Curitics Conversations

In Episode 6 of Curitics Conversations, Unmesh Srivastava and Danielle Meldru sit down with Karen Johnson, CEO of Clever Care Health Plan, for a conversation about leadership, culture, and building healthcare around the communities it serves.
Karen shares how her clinical background has shaped her approach to leadership and discusses the importance of culturally competent care, meaningful community engagement, and strong provider partnerships. The conversation also explores what it takes to lead through growth and change while staying focused on better outcomes for diverse Medicare Advantage populations.
From creating a strong organizational culture to challenging traditional approaches to healthcare, Karen offers a thoughtful perspective on leading with purpose and keeping members at the center of every decision.
 
 

In this episode of Curitics Conversations, cohosts John Gorman and Unmesh Srivastava sit down with Sam Wald, a healthcare leader with deep experience in value-based care, population health, and Medicare Advantage.
Together, they explore the operational realities behind healthcare transformation, discussing why value-based care remains difficult to execute, the growing pressures facing Medicare Advantage organizations, and what separates high-performing healthcare organizations from those struggling with complexity. The conversation also dives into care delivery integration, member experience, the future of AI in healthcare, and the leadership lessons that come from operating at the intersection of clinical quality, financial sustainability, and organizational growth.
Whether you're a healthcare executive, payer leader, provider organization, or simply interested in the future of healthcare, this episode offers practical insights on scaling operations, improving outcomes, and navigating an increasingly complex healthcare landscape.
 

In Episode 4 of Curitics Conversations, John Gorman and Unmesh Srivastava sit down with Andy Slavitt to discuss the future of healthcare innovation, investment, and care delivery.
The conversation explores how AI, operational transformation, and evolving value-based care models are reshaping the healthcare landscape, while also addressing the real-world challenges organizations face balancing cost, quality, access, and scalability.
Andy shares perspectives on healthcare policy, technology adoption, investment trends, and what it will take for healthcare organizations to successfully navigate the next era of care delivery.

In Episode 4 of Curitics Conversations, John Gorman and Unmesh Srivastava sit down with Andy Slavitt for a wide-ranging discussion on healthcare innovation, investment, AI, policy, and the future of care delivery.
The conversation dives into the operational realities healthcare organizations are navigating today, including value-based care transformation, rising financial pressures, workflow fragmentation, technology adoption, and the growing role of AI across clinical and operational settings.
Andy shares insights on where healthcare is heading next, the challenges organizations face balancing innovation with execution, and what it will take to build more scalable, connected, and sustainable models of care delivery moving forward.

In this episode of Curitics Conversations, John Gorman and Unmesh Srivastava sit down with Sachin Jain, President and CEO of SCAN Health Plan, for a deep dive into the real operational dynamics of Medicare Advantage.
Drawing from experience across clinical care, payer operations, and executive leadership, Sachin breaks down what people often misunderstand about how Medicare Advantage plans actually function day to day, from the constant tradeoffs between cost, quality, and access to the structural constraints that shape decision-making.
The conversation explores where integration across utilization management, care management, and population health breaks down and what it actually looks like when it works. 
Looking ahead, the group discusses the next phase of Medicare Advantage, including regulatory pressure, operational risk, and where the greatest opportunities exist for plans willing to evolve.
This is not a surface-level conversation, it’s an inside look at how healthcare actually operates.

In this episode of Curitics Conversations, Ceci Connolly, President and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, joins us to unpack the evolving realities of Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. Drawing from her experience across healthcare journalism, policy, and leadership, Ceci shares a grounded perspective on what it actually takes to run community-based health plans in today’s environment.
The conversation explores the growing policy and reimbursement pressures facing plans, the operational tradeoffs between cost, quality, and access, and how community-based organizations are approaching innovation, value-based care, and complex patient populations. Ceci also highlights what policymakers and industry leaders often misunderstand about these plansand what the future may hold as the healthcare landscape continues to shift.

In this episode of Curitics Conversations, Ceci Connolly, President and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, joins us to unpack the evolving realities of Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. Drawing from her experience across healthcare journalism, policy, and leadership, Ceci shares a grounded perspective on what it actually takes to run community-based health plans in today’s environment. 
The conversation explores the growing policy and reimbursement pressures facing plans, the operational tradeoffs between cost, quality, and access, and how community-based organizations are approaching innovation, value-based care, and complex patient populations. Ceci also highlights what policymakers and industry leaders often misunderstand about these plans and what the future may hold as the healthcare landscape continues to shift.
 

In the very first episode of Curitics Conversations, hosts Unmesh Srivastava and John Gorman introduce themselves, share a few “war stories” from their years in healthcare, and explain why they created this podcast. They set the tone for the series with real-life experiences, honest conversations, and the themes they’ll explore moving forward; value-based care, leadership, and what it really takes to improve outcomes in the real world.

In the very first episode of Curitics Conversations, hosts Unmesh Srivastava and John Gorman introduce themselves, share a few “war stories” from their years in healthcare, and explain why they created this podcast. They set the tone for the series with real-life experiences, honest conversations, and the themes they’ll explore moving forward; value-based care, leadership, and what it really takes to improve outcomes in the real world.