The following interview is with Richard Tracy - Yep you got that right "Dick" Tracy for real. Prior to becoming an independent insurance broker, Richard, worked for several years in the US healthcare system.  From this experience, he saw how the system truly works, and with no surprise to anyone, it all revolves around money that is orchestrated by the insurance companies, hospitals and health care providers themselves. This is not a system that puts the patients ahead of profits. 

The Business of Healthcare

Q: You've stated that the healthcare system wasn't designed to educate patients, but rather to bill them. Can you elaborate on this perspective and how knowing the "insider rules" empowers patients?

The healthcare system is full of secrets — and most of them cost patients money. The truth is, healthcare wasn’t designed to educate you; it was designed to bill you. But once you know the insider rules, you can shop smarter, avoid traps, and even save thousands every year. My role as a broker isn’t just to help people find insurance — it’s to teach them how to take control of their healthcare in ways most have never seen.

Price Discrepancies and Referrals

Q: What is one of the most significant "secrets" that leads to drastically varied healthcare costs, and what proactive step can patients take to combat this?

One of the biggest secrets is how drastically prices vary depending on where you go. A simple MRI could cost $300 at an independent imaging centre or $3,000 at a hospital. Why? Because many doctors face hidden quotas and financial incentives to keep referrals “in-system,” steering patients to expensive hospital-owned centres instead of cheaper, independent facilities. By asking, “Do I have to go there, or are there independent options?” you can cut costs dramatically.

Billing Errors and Patient Protections

Q: Beyond pricing variations, what are other common hidden pitfalls in medical billing, and what recourse do patients have through existing legislation?

Billing errors are another hidden drain. A large percentage of medical claims are coded incorrectly, which can inflate bills or lead to denied coverage. On top of that, labs often process tests out of network without telling you — leaving you with surprise bills. Under the No Surprises Act and Good Faith Estimate rules, you have protections, but most patients don’t know how to use them. Knowing what your insurer’s allowable rate is for a procedure also gives you leverage when disputing a bill, since providers cannot legally demand more than the contracted amount.

Hospital Policies and Transparency

Q: What are some under-the-radar hospital policies that patients should be aware of, and what does the Hospital Price Transparency Act enable patients to do?

Hospitals themselves have rules most patients never hear about. Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to provide charity care or financial assistance based on income. Qualifying patients could pay little to nothing, yet many never apply simply because they don’t know the program exists. Meanwhile, the Hospital Price Transparency Act requires hospitals to post their real prices for procedures — information anyone can access before scheduling care, if they know where to look.

Physician Disclosure and Prescription Savings

Q: How have past insurance contracts limited physician transparency, and what are some everyday strategies individuals can employ to reduce prescription costs?

Even your doctors aren’t always free to share what they know. For years, insurance contracts included gag clauses, preventing providers and brokers from disclosing real negotiated rates. Reforms are slowly removing these clauses, opening the door for patients to finally see what they’re being charged and why. Prescriptions are another area where people overpay every day. In many cases, cash-pay with tools like GoodRx or SingleCare is cheaper than using your insurance. Pharmacies won’t always tell you that, but it’s one of the strategies I teach my clients. And if you really want to dig deeper, you can even see how much money your doctor has received from pharmaceutical companies by checking the government’s Open Payments database. It’s public information, but almost no one knows it exists.

Leveraging Insurance and Personal Power

Q: How can individuals move beyond simply having health insurance to actively leveraging it for maximum savings and better personal healthcare management?

Health insurance itself isn’t the end of the story — it’s just the start. The real savings come from pairing the right plan with the right strategy. That’s why I don’t just “send quotes.” I work with people one-on-one to customize plans around their doctors, prescriptions, and budget. Then I teach them how to use their plan, when to go cash-pay, and even how to get paid by their policy through wellness benefits, preventive incentives, or add-on coverages like critical illness plans that pay cash directly to the policyholder. You have far more power in this system than you’ve been led to believe. The problem is, no one ever told you the rules. Once you know them, you can shop for healthcare like an insider — saving money, avoiding surprise bills, and turning insurance into a tool that actually works for you.

Feel free to reach out to Richard for assistance in getting the right health insurance coverage for you.  From his experience he got a front-row seat to how claims are processed, how pricing is set, and how easily patients can get stuck with bills they shouldn’t owe. That experience pushed him to become an independent broker. Today, he work for his clients — not the insurance companies, not the hospitals, not the healthcare industry. His only goal is helping people understand their options, save money, and get better care. Click here to contact Richard.