# 408: Whistleblower takes on health insurance and FDA commissioner candidates

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-readout-loud-1134305/408-whistleblower-takes-on-health-insurance-and-fda-commissioner-candidates
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-readout-loud-1134305/408-whistleblower-takes-on-health-insurance-and-fda-commissioner-candidates.md
Podcast: [The Readout Loud](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-readout-loud-1134305)
Published: 2026-07-09T20:05:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TTSAA2387995576.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TTSAA2387995576.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-readout-loud-1134305/episodes/408-whistleblower-takes-on-health-insurance-and-fda-commissioner-candidates
Duration seconds: 2638

## Resource

Why does getting family health insurance through a job cost as much as buying a new car? How did a whistleblower take on an insurance contractor? And who might be the new Food and Drug Administration commissioner? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s weekly biotech podcast. STAT reporter Bob Herman joins us to discuss his new series, "Out of Pocket, Out of Reach," which dives into how soaring costs for health insurance are hurting Americans and small business owners. We also speak with Chris Deacon, who filed a whistleblower lawsuit after spotting how an insurer may have violated contracts to provide health benefits for New Jersey's state workers. We also discuss the latest news in life sciences, including Anthropic's push into drug development and Vertex's largest-ever acquisition.

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## Transcript

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