{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Startup Junkies Podcast","title":"Cutting Health Care Costs for Self-Funded Employers with Kirat Kharode of HealCo","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1156,"description":"Employer health care costs have risen 70% over the last decade while wages have grown just 30%. Kirat Kharode, CEO and Founder of HealCo, joins the Startup Junkies Podcast's Fuel Accelerator health tech series to break down why self-funded employer health plans are becoming unsustainable, and how HealCo's governance layer helps route employees to lower-cost, high-quality care before costs spiral.\nIn this episode:\nWhy self-funded health plans are under more scrutiny than ever\nThe site-of-entry problem driving up specialty care costs\nHow HealCo's governance and routing model works\nWhat a real cost-savings diagnostic looks like for employers\nWhy Northwest Arkansas is fertile ground for this kind of infrastructure\n\nThis episode is part of our Fuel Accelerator series\n⏱️ Chapters: \n\n00:18 – Welcome & the Fuel Accelerator health tech cohort\n00:42 – Meet Kirat Kharode, CEO & Founder of HealCo\n01:00 – 20 years inside hospital C-suites \n01:26 – Inside the self-funded health plan landscape \n02:07 – Why costs are outpacing wages \n03:06 – Site of entry: where health costs really start \n04:02 – Specialty care and the $15K vs. $50K cost divide \n05:33 – HealCo's origin story and validation lab \n06:36 – Building the governance layer and how employees benefit \n09:06 – Sponsor: RISE Arkansas \n09:33 – Validating the model & where self-funded care is headed \n11:48 – HealCo's 5-year vision, case studies & broker demand \n15:49 – Why Northwest Arkansas, plus advice for CFOs \n18:50 – Connect with Kirat + episode wrap-up\n\n—\n\nConnect with Kirat & HealCo\n🔗https://www.healco.us/\n🔗https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirat-kharode/\n\n—\n🎧 Follow the Startup Junkies Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. 👍 If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and share it with a friend.\n\nThe Startup Junkies Podcast is brought to you in part by RISE, helping Arkansas tech and tech-enabled startups grow with no-cost coaching, capital navigation, and expert connections. Learn more at RiseArkansas.org.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/VIqyFnVoemaY16I1CQ_9OtsZkjBwg6MwfUeTfBb7LPw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hMTg0/ODVhOTk1ZmFiOTQ2/MWM3YTk4MTcxOTg3/NmY5Mi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}