# 1296. 5 Ways to Make the Healthcare System Work for You w/ Dr. Nasim Afsar Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/heal-squad-x-maria-menounos-435348/1296-5-ways-to-make-the-healthcare-system-work-for-you-w-dr-nasim-afsar Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/heal-squad-x-maria-menounos-435348/1296-5-ways-to-make-the-healthcare-system-work-for-you-w-dr-nasim-afsar.md Podcast: [Heal Squad x Maria Menounos](https://stenobird.com/podcast/heal-squad-x-maria-menounos-435348) Published: 2026-06-17T09:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/BUZZ8712090416.mp3 Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/BUZZ8712090416.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/heal-squad-x-maria-menounos-435348/episodes/1296-5-ways-to-make-the-healthcare-system-work-for-you-w-dr-nasim-afsar Duration seconds: 2425 ## Resource Hey, Heal Squad! Today the conversation continues with Dr. Nasim Afsar - author of Intelligent Health, a board-certified physician and the former Chief Health Officer at Oracle. Yesterday we talked about why the healthcare system is letting you down, well today, is all about what you can do about it. We start where so many of you have been stuck: the insurance question. To have it, or not to have it? Dr. Nasim gives us the rule that finally makes sense. Then she tells a story about HERSELF — yes, a top physician — calling her own doctor about a cough and being told the next available appointment was four months out. Even DOCTORS are stuck in this nightmare. Wait until you hear what she did instead. We also get into the EXACT way to track a weird new symptom so that when you finally get into the appointment, you don't waste a single second. We unpack who's actually on your care team, and why NPs and PAs can do way more for you than you've been led to believe, including in primary care. Dr. Nasim walks us through who to ask for, when, and why. But perhaps the biggest takeaway? Being the CEO of your own health isn't just a mindset—it's a responsibility. Because no matter how advanced technology becomes, nobody knows your body better than you do. HEALERS & HEAL LINERS Be the CEO of your health. Here's the playbook: Leverage AI to see your full picture, save insurance for catastrophe, not the everyday, book NPs and PAs to be seen THIS WEEK, track every symptom like evidence, trust your judgment. The Self-Advocacy Reset: You are not dramatic. You are not 'a difficult patient.' You are the CEO of your health. And the moment you start shrinking in front of a doctor, that is the moment to stop and ask: would a good CEO accept this? The Care Team Unlock: Your care team is bigger… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/heal-squad-x-maria-menounos-435348/episodes/1296-5-ways-to-make-the-healthcare-system-work-for-you-w-dr-nasim-afsar/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/heal-squad-x-maria-menounos-435348/1296-5-ways-to-make-the-healthcare-system-work-for-you-w-dr-nasim-afsar.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.