Pinned Tweet
Why are prescription drugs and healthcare services so expensive in America, and are government policies making the problem worse?
@ShawnNeedham2 , Founder and President of MLRX, pharmacist, healthcare entrepreneur, and author of Sickened: How the Government Ruined Healthcare and ndrew_Langer on the Washington Signal's Lunch Hour to examine the rising cost of healthcare, the influence of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and the importance of competition and consumer choice.
Drawing on decades of experience as an independent pharmacist, Needham explains how insurance reimbursement policies and third-party intermediaries affect prescription drug prices and the financial viability of community pharmacies. He recounts how he and his wife opened Moses Lake Professional Pharmacy in Washington state in 1998 and eventually stopped accepting insurance after reimbursement rates made their business model increasingly difficult to sustain.
The conversation explores the role of PBMs in negotiating drug prices, managing pharmacy networks, and influencing which medications patients can access. Needham argues that these intermediaries contribute to higher costs and reduce transparency, while Langer raises concerns about rebates, insurance networks, and the challenges facing independent pharmacies.
Andrew and Shawn also examine how government-funded healthcare programs and insurance copayments can obscure the actual costs of medical services. They compare conventional healthcare pricing with elective procedures such as LASIK eye surgery, discussing whether greater competition and direct consumer payment could encourage innovation and lower prices.
The discussion turns to preventive medicine and the relationship between lifestyle choices and chronic disease. Needham describes his approach to pharmacy practice, emphasizing patient education, nutrition, exercise, and the importance of addressing underlying health concerns. Langer also shares his personal experience with weight loss, blood pressure, and the healthcare system following an Achilles tendon injury.
They also discuss artificial intelligence in healthcare, including its potential to reduce administrative workloads, support telehealth services, and improve efficiency without replacing the personal relationships between patients and medical professionals.
Finally, Needham discusses his upcoming book, Lies I Learned in Pharmacy School and How to Escape the Grasp of Big Pharma, and his podcast, Health Solutions with Shawn Needham, where he explores healthcare policy, wellness, and ways individuals can take a more active role in their health.
Can greater competition, transparency, and patient choice help make American healthcare more affordable and accessible?
Join Andrew Langer and Shawn Needham on Lunch Hour for a discussion about prescription drug pricing, independent pharmacies, healthcare reform, and the future of patient-centered medicine.
youtube.com/watch?v=L-Sw3z…
@ShawnNeedham2 , Founder and President of MLRX, pharmacist, healthcare entrepreneur, and author of Sickened: How the Government Ruined Healthcare and ndrew_Langer on the Washington Signal's Lunch Hour to examine the rising cost of healthcare, the influence of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and the importance of competition and consumer choice.
Drawing on decades of experience as an independent pharmacist, Needham explains how insurance reimbursement policies and third-party intermediaries affect prescription drug prices and the financial viability of community pharmacies. He recounts how he and his wife opened Moses Lake Professional Pharmacy in Washington state in 1998 and eventually stopped accepting insurance after reimbursement rates made their business model increasingly difficult to sustain.
The conversation explores the role of PBMs in negotiating drug prices, managing pharmacy networks, and influencing which medications patients can access. Needham argues that these intermediaries contribute to higher costs and reduce transparency, while Langer raises concerns about rebates, insurance networks, and the challenges facing independent pharmacies.
Andrew and Shawn also examine how government-funded healthcare programs and insurance copayments can obscure the actual costs of medical services. They compare conventional healthcare pricing with elective procedures such as LASIK eye surgery, discussing whether greater competition and direct consumer payment could encourage innovation and lower prices.
The discussion turns to preventive medicine and the relationship between lifestyle choices and chronic disease. Needham describes his approach to pharmacy practice, emphasizing patient education, nutrition, exercise, and the importance of addressing underlying health concerns. Langer also shares his personal experience with weight loss, blood pressure, and the healthcare system following an Achilles tendon injury.
They also discuss artificial intelligence in healthcare, including its potential to reduce administrative workloads, support telehealth services, and improve efficiency without replacing the personal relationships between patients and medical professionals.
Finally, Needham discusses his upcoming book, Lies I Learned in Pharmacy School and How to Escape the Grasp of Big Pharma, and his podcast, Health Solutions with Shawn Needham, where he explores healthcare policy, wellness, and ways individuals can take a more active role in their health.
Can greater competition, transparency, and patient choice help make American healthcare more affordable and accessible?
Join Andrew Langer and Shawn Needham on Lunch Hour for a discussion about prescription drug pricing, independent pharmacies, healthcare reform, and the future of patient-centered medicine.
youtube.com/watch?v=L-Sw3z…
0
2
4
144
How did he get his start in tech policy?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss his path into tech policy, the experiences that shaped his career and how he became involved in the field.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss his path into tech policy, the experiences that shaped his career and how he became involved in the field.
0
1
0
42
Why does health care cost more when someone else is paying the bill?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @ShawnNeedham2 to compare the falling costs of LASIK with the expense and wait times associated with MRIs and discuss how third-party payment systems influence health care
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @ShawnNeedham2 to compare the falling costs of LASIK with the expense and wait times associated with MRIs and discuss how third-party payment systems influence health care
1
1
1
46
How can inventions go far beyond their original intended use?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss university research, innovation and how inventions can develop uses far beyond what researchers originally intended.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss university research, innovation and how inventions can develop uses far beyond what researchers originally intended.
0
1
0
57
How have past organizations shaped the way he thinks today?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss his professional background, the organizations that influenced him and how those experiences shaped his views.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss his professional background, the organizations that influenced him and how those experiences shaped his views.
0
1
0
49
Should medication be the first response to disease?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @ShawnNeedham2 to discuss his upcoming book, which challenges conventional thinking about statins, cholesterol and cardiovascular disease and examines the role of medication in treating illness.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @ShawnNeedham2 to discuss his upcoming book, which challenges conventional thinking about statins, cholesterol and cardiovascular disease and examines the role of medication in treating illness.
0
1
0
52
How were protections for innovation being weakened?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss changes to protections for intellectual property, how those changes affect innovation and the broader impact on inventors and businesses.
#Innovation Patents #PublicPolicy
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss changes to protections for intellectual property, how those changes affect innovation and the broader impact on inventors and businesses.
#Innovation Patents #PublicPolicy
0
1
0
48
How can we cut through the hysteria surrounding energy issues?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss energy policy, public fears and how to separate the facts from the rhetoric surrounding today’s energy debates.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss energy policy, public fears and how to separate the facts from the rhetoric surrounding today’s energy debates.
0
0
1
64
Lunch Hour Podcast retweeted
Let's talk the election Thursday on @freedom_hub1, with the @NFIB regulatory former analyst @Andrew_Langer. Has "Hamiltonianism" cost the GOP support?
@SayNo2SocialMed @FederalNewswire @AJSaveTheWorld @TheLunchHourPod @MainStreetFndtn
@SayNo2SocialMed @FederalNewswire @AJSaveTheWorld @TheLunchHourPod @MainStreetFndtn
Has @realDonaldTrump's Hamiltonian economics cost the @GOP turnout today?
By Thursday's show with @Andrew_Langer we'll know more, but would Dems be any less protectionist?
yourfreedomhub.substack.com/p/hamiltoniani… @LibertarianInst
0
2
2
55
How do we find the right balance between property rights and the public interest?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss property rights, markets and the challenge of balancing individual interests with broader policy goals.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss property rights, markets and the challenge of balancing individual interests with broader policy goals.
0
0
0
14
Is the left being hypocritical when it comes to energy?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss energy policy, political double standards and the contradictions surrounding how different energy sources are viewed.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss energy policy, political double standards and the contradictions surrounding how different energy sources are viewed.
0
0
0
9
How did his work in Washington shape the path he took?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss his career, his early work in Washington and the experiences that shaped his approach to policy and innovation.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss his career, his early work in Washington and the experiences that shaped his approach to policy and innovation.
0
1
1
108
How can databases listen to what is happening around us?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss databases, data collection and how information can be gathered and used to understand activity in the real world.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss databases, data collection and how information can be gathered and used to understand activity in the real world.
0
1
0
47
How does the Bayh-Dole Act address the problem of bringing innovation to market?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss the Bayh-Dole Act, innovation, patents and how the law helps move federally funded research toward commercialization.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with Andre Lancu to discuss the Bayh-Dole Act, innovation, patents and how the law helps move federally funded research toward commercialization.
0
1
0
55
Should data privacy be governed by contract law or privacy protection?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss data, privacy protections and how the law should balance individual interests with the use of personal information.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss data, privacy protections and how the law should balance individual interests with the use of personal information.
0
1
1
48
What has happened to smoking and weed use in Colorado?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @JonCaldara to discuss Colorado’s approach to marijuana, smoking trends and the impact of changing drug policies.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @JonCaldara to discuss Colorado’s approach to marijuana, smoking trends and the impact of changing drug policies.
0
1
0
58
Who are the “dark forces” that want access to your data?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss data privacy, who wants access to personal information and the interests shaping the debate over how data should be protected.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss data privacy, who wants access to personal information and the interests shaping the debate over how data should be protected.
0
1
0
60
Is the Republican Party changing while Democrats face a civil war?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @JonCaldara to discuss divisions within both major political parties, shifting coalitions and the future of American politics.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @JonCaldara to discuss divisions within both major political parties, shifting coalitions and the future of American politics.
0
1
0
61
Could California be a microcosm of broader problems facing America?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss California’s policies, the lessons they offer and what other states can learn from the state’s experience.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @CadenRosenbaum to discuss California’s policies, the lessons they offer and what other states can learn from the state’s experience.
0
1
0
67
Why are people moving from blue states to Colorado?
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @JonCaldara to discuss migration trends, why people are leaving blue states and what is drawing them to Colorado.
Host @Andrew_Langer sits down with @JonCaldara to discuss migration trends, why people are leaving blue states and what is drawing them to Colorado.
0
1
0
64