Hey everybody. Welcome to this week's episode of Red Pillar Healthcast. My name is Dr. Charlie Faganholz,

and I'm here with Lauren Johnson, FNP. And before we get started on our topic tonight, we want to revisit our last

podcast where you all know that we had our first guest that came with very mixed reviews.

And we wanted to kind of shed some light on that.

So the first thing I want to say is a fan emailed in something and she, she had worked in the

insurance industry and she thought it would benefit our listeners. So I'm going to read that

first. She said, I'm such a huge fan. You've helped

transform the life and health trajectory of my family. I'm writing in regards to your most

recent podcast episode with Nemesh Patel, a great conversation and always love hearing

respectful discussion on opposing perspectives. Now, that's something that I totally agree with,

which I'll talk about in a second. It's what makes the world go round.

I do want to ask if you can offer clarifying info for your listeners. I've worked in the space of

health insurance, specifically individual coverage since the ACA was introduced and implemented

in 2013. Mesh had some misstatements on health insurance being tied to employment. True, however,

every single state

offers individual coverage, including 41 states which offer expanded Medicaid coverage, which

is not linked to employment status at all. The ACA, CMS, and every state's department of insurance

have requirements for every single carrier to offer affordable coverage. There is really no reason since

2013 as to why someone should not have insurance other than simply not wanting it. There is so

much more that can be discussed, but this is just a huge issue in the market and simply false.

Also, for the record, which I agree with what she's about to say. I believe an open market and opening state lines

to increase competition would truly make it even more affordable and force carriers to be more

...