into a government-managed system, driving bureaucracy, compliance costs, and reduced innovation. He also outlines how a more market-driven approach could improve efficiency, lower costs, and restore accountability in today's healthcare system.

In this episode of the Health Policy Podcast, Ryan Ellis, president of the Center for a Free Economy, discusses the expiration of COVID-era Affordable Care Act subsidies and why he believes they should not be extended.

Ellis explains how the ACA's design mandates limit competition, drive up insurance premiums, and distort the healthcare market. He also examines the political incentives behind continued subsidy expansion, the role of insurers and hospital systems, and recent examples of fraud within federal assistance programs.

The conversation highlights the need for stronger oversight, work requirements, and long-term structural reforms to restore accountability and sustainability in U.S. healthcare policy.
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