Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Mike Bledsoe paid $80,000 for a hernia surgery. His friend got the same surgery for $5,000 in cash. That's the entire game.
Michael Caz, founder of ShareWise and producer at Virtuous Benefits, walks Mike and Ted through what most operator-founders don't know about US health insurance — and the alternative that costs a family of five $343 a month.
The conversation goes deep on why insurance companies want prices to go up, what a "Charge Master price" actually is, why United Healthcare's denial rate is 33% and CrowdHealth's is less than 1%, how Pharmacy Benefit Managers hide 40% of Big Insurance's profits, and the 100x markup on drugs like Ozempic.
If you're a self-employed founder, a business owner running 6 to 7 figures, or a W-2 employee staying at a job you hate just for the benefits — this one's for you.
Key insights from this episode:
Why the average healthy founder is overpaying $5,000–$10,000 a year on insurance
The Charge Master scam: how hospitals anchor a fake $80K price to negotiate with insurance
Why insurance companies are incentivized to RAISE healthcare prices, not lower them
The denial rate gap: 33% at United Healthcare vs. less than 1% at CrowdHealth
What a health share plan actually is (and the two waiting-period rules that make it work)
How a family of five can pay $343/month for healthcare instead of $1,800
Chapters:
00:00 What the fuck are we even paying for
01:00 Welcome to Full Stack Founders
02:20 The health insurance war zone for the self-employed
04:34 Michael's ACA marketplace nightmare
07:00 How Big Pharma, Big Insurance, and Big Hospital actually work together
09:49 The healthcare system isn't broken. It's working perfectly.
11:18 Why the healthy are subsidizing the sick
13:00 Why insurance companies want prices to go up
15:17 The $80K hernia surgery that costs $5K in cash
16:33 The Charge Master scam: how hospital pricing actually works
17:32 What a health share plan actually is
20:08 $343 a month for a family of five
21:00 The waiting period and the pre-existing condition rule
27:48 PBMs: how Big Insurance hides 40% of profits
29:14 The 100x Ozempic markup
31:44 Why insurance should be like car insurance
33:36 33% denial rate vs. less than 1% 36:07 Inside CrowdHealth's transparency model
40:01 The personal responsibility clause
44:28 What a health share covers (pregnancy, midwives, travel)
49:09 How to pick the right plan as a founder
51:08 ShareWise vs. Virtuous Benefits
54:50 Where to find the marketplace
55:30 Ted's recap and gems
Where does this fit in the Stack? This episode focuses on OUTPUT. To learn how to integrate this into your daily leadership practice, take our free training "See The Game" inside the Full Stack community: https://www.skool.com/
Connect with Michael Caz: ShareWise (the health share marketplace): https://www.sharewize.com/about
Follow Ted:
Website: www.themodernmanpodcast.com
YouTube: The Modern Man Podcast
Instagram: themodernmanpodcast
Facebook: TheModernManShow
Follow Mike:
Website: bledsoe.life
YouTube: @MikeBledsoe
Instagram: @mike_bledsoe
For operator-founders building for the AI era.
Mike Bledsoe and Ted Phaeton host. Mike's been an entrepreneur for 19 years: Navy veteran, built CrossFit gyms, Barbell Shrugged, a SaaS product for operators, and now consults operators rebuilding their businesses around AI. Ted's earlier on the path. Part of the show is Mike mentoring him through the conversation in public. The rest is keeping the audience up to speed on what AI is actually doing to the game in real time.
When there are guests, they're operators worth having in the room. When there aren't, Ted drives the questions. Usually the ones most operators won't ask out loud. They walk through the work together.
Most business podcasts are entertainment for operators pretending to build something. This one is for the ones actually building.
No guru energy. No performance. Two operators thinking out loud about what ownership actually requires now.
New episodes every Monday.