Why is healthcare so expensive in America?

You went to the doctor expecting to owe $50 and ended up owing $500. You pay thousands a year for insurance and still have a deductible. Your bill shows four different numbers and none of them seems to be the price.In the first episode of Medicine Unplugged, Dr. Bukola Okoro — board certified in internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine — and Tochi Okoro, an engineer and healthcare operator, take on the question almost everyone asks: why is healthcare so expensive in America?No sensationalism, no unnecessary jargon. Healthcare explained in plain English by two people who work inside the system.IN THIS EPISODE• Why your medical bill has four different numbers on it — charged, allowed, paid, and what you actually owe • Why an Explanation of Benefits is not a bill • How many people are involved in a single doctor's visit (it's more than you think) • What you're really paying for in a 15-minute appointment • Why the same procedure costs wildly different amounts at two facilities • Why your prescription price changes from pharmacy to pharmacy • Prior authorization: when your plan overrules your doctor • Whether we're running a healthcare system or a sick care system • Five things you can do right now as a patientCHAPTERS00:00 Everyone has a healthcare story 01:26 A restaurant with no prices on the menu 02:10 What an Explanation of Benefits actually shows 02:56 Billed vs. allowed: why the numbers never match 03:38 How many people touch one healthcare transaction 04:46 What you're really paying for in a 15-minute visit 06:18 Why hospitals cost what they cost 06:52 Same procedure, two very different prices 07:42 Prior authorization and prescription pricing 08:34 Healthcare system, or sick care system? 09:17 What you can actually do as a patient 09:52 Reading your EOB line by line 10:45 Where technology could help — and where it won't 11:26 There is no single villain 11:52 What Medicine Unplugged will coverREAD THE FULL BREAKDOWN https://mytruehealth.us/why-is-healthcare-so-expensive-in-america/YOUR HOSTS Dr. Bukola Okoro, MD — physician, triple board certified in internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine. https://mytruehealth.us/authors/dr-bukola-okoro/ Tochi Okoro — engineer, entrepreneur, and healthcare operator.Medicine Unplugged is produced by True Health. New episodes cover insurance, medications, medical myths, preventive health, AI, and the business of medicine. Subscribe wherever you listen: https://mytruehealth.us/medicine-unplugged/This podcast is general health education, not medical advice, and is not a substitute for care from your own physician. For questions about your coverage, contact your plan. For questions about your health, speak with your clinician.