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Can a ring become care, and why does America have a million insurance brokers?

This week on HCN, Cedric Kovacs-Johnson and Danish Nagda dig into Aspen Neuroscience's IPO filing on stem cell therapy for Parkinson's, Michigan's antitrust suit against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and HHS's case against the 340B drug discount program. Dr. Ricky Bloomfield, Chief Medical Officer of Oura, joins to talk about turning a consumer wearable into a tool for care. Will Johnson, CEO & Co-Founder of Gyde, explains why insurance still runs on brokers and how AI could change the way people choose coverage.

00:30 — Bookmarks: The Best Things We Found This Week Cedric and Danish share favorite finds: Top hospital systems opening longevity clinics, the future of AI Agents in healthcare, Apoorva Mehta of InstaCart on medicine as consumer products, and the rise of drug-resistant sexually transmitted diarrhea.

11:46 — Parkinson's IPO: Aspen Neuroscience Files to Go Public The San Diego biotech filed to list on the Nasdaq to fund sasineprocel, a one-time therapy that turns a patient's own skin cells into dopamine-producing neurons. The hosts break down the early trial data and what's riding on the Phase 3 planned for 2027.

17:10 — Blue Cross Sued as a Monopoly Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a federal antitrust suit alleging Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which holds about 65% of the state's market, worked with other Blue plans to keep competitors out. The hosts unpack the "Blue Conspiracy" claims and what they mean for patients and providers.

22:00 — Dr. Ricky Bloomfield: Can a Ring Become Care? Oura's CMO, who previously led the launch of Health Records on iPhone at Apple, discusses how wearable data could move from wellness tracking into clinical care. Cedric and Danish push back and probe.

40:28 — 340B's Billion-Dollar Fight HHS economists argue the 340B drug discount program rewards hospitals for using costlier drugs and buying up practices, backing a proposed Medicare payment cut. The hosts weigh that against hospitals' case that 340B funds safety-net care.

47:15 — Will Johnson: Why Do We Have a Million Brokers? Gyde's co-founder and CEO, who spent a decade at Oscar Health building broker networks, explains why insurance distribution still depends on brokers and how Gyde's AI-native model acquires agencies and automates their admin work.

01:04:40 — Gambling Addiction The gambling addiction is the new opioid crisis, and it's affecting young men more than women for a biological reason

Thanks for joining! New HCN episodes drop every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. EDT.