Podcast 213: Health Care's Affordability Crisis Is Getting Worse w/ Larry Levitt, CEO-Elect & EVP, KFF

Episode Summary

Health care is 18% of U.S. GDP, the number one affordability concern for consumers, and the single biggest line item employers are trying to manage. Every major policy fight in American health care, at its core, comes down to money and who bears the cost. Larry Levitt, incoming CEO of KFF and one of the most trusted nonpartisan voices in health policy, joins host John Marchica to examine why value-based care has yet to deliver on its promise, and why a deepening public distrust in science and health institutions may be the most dangerous obstacle standing between the U.S. and any meaningful reform.

Episode Notes

Health care is 18% of U.S. GDP, the number one affordability concern for consumers, and the single biggest line item employers are trying to manage. Every major policy fight in American health care, at its core, comes down to money and who bears the cost.

Larry Levitt, incoming CEO of KFF and one of the most trusted nonpartisan voices in health policy, joins host John Marchica to examine why value-based care has yet to deliver on its promise, and why a deepening public distrust in science and health institutions may be the most dangerous obstacle standing between the U.S. and any meaningful reform.

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🎙 ABOUT LARRY LEVITT

Larry Levitt is Executive Vice President for Health Policy at KFF, overseeing the organization's policy work on Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the health care marketplace, racial equity, women's health, and global health. He previously served as editor-in-chief of kaisernetwork.org and directed KFF's communications. In May 2026, KFF announced that Levitt will assume the role of CEO in January 2027, alongside Dr. Mollyann Brodie as President.

Prior to joining KFF, Levitt served as a senior health policy adviser to the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, where he worked on the development of the Clinton Administration's Health Security Act and other health policy initiatives. Earlier in his career, he served as special assistant for health policy with California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, as a medical economist with Kaiser Permanente, and held several positions in Massachusetts state government.

Levitt holds a bachelor's degree in economics from UC Berkeley and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS

Smart conversations with the people moving health care forward.

Health Care Rounds podcast brings together the leaders changing the future of health care and pharma, from how it's delivered and paid for, to where it's headed. Each episode goes deep on the decisions, innovations, and ideas reshaping the industry from the inside out. Hosted by John Marchica, CEO of Darwin Research Group and a longtime industry insider, every episode has one goal: leave you thinking differently than when you arrived.

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