UPDATE -2/26 SEE END OF SHOW NOTES

As I record this – at the end of the second week in October 2025 – the US government is officially shut down. Senate and House Democrats are demanding negotiations with Republicans and President Trump to restore major health care cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies for 2026. It’s expected that if these cuts aren’t restored – and restored quickly - insurance premiums will double or even triple. And millions of Americans who now have at least some basic health insurance will be unable to afford any. Many small, rural hospitals may have to close as well.

Which brings me to the overall state of the US healthcare “system” – such as it is. And my guest. Dr. Erica Rowe Urquhart. She’s a leading orthopedic surgeon who runs a private practice in New Jersey with her husband – who’s also a highly credentialed orthopedist. Dr. Urquhart has a PhD in molecular and cellular neuroscience and served her orthopedic surgery residency at New York’s renowned Hospital for Special Services. After 15 years in private practice Dr. Urquhart also got an MBA from Oxford’s Said Business School, so she could deal with the ever more complicated insurance issues we’ll be talking about – issues which often prevent even patients with “good” insurance from getting the medical procedures they need. Her book - The Invisible Hand Wielding the Scalpel - is just out. We cover a huge amount of ground in our conversation and I think you’ll identify with many of the issues we raise. As usual on this informal podcast, we use first names.

YouTube Episode link: https://youtu.be/YFuhwDcJxKU

https://drurquhart.com/

https://www.urquhartortho.com/

Channel link: @conversationsonhealthhowwe4827