The 2026 midterm elections could have major consequences for Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance, prescription drug prices, and the future of American healthcare. But what will actually change after November 3?

In this episode of Healthcare Nation, Dr. Rick and Joe break down what’s at stake for patients, hospitals, healthcare providers, and taxpayers as Republicans and Democrats debate the future of healthcare policy.

From rising Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums to new Medicaid work requirements, Medicare Advantage, and the growing debate over Medicare for All, this conversation goes beyond political talking points to explore how Washington’s decisions affect everyday Americans.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why the 2026 midterms could be a defining healthcare election
• Republican vs. Democratic approaches to healthcare policy
• How the Affordable Care Act and insurance premiums could change
• New Medicaid work requirements and their impact on coverage
• What Medicare beneficiaries should know about Medicare Advantage
• Whether Americans actually support Medicare for All
• The future of private health insurance and universal healthcare
• Prescription drug pricing and pharmaceutical innovation
• Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and healthcare regulation
• Private equity, hospital consolidation, and healthcare costs
• What happens to healthcare policy if Republicans or Democrats control Congress

Healthcare policy affects far more than Washington. It influences the cost of your insurance, your access to doctors, the financial stability of hospitals, and the quality of care available to your family.

Dr. Rick explains the potential benefits, risks, and trade-offs behind competing policy proposals, helping viewers understand the issues without partisan rhetoric.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why the 2026 Midterms Matter for Healthcare
02:35 Republicans vs. Democrats on Healthcare Policy
04:45 What Can Actually Change After the Midterms?
06:01 The Affordable Care Act and Rising Insurance Premiums
08:24 How Insurance Changes Impact Hospitals
09:57 Medicaid Work Requirements Explained
11:42 Will Medicaid Changes Cause People to Lose Coverage?
15:05 Why Hospital Executives Are Watching the Election
16:45 Is Medicaid Really a Partisan Program?
17:38 Medicare and Medicare Advantage in 2027
19:28 Is Medicare Advantage Working?
21:23 Medicare for All: What Americans Really Think
23:35 Does America Actually Want Medicare for All?
25:25 The Future of Private Health Insurance
27:24 Can States Create Universal Healthcare?
28:36 Prescription Drug Prices: Where Both Parties Agree
30:07 Could Lower Drug Prices Hurt Innovation?
31:27 AI, Cybersecurity, and Healthcare Regulation
33:51 Private Equity and Hospital Consolidation
36:52 What Happens After the November 3 Election?
38:28 What If Democrats Control Congress?
39:24 The Biggest Healthcare Issues Beyond Election Day

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Which healthcare issue matters most to you heading into the 2026 midterms: affordability, Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drug prices, or access to care?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Subscribe to Healthcare Nation for thoughtful conversations about healthcare policy, innovation, leadership, and the future of American healthcare.

ABOUT HEALTHCARE NATION

Healthcare Nation explores the policies, technologies, economic forces, and leadership decisions shaping healthcare in America. Through informed discussions and expert perspectives, we examine the challenges facing patients, providers, hospitals, and the broader healthcare industry.

DISCLAIMER: Healthcare Nation is a nonpartisan, educational podcast. The opinions expressed are intended to encourage informed discussion and do not constitute medical, legal, financial, or political advice.

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We speak with Hedgeye’s Emily Evans about how healthcare policy is increasingly driving market outcomes, arguing Wall Street is underestimating policy’s impact. They discuss Medicaid work requirements as a renewed eligibility philosophy that may also reduce fraud, waste, and abuse, with managed Medicaid insurers (e.g., Centene, Molina, UnitedHealth, Elevance) most exposed to enrollment declines. Evans explains how the IRA redesign of Medicare Part D shifts risk away from federal reinsurance, likely raising standalone Part D premiums after the 2023 premium subsidy/risk corridor ends, potentially worsening adverse selection and pushing beneficiaries toward Medicare Advantage amid rural provider tensions. They cover AI’s near-term use in administrative battles and productivity within hospitals, skepticism about “AI cures cancer” hype, and a bearish view on hospitals and Medicare Advantage, bullishness on big pharma and GLP-1s (including direct-to-consumer channels), bearishness on biotech, and the market implications of expanding price transparency, including the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:14 Policy Drives Markets

01:50 Meet Emily Evans

03:28 What Markets Misprice

06:01 Wall Street Policy Blindspots

10:03 Medicaid Work Requirements

18:20 Who Bears Medicaid Risk

20:13 Part D Risk Shift

23:47 Premiums and Adverse Selection

27:30 AI and EHR Power

29:03 AI Capital Cycle

35:51 Lightning Round Outlook

43:58 Price Transparency Shock

48:58 Wrap Up and Disclaimer

In this thought-provoking episode of Healthcare Nation, host Rick Gannotta sits down with pediatrician Dr. Amna Husain to explore one of healthcare's most important—and often overlooked—topics: the future of children's health.

From the rise of anxiety and the impact of social media to vaccine confidence, mental health, pediatric workforce shortages, Medicaid, technology in schools, and the importance of early childhood investment, Dr. Husain shares both optimism and concern about where America is headed.

The conversation also examines the growing pressures placed on children, the changing role of parents and pediatricians, and why investing in children's health may deliver the greatest long-term return for our healthcare system.

Whether you're a parent, clinician, educator, policymaker, or healthcare executive, this episode offers valuable insights into the challenges—and opportunities—facing the next generation.

00:00 – Introduction

03:15 – Are America's children healthier than they were 15 years ago?

05:15 – Where we've made progress—and where we're still struggling

06:10 – Why careers focused on children are becoming harder to sustain

07:15 – The growing mental health challenges facing children

09:05 – Anxiety, college pressure, and growing up too fast

10:00 – Are we asking too much of our kids?

12:05 – Vaccine confidence, trust, and evidence-based medicine

17:05 – Building trust between physicians and families

18:15 – Has trust in medicine really declined?

20:15 – Medicaid, CHIP, and access to pediatric care

22:10 – The pediatric workforce shortage

25:15 – Investing in children before problems begin

28:10 – School-based healthcare and supporting families

30:10 – Social media, technology, and the developing brain

32:10 – The impact of screens in education

35:00 – Phones, gaming, and social comparison

37:00 – Influencers, privacy, and protecting childhood

40:05 – What today's children tell us about tomorrow's healthcare system

42:15 – Why universal parental leave matters

44:15 – Dr. Husain's message to healthcare leaders