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🎯 Why Listen

When Senator Chuck Schumer joined Dr. Mike’s podcast to discuss “The Truth About the Government Shutdown,” the talk quickly became a lesson in political spin. In this episode, the co-hosts of The Rojas Report dissect Schumer’s claims, challenge Dr. Mike’s deference, and unpack the policy mechanics behind Medicaid, ACA subsidies, and America’s trillion-dollar healthcare debate. Expect blunt analysis, sharp data, and unapologetic truth-telling about what’s really driving costs.

👥 Co-Hosts

• Dutch Rojas – Founder, Bliksem Health
• Anthony DiGiorgio, DO, MHA – Neurosurgeon, UCSF; health policy researcher
• Anish Koka, MD – Cardiologist, Philadelphia; healthcare policy commentator
• Dan Choi, MD, FAAOS – Orthopedic spine surgeon, Long Island; healthcare advocate
• Sanat Dixit, MD, FACS – Neurosurgeon, Huntsville, AL; Faculty, Vanderbilt University

📌 Episode Overview

The team takes aim at Dr. Mike’s viral interview with Senator Schumer—an “objective” discussion packed with partisan narratives. They analyze the claim that 51,000 lives would be lost if ACA subsidies expire, break down Medicaid’s ballooning cost, and expose how CON laws and physician ownership bans stifle innovation.

They reveal how so-called “cuts” usually mean slower spending growth, not reductions, and how government subsidies distort markets and drive dependency. From the flawed Yale study to the Medicaid surge, the hosts show how fear-based messaging distracts from the real issue: structural inefficiency and lost patient value.

💬 Notable Quotes

• “This isn’t healthcare—it’s politics disguised as compassion.”
• “Schumer’s Law: when your only rebuttal is ‘you want people to die,’ you’ve lost.”
• “Physicians aren’t asking for permission to get rich. We’re asking for permission to build.”
• “Having an insurance card doesn’t mean you have care—it means you’ve been pacified.”

📚 What You’ll Learn

• Why the “51,000 deaths” claim collapses under scrutiny
• How ACA subsidies and Medicaid expansion fuel inefficiency
• The economics of CON laws and physician ownership bans
• What’s driving the trillion-dollar Medicaid curve
• How fear replaces facts in healthcare politics
• Why competition—not control—drives value

⏱ The Episode (Timestamps)

00:00 – Opening & host reunion

02:00 – The “51,000 deaths” narrative

05:30 – ACA subsidy breakdown

08:00 – Rising costs & access failures

17:00 – Medicaid myths and market distortion

21:00 – CON laws & physician freedom

28:00 – The trillion-dollar Medicaid surge

35:00 – Political spin & “you want people to die”

44:00 – Government control vs. patient value

47:00 – What real reform looks like

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:

• Dutch Rojas on X

• Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio on X

• Dr. Anish Koka on X

• Dr. Dan Choi on X

• Dr. Sanat Dixit on X

Send us a text

🎯 Why Listen

This episode is a no-holds-barred takedown of how hospitals manipulate billing codes, exploit DRG loopholes, and increase patient risk—all while squeezing out independent physicians. Whether you’re a patient, policymaker, or healthcare insider, you’ll walk away questioning everything you thought you knew about how hospitals operate behind the scenes.

👥 Co-Hosts

• Dutch Rojas – Founder, Bliksem Health
• Anthony DiGiorgio, DO, MHA – Neurosurgeon, UCSF; health policy researcher
• Anish Koka, MD – Cardiologist, Philadelphia; healthcare policy commentator
• Dan Choi, MD, FAAOS – Orthopedic spine surgeon, Long Island; healthcare advocate and social media voice
• Sanat Dixit, MD, FACS – Neurosurgeon, Huntsville, AL; Faculty, Vanderbilt University; healthcare entrepreneur

📌 Episode Overview

The doctors dissect the dysfunction in modern hospital billing and patient care—from the abuses of DRG (Diagnosis-Related Group) upcoding to the death of clinical nuance. You’ll hear how hospital administrators have replaced medical decision-making with spreadsheet logic, pushing sicker patients to outpatient settings and putting them at greater risk.

From the financial shell game of “death to discharge” timing to how non-profit systems rake in billions while physicians are told to “be more efficient,” this conversation is a masterclass in healthcare grift. They also explore the breakdown of physician-hospital trust and how the corporatization of medicine is compromising care at every level.

💬 Notable Quotes

“Hospitals get paid the same if you do a craniotomy on a healthy 30-year-old or a 95-year-old in kidney failure.” – Anthony DiGiorgio

• “DRGs reward risk, not responsibility.” – Dan Choi
• “The ‘death to discharge’ metric is not clinical. It’s financial.” – Sanat Dixit
• “The whole system is designed to offload cost and blame—onto doctors.” – Anish Koka
• “We should not be giving up the power of admitting. That’s the control point of medicine.” – Dutch Rojas

📚 What You’ll Learn

• How DRG reimbursement leads to dangerous patient discharges
• Why hospitals push risky patients to outpatient care
• The shocking flat-rate payment system for complex surgeries
• How hospital metrics hide bad outcomes while gaming revenue
• Why physician autonomy is being eroded by administration
• The financial incentive for “just discharge” over “get well”
• How upcoding and quality metrics warp patient care
• Why real reform must come from physicians—not bureaucrats

⏱ The Episode (Timestamps)

00:00 – Intro & physician burnout

03:45 – DRG basics and gaming the system

08:20 – Death to discharge: a dangerous metric

13:00 – Why outcomes don’t match the data

17:40 – Hospital profit motives vs. clinical sense

23:30 – Why hospitals don’t want to admit

27:00 – The decline of physician-led decisions

32:45 – Hospitalists, PAs, and revenue generation

37:50 – Why quality metrics miss the point

42:10 – The real impact on patients

47:00 – Final thoughts: reform or revolution?

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:

• Dutch Rojas on X

• Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio on X

• Dr. Anish Koka on X

• Dr. Dan Choi on X

• Dr. Sanat Dixit on X

Send us a text

🎯 Why Listen

In this fiery and insightful episode, the doctors dissect the political and economic fault lines behind the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the looming government shutdown, and the multi-billion-dollar subsidies keeping America’s healthcare afloat. From insurance distortions and Medicaid loopholes to why the system rewards bureaucracy over care, this is an unfiltered conversation that finally makes sense of why “affordable” healthcare isn’t affordable at all.

👥 Co-Hosts

Anthony DiGiorgio, DO, MHA – Neurosurgeon, UCSF; health policy researcher

Anish Koka, MD – Cardiologist, Philadelphia; healthcare policy commentator

Dan Choi, MD, FAAOS – Orthopedic spine surgeon, Long Island; healthcare advocate and social media voice

📌 Episode Overview

The Doctors Lounge crew dives deep into how the ACA reshaped the U.S. insurance market—and why its subsidies, risk-pool manipulations, and Medicaid expansions are once again threatening a government shutdown. The conversation unpacks the math, morality, and market failures behind healthcare costs, from “catastrophic” plan bans to how illegal immigration and emergency Medicaid quietly reshape state budgets. The hosts also debate whether the cost-containment systems (like DRGs) ever truly worked—and whether healthcare’s inflation is an inevitable design flaw or a political choice.

💬 Notable Quotes

• “The reason healthcare is so expensive is because you passed the Affordable Care Act.” – Dr. DiGiorgio
• “Subsidies don’t make plans cheaper—they just hide the real cost from consumers.” – Dr. DiGiorgio
• “We’re shutting down the government over 7% of people—how does that make sense?” – Dr. DiGiorgio
• “Hospitals are thriving because DRGs keep going up; physicians’ payments keep going down.” – Dr. Choi
• “I’m a fan of a safety net program for a safety net population—but it has to run lean.” – Dr. DiGiorgio

📚 What You’ll Learn

• How ACA subsidies artificially lower premiums but raise total system costs
• The real distinction between ACA marketplace plans, Medicaid, and “emergency Medicaid” for undocumented immigrants
• Why healthcare cost control mechanisms like DRGs (Diagnosis-Related Groups) failed to contain spending
• The political tug-of-war between safety nets, subsidies, and moral hazard
• How hospitals and insurers profit from inefficiency—and why patients pay the price

⏱ The Episode (Timestamps)

00:00 – ACA subsidies, shutdown politics, and who’s to blame

05:00 – The myth of “affordable” care: how mandates drove up premiums

10:00 – Catastrophic plans vs. essential benefits: freedom or fairness?

15:00 – How subsidies distort the market and reward inefficiency

20:00 – Medicaid, undocumented care, and the “emergency reimbursement” loophole

30:00 – State-level financing tricks and the hidden federal dollars behind them

35:00 – Why hospitals profit under DRGs while physicians stagnate

45:00 – The DRG vs. cost-plus debate: can healthcare costs ever be contained?

50:00 – Insurer incentives, monopolies, and the myth of quality-based care

55:00 – The unfixable math of “affordable” healthcare

🔗 Connect with the Hosts:

• Dutch Rojas on X

• Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio on X

• Dr. Anish Koka on X

• Dr. Dan Choi on X

• Dr. Sanat Dixit on X