Why does getting family health insurance through a job cost as much as buying a new car? How did a whistleblower take on an insurance contractor? And who might be the new Food and Drug Administration commissioner? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s weekly biotech podcast. STAT reporter Bob Herman joins us to discuss his new series, &quot;Out of Pocket, Out of Reach,&quot; which dives into how soaring costs for health insurance are hurting Americans and small business owners. We also speak with Chris Deacon, who filed a whistleblower lawsuit after spotting how an insurer may have violated contracts to provide health benefits for New Jersey&#x27;s state workers. We also discuss the latest news in life sciences, including Anthropic&#x27;s push into drug development and Vertex&#x27;s largest-ever acquisition.

408: Whistleblower takes on health insurance and FDA commissioner candidates

The Readout Loud

Welcome to this week's episode of The Readout Loud, a weekly biotech podcast from STAT. I'm Allison DeAngelis. I'm Adam Feuerstein. And I'm Elaine Chen. It's Thursday, July 9th. And on this week's episode, we take an in-depth look at the affordability crisis surrounding employer-based health insurance. Our colleague Bob Herman joins us to discuss his new reporting in a series called Out of Pocket, Out of Reach. But first, a recap of the week's news and a word from our sponsor.

I'm Jesse McQuarters, STAT's branded content editor. And I'm thrilled to be talking with one of my favorite interviewees, Jared Baton, Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Virology Therapeutic Head at Gilead.

What will it take to end the HIV epidemic? And is the end within reach? We're at this moment of tremendous potential in the history of HIV. The tools have been built through innovation with drive and advocacy behind it to be able to end the epidemic. The key is the commitment and the partnership to get there.

For more information about Gilead's worldwide efforts to eradicate HIV using a person-centered approach, visit GileadHIV.com. Okay, folks. Folks, we might have some FDA commissioner candidates. It sounds like there's action happening.

Yeah, our colleague Daniel Payne this week wrote a story, kind of advancing a story that's been out there for a little while, but said that the White House is reviewing a short list of FDA commissioner candidates.

These finalists include Heidi Overton, a White House advisor, Jeffrey Viserka, an oncologist and health system executive, and Stephen Ferreira, who is a health affairs official at the Department of Defense. It also reiterates what we've been hearing kind of from the start, that Kyle DeMontis is not interested in the long-term role and that we will have...

408: Whistleblower takes on health insurance and FDA commissioner candidates

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

408: Whistleblower takes on health insurance and FDA commissioner candidates

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.