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© 2025 Richard Helppie's Common Bridge
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The problems we have in the country are solvable, but not solvable the way we’re approaching them today, because of partisan politics. Richard Helppie, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist seeks to find a place in the middle where common sense discussions can bridge the current great divide.
293 Episodes
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The money is already here—so why are the rules still stuck in limbo? We sit down with Tom Dieters to map how NIL evolved from booster-led collectives into university-controlled revenue sharing after House v. NCAA, and what that shift means for athletes across every sport. From donor intent getting sidelined by caps to student fees propping up compensation, we confront the uncomfortable question: if this is now a professional marketplace, who should set the rules and who should be accountable?...
What's the secret to maintaining physician independence when 70% of doctors now work for corporations or health systems? Dr. Leo Spector, CEO of OrthoCarolina and practicing spine surgeon, offers a masterclass in healthcare leadership and strategic navigation of our complex medical landscape. After 20 years as a spine surgeon, Dr. Spector has witnessed healthcare's digital transformation while confronting the harsh realities of diminishing physician autonomy. "The loss of autonomy has led to...
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson brings her vision for Michigan's future to The Common Bridge, outlining why she's running for governor in 2026 and what she hopes to accomplish for the state's citizens. At the heart of Benson's campaign is a commitment to making Michigan "the best place to be a kid, raise a kid, and call home." As a mother raising an eight-year-old son in Detroit, she understands firsthand the challenges facing Michigan families. "The work we do over the next 10 ye...
What does it take to transform a state facing serious economic and educational challenges? In this illuminating conversation, former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard outlines his vision for revitalizing Michigan as he campaigns for the governor's office. Michigan's struggles are starkly quantified—ranking 49th in unemployment, near last in population growth, and facing an education crisis where only 25% of fourth graders read at grade level. But Leonard sees tremendous untapped potential i...
The assassination of Charlie Kirk has shaken our nation to its core, prompting a raw, emotional response from Rich Helppie in this urgent episode of The Common Bridge. Beyond expressing profound grief for Kirk's family and friends, Helppie grieves for America itself – a country increasingly torn apart by political violence and dehumanizing rhetoric. With unflinching clarity, Helppie dissects how our political discourse has deteriorated to the point where bullets replace dialogue. He identifi...
What happens when healthcare experts become patients themselves? Dr. Jeff Goldsmith shares his transformative experience of undergoing five major surgeries in 29 months, revealing how it fundamentally altered his perspective after nearly five decades in healthcare. "I underestimated the degree to which patients are motivated by abject fear," he admits, noting that this fear encompasses both medical outcomes and financial ruin. With almost a century of combined healthcare experience between t...
Drug pricing in America is a shell game where patients always lose. Healthcare Bridge host Nathan Kaufman and his guest Richard Helppie pull back the curtain on why Americans pay drastically more for the same medications than patients anywhere else in the world. At the heart of this problem lies a fragmented system where the United States—effectively operating the world's largest health insurance company—somehow lacks the ability to negotiate bulk purchasing deals. While pharmaceutical compa...
The college sports landscape is undergoing a revolution that few fans truly understand. In this eye-opening conversation, University of Michigan lecturer Greg Dooley breaks down the complex world of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation that's transforming collegiate athletics from its century-old amateur foundations into something resembling professional sports. Dooley expertly navigates the various ways today's college athletes receive compensation—from traditional scholarships to c...
Are you getting what you pay for with your Medicare plan? This eye-opening conversation between healthcare insiders Nathan Kaufman and Rich Helppie pulls back the curtain on what they provocatively call "Medicare Disadvantage" plans. When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Medicare Advantage plans tempt seniors with zero premiums, dental coverage, vision benefits, and even gym memberships. But these apparent perks mask a troubling reality: significantly restricted healthcar...
Ever wondered how a successful women's magazine writer and humor columnist became one of Substack's most incisive media critics? Jenna McCarthy never planned to write about "government corruption, health policy, and politics" - she was perfectly content crafting witty pieces about relationships and lifestyle topics for major publications. Then COVID happened, and suddenly McCarthy found herself questioning policies that "weren't making sense" and facing social media suspensions for her skepti...
The fundamental flaw in American healthcare might be hiding in your benefits package. In this compelling conversation, host Nathan Kaufman and Common Bridge's Rich Helppie challenge the very foundation of how most Americans receive health coverage. "It needs to go the route of the company car," argues Helppie about employer-sponsored health insurance. The hosts dissect how the current system creates profound inequalities – where two neighbors with similar jobs can receive drastically differe...
When did healthcare marketing become so disconnected from the people it needs to reach? Brandon Edwards, founder of Unlock Health and a 30-year veteran in healthcare marketing, joins us for a provocative conversation about why traditional approaches are failing in what he calls "the post-truth era." Edwards reveals a startling reality: roughly half the population deeply distrusts institutions and experts – the very foundation of most healthcare marketing. "There's about half the population t...
The American healthcare payment system isn't just broken—it's a non-system that systematically fails providers and patients while generating enormous profits for middlemen. The Healthcare Bridge host Nathan Kaufman and his guest Rich Helppie cut through partisan talking points to expose the real impact of recent Medicaid funding changes that threaten to destabilize healthcare nationwide. They unpack the complex provider tax mechanism that states have relied on to patch Medicaid's chronic und...
Garlin Gilchrist II, Michigan's Lieutenant Governor and gubernatorial candidate, shares how his unique background as a software engineer and tech entrepreneur shapes his vision for the state's future. This fascinating conversation reveals how engineering principles can transform governance and policy-making. "Being an engineer, you learn to be a problem solver," Gilchrist explains, drawing parallels between fixing broken systems and addressing Michigan's challenges. With experience at Micros...
What happens when you put one of America's leading healthcare governance experts in conversation with a veteran industry insider? You get a rare, unfiltered look behind the curtain of hospital boardrooms where life-and-death decisions get made every day. Jamie Orlikoff, renowned governance consultant and active health system board member, joins host Nathan Kaufman to reveal the dramatic transformation of healthcare governance from ceremonial volunteer boards to professionalized leadership st...
When half the streetlights in Detroit were dark and the city led America in homicide, poverty, and unemployment, Mike Duggan stepped up to lead its transformation. Now, after 12 years of progress as Detroit's mayor, he's taking aim at Michigan's partisan gridlock with an independent run for governor. "Every time the Republicans and Democrats switch control in Lansing, they change the rules," Duggan explains, describing how Michigan's education system has suffered through constant policy whip...
What does Michigan need in its next governor? Sheriff Chris Swanson believes it's someone who can protect, serve, and unify. The Genesee County Sheriff joins The Common Bridge to outline his vision as a Democratic candidate for Michigan's 2026 gubernatorial race. Drawing from his 33 years in law enforcement and extensive background in education and emergency medicine, Swanson offers a refreshingly practical approach to the state's most pressing challenges. Michigan stands at a crossroads. W...
What happens when a state that was once the crown jewel of American prosperity finds itself near the bottom in employment, education, and population growth? Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox believes it's time for a dramatic course correction, and he's running for governor to make it happen. The son of immigrants who chose Michigan in the 1950s because it was "the greatest state in America," Cox paints a stark picture of Michigan's decline. Today, the state ranks second-worst in unem...
The $84 billion question haunting American healthcare takes center stage as Nathan Kaufman returns to unpack the bombshell criminal investigation into UnitedHealthcare's alleged Medicare fraud. Drawing from his 48 years of healthcare expertise, Kaufman reveals the troubling mechanics behind how the nation's largest insurer potentially manipulated the Medicare Advantage system through aggressive "upcoding" – artificially inflating patient illness scores to extract higher government payments. ...
The global economy stands at a crossroads as tariffs reshape international trade, and few understand these seismic shifts better than Bill Michels, returning to The Common Bridge with crucial insights on what's happening at our ports, in manufacturing, and throughout supply chains worldwide. Shipping containers sit idle at major ports like Los Angeles and Houston as businesses hesitate to import goods, unsure what tariffs they'll face. "Tariffs are breaking the shipping model," Michels expla...
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