The MeidasTouch Podcast
Meidas Health, Episode 5: One of the Nation's Biggest Future Healthcare Leaders Speaks!
Mon, 05 May 2025
In this episode of Meidas Health, Dr. Vin Gupta is joined by Dr. Meena Seshamani, Maryland’s Secretary of Health, for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of American health care. A surgeon and Oxford-trained economist, Dr. Seshamani brings unmatched insight into the transformational impact of Medicare drug price negotiations, the challenges state leaders face as federal support wanes, and how Maryland is pioneering solutions in behavioral health and access to care. Together, they dive into the real-world impact of policy, the growing threat of misinformation, and what it takes to lead in an era of uncertainty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Who is Dr. Meena Seshamani and what is her background?
Well, I mean, as many of you may have seen, the Trump administration put out a press release saying that they were continuing, put out a statement, I think, saying that they were continuing with the drug price negotiation. We have, again, the legal authorities that must be followed. We also have all of the guidances and regulations that have been put into place that lay the framework for
for how negotiation will be done. And my hope is that as this program continues to mature, that there continues to be that dialogue of what are our common goals in healthcare and how can we all work together to achieve them?
It seems to me that you would have to try really hard to give a good, compelling, apolitical reason not to continue this. I can't think of one as a clinician. I'm not the health economist that you are, but just thinking from the patient point of view, why you wouldn't want to pay less for the most commonly used drugs amongst a huge Medicare population or set of beneficiaries.
I don't know what the reason would be to say no to that. And so I'm with you, and I hope they really mean what they say. I want to move on to your great work at Maryland. Congratulations on the transition. Everything's happening pretty fast. Mina, I think everybody that's listening to this sees a series of news headlines coming from the federal government that... induces anxiety.
And I talked to people across both sides of the political aisle. I think no one's spared from feeling anxious. And a lot of changes are happening at HHS, how they're communicating on critical health information, just human capital seems like it's being cut. I'm wondering how you as the head of a major state department of health are coping with this and how you're adapting.
Absolutely. I mean, I will say there is definitely a lot of uncertainty. There is a lot of change happening. And in times like these, it is so important for us to return to the fundamentals. Why do we go into health care? We want to have a positive impact on people, on our communities, on their lives. And how can we maintain that focus, that North Star, as we are navigating headwinds?
I will say, one of the reasons that I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to come to Maryland, alongside it being my longstanding home state, is because states really are a laboratory for innovation. Being at a state level, you're really close to the ground with your communities to be able to forge new partnerships and connections, for example, between food and healthcare,
or health care or workforce training and health care institutions. There's just those opportunities to really connect the dots and innovate that can be more difficult at a federal level where you are higher up and looking across the entire country. Specifically because at the end of the day, health care is local and does require that state-based view.
Alongside that important role that states play, there's a very important role that the federal government plays.
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