Laura Wadsten

investigating healthcare + pharma @hntrbrkmedia | former @Capitol_Forum @jhunewsletter | Minnesotan in DC

[Laura Wadsten @LWadsten]

On the hill today - members of Congress grill CEOs of CVS, UnitedHealth and Cigna about the findings of our investigation! #PBMGPOs

[Hunterbrook @hntrbrkmedia]

Healthcare CEOs would not talk to us, but they were hauled to Congress, where they were grilled under oath by both parties about our reporting on PBM GPOs, which hide billions meant to lower drug costs.

When asked by @RepHouchin about their profits, the CEOs failed to answer.

[Sam Koppelman @SammyKoppelman]

Want to shout out our new executive editor at @hntrbrkmedia, the great @vikasxkumarbk.

His work used to live behind a (very expensive!) paywall — what a blast to be the platform where the whole world will see it.

The Bloom story was our first with him at the helm. Legend.

[David Dayen @ddayen]

"Crush MAGA PAC," a DCCC-aligned Super PAC, is up with a $500,000+ ad buy going negative on progressive frontrunner Will Lawrence in MI-07.
It says he's "invested thousands with Wall Street, big oil and data centers." He has a $10,000 retirement account in an index fund.

[Bob Herman @bobjherman]

America’s employer health insurance is decaying. We’re launching a new series, Out of Pocket, Out of Reach, that chronicles how and why this system is harming everyone in a more urgent way than ever. Despair is most apparent among small businesses. https://t.co/E8LgRDlK6T

[Lina Khan @linamkhan]

In 2022 Twitter was caught lying when it collected people's personal data under the pretext of security but then used it for ad targeting.

We held it accountable through an @FTC consent decree that required it to take basic steps to prevent data abuse, like limiting employees' access to people's sensitive data.

Now Musk is asking the Trump administration to terminate the consent decree, suggesting that US leadership in AI requires allowing X to deceive people about how their data is used.

This important filing from Secretary Chopra explains why Musk's petition should be denied.

[Antonio Ciaccia @A_Ciaccia]

New data shows U.S. job growth is nearly entirely concentrated in the healthcare sector.

So our economy's biggest asset is also its biggest drain.

Too big to fail, too big to fix.

@EricPachman https://t.co/oPijjbCSyQ

[Good Jobs First @GoodJobsFirst]

"When states award large tax breaks to attract companies, they may actually be encouraging more lobbying instead of real economic growth...these programs may inadvertently foster crony capitalism and wasteful lobbying rather than the genuine economic development they promise."

[scary lawyerguy @scarylawyerguy]

It turns out the great egg price increase that helped topple Joe Biden's presidency was <checks notes> due to an alleged conspiracy among egg producers to artificially increase prices and the coverage of that fact is a blink-and-you-miss-it story on the NYT website 🙃

[Freedom of the Press Foundation @FreedomofPress]

The Supreme Court couldn’t be bothered to correct litigants who think filing a lawsuit gives them permission to commandeer the Fourth Estate and force journalists to burn sources.

Fewer whistleblowers will be willing to come forward as a result.

[Hunterbrook @hntrbrkmedia]

NEW: Our first investigation in partnership with @BearCaveEmail and @StockJabber goes deep on how private equity giant StepStone became the prisoner of its own success — with a reckoning ahead.

[Laura Wadsten @LWadsten]

The energy at this event was electric!!

So glad I had the opportunity to attend — huge shoutout to @econliberties @freer_emma @mh4oh (and many others) for organizing an incredible conference!

[American Economic Liberties Project @econliberties]

Neoliberalism had its chance. Now, it's time for better and bolder ideas.

It's time to Break Up Big Medicine.

Learn more at https://t.co/xaQtPzhz2g

[Sam Koppelman @SammyKoppelman]

Turns out the egg companies price fixed through March! @hntrbrkmedia published its investigation into egg price fixing in [double checks] March! Incredible work from the team as always

[Hunterbrook @hntrbrkmedia]

Big news: Hunterbrook Media is acquiring The Bear Cave, one of the most influential investigative newsletters in finance.

Over the last six years, @StockJabber has produced a remarkable amount of truth-to-power reporting — and he's done it as a one-man shop.

But in the golden age of grift and graft, more stories need to be written; wrongdoing needs to be exposed, and digging needs to be done. That’s why we’re partnering.

It’s a good day to subscribe to @BearCaveEmail — and a bad day for bad actors, wherever they may hide.

[Matt Stoller @matthewstoller]

No idea why Americans are furious. Baffling.

[Laura Wadsten @LWadsten]

My incredible colleague @michellejcera was a guest on the legendary @RelentlesHealth to unpack the findings of our latest investigation!
Stacey expertly connects the SNF scheme to broader trends and recurring themes we see across the health system.

Give it a listen!

[Relentless Health Value @RelentlesHealth]

Michelle Cera, PhD, discusses #skilledNursingFacility #fraud on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #financialhealth #commercialpayermarketplace #digitalhealth #healthcareleadership #healthcaretransformation #healthcareinnovation

https://t.co/XUgGz7IjvC

[Hunterbrook @hntrbrkmedia]

48 hours after our story, Ensign hasn’t said anything publicly to patients, families, or the press — but quietly blitzed their investment banks (whose investor clients got exclusive notes, which had errors anyway). Why won’t $ENSG answer questions from the public on its fatal neglect?

[Laura Wadsten @LWadsten]

!!!

[Hunterbrook @hntrbrkmedia]

Ensign didn’t reply to our repeated requests for comment. So we showed up. They called security.

[Laura Wadsten @LWadsten]

@LAPhil_213 @coffeebreak_YT @LAPhil_213 would you be open to a conversation? You can reach us at [email protected]

[Coffeezilla @coffeebreak_YT]

Have been looking into healthcare fraud the last several months, nursing home understaffing is a much bigger story than people realize.

[Hunterbrook @hntrbrkmedia]

NEW: Ensign ($ENSG) is a $10 billion skilled nursing facility roll-up that markets 5-star ratings and "industry-leading" outcomes.

The numbers are a mirage. Behind them is understaffing, which experts told Hunterbrook may be illegal under both federal and state law.

[Hunterbrook @hntrbrkmedia]

Yesterday, a federal judge allowed the PBM GPOs Ascent, Zinc & Emisar to be added as defendants in the massive ongoing multi-district class action over insulin.

The amended complaint relies on Hunterbrook’s reporting to paint a more comprehensive picture of the alleged insulin market manipulation scheme.