Follow the Money: Chris Deacon on Healthcare Transparency and Reform

Is healthcare complexity protecting employers and patients, or the business models behind the scenes? A two-part conversation with healthcare attorney Chris Deacon.

About this episode

Chris Estep and Andy Rodriguez sit down with Chris Deacon: healthcare attorney, founder of VerSan Consulting, former public health plan leader, author of The Great American Healthcare Heist, and a nationally recognized voice on healthcare transparency and reform.

Chris shares what she has learned from testifying before Congress, leading public health plans, reviewing audits and contracts, and working with employers, unions, policymakers and purchasing coalitions. She explains why transparency has to be the starting point for reform, what CAA 2026 could mean for fiduciary responsibility, and why employers must look past vendor labels to the actual functions, incentives and financial relationships inside their health plans.

Part 1 covers hidden transaction fees, carrier and PBM relationships, claims data restrictions, stop-loss arrangements, misleading guarantees, and the difference between the lowest price, the best value and the lowest true net cost. It closes with the questions employers should ask during proposals and renewals and the red flags that should make them pause.

Part 2 goes deeper on the complexity of healthcare purchasing, the pitfalls of vertical integration, and how employers can navigate the system by understanding incentives, transparency and partner selection.

If they are responsible for the decision, they should be able to follow the money.

Topics covered

• Why transparency is the starting point for reform
• What CAA 2026 means for fiduciary responsibility
• Hidden transaction fees and claims data restrictions
• Carrier, PBM and stop-loss relationships
• Lowest price versus lowest true net cost
• Red flags in proposals and renewals
• Vertical integration in healthcare

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