Out of Patients
with Matthew Zachary

Welcome to 2026: The Year of the Patient where the sick shall inherit the ballot.

PODCAST Matthew Zachary PODCAST Matthew Zachary

An ICU Doctor Checked His Insurance Portal Every Day While His Daughter Was Dying Of Cancer. He Was Terrified They Would Kick Her Off.

Dr. Hesham Hassaballa is board certified four times over with 20 years in the ICU. When his daughter was getting chemo, he checked his insurance portal daily, terrified they would drop her. A physician. In the system. Earning a good living. Still terrified of financial ruin because his child got sick.

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OPINION Matthew Zachary OPINION Matthew Zachary

Patients Should *NOT* Have To Write Policy Briefs

Sally Neely Nix manages chronic pain with nerve block injections. No opioids. Her insurer calls them experimental. So she built a policy brief and sent it to the CEO. While in extreme pain. Patients shouldn't have to become researchers to access care that works.

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OPINION Matthew Zachary OPINION Matthew Zachary

Trump's Meeting With Insurers Is Already Over Before It Starts

24 million Americans watched premiums double overnight. Now Trump plans to pressure insurers who banked $543 billion in profits over a decade. The solution? HSAs—which create new revenue streams for the same industry while shifting costs onto patients who already can't afford care. This isn't reform.

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