The Grand Roundup: 2027 Stars winners and losers, Atrium vs. NC State Health Plan, No Surprises Act fix, Megan Fox and D2C consumerism, and more

Kevin and Martin start with a discussion of the 2027 Stars ratings. The big takeaway: the results were good enough for most plans that Congress won’t feel pressure to fix the program.

From there, they cover the fight between Atrium and the NC State Health Plan. That leads into Frank Pallone’s bill to replace No Surprises Act arbitration with an inflation-adjusted QPA, and the real question underneath it: who should pay.

They close on consumerism: General Medicine’s $120M raise and TJ Parker’s case that “the agent needs a store,” Megan Fox selling ED meds for Ro, and why brand still beats rational choice in healthcare. Plus quick hits on Option Care, Centene and Marathon, CMS scrutiny of CCM billing, and Utah’s AI sandbox.

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Links referenced

KFF on the role of healthcare in the midterms: https://www.kff.org/from-drew-altman/a-guide-to-the-role-of-health-in-the-midterms/

CBS News on the No Surprises Act: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/no-surprises-act-medical-bills-arbitration-system-loophole/

NY Times Magazine on health misinformation: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/magazine/alternative-cancer-clinics-treatment-father.html

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