Could primary care at home unlock better health and lower costs for American families? Rebekah Gee, a physician and policymaker turned entrepreneur, joins us to talk about the big bet her company Nest Health is making on home-based primary care. It’s a model that makes sense for families and delivers results. In the first year of operations Nest doubled primary care visits, reduced ER visits, and increased childhood immunizations.

We discuss:

• The sound economics behind the Medicaid expansion in Louisiana
• What she learned from her mentor, astronaut John Glenn
• How to close the primary care gap for children and parents
• Whether ultra processed foods are the next tobacco

“So Nest came out with our savings numbers. We put out some really good information about the health of children and the opportunities. And Elon Musk retweeted it. So as a result of that, we actually got a lot of press. But I wrote back to him and said, ‘I'm glad you like this concept. And just remember, don't cut health care for children because we'll be paying far more for that than you will ever save.’ ”

Relevant Links

• Read more about Nest Health
• Watch: Dr. Rebekah Gee on what entrepreneurs need to know about Medicaid
• Learn about Alaska’s Nuka system of care
• Evidence from the Nurse Family Partnership about the impact of home-based care

Dr. Rebekah Gee is the founder and CEO of Nest Health, a technology-enabled whole-family primary care provider providing care at home and virtually to Americans who struggle to receive comprehensive care. Previously, Dr. Gee served as Secretary of Health for the State of Louisiana. In that cabinet-level role, she led the expansion of Medicaid. As Secretary, she was responsible for nearly half the state budget including Medicaid, public health, aging and adult services, licensure, sanitation, disability services, and a nearly 2,000 bed state hospital system. As Secretary, she developed a first-in-the-nation subscription model for the drugs that cure Hepatitis C that is being used as a national and international model for increased drug access and affordability.

Dr. Gee has served as an advisor to multiple Governors, presidential campaigns, and policy efforts at the state and national level. Her board service includes medical advisory support of public companies Select Quote and 3D systems. She has also served as a board member or advisor to Ready Responders, Ouva, Noble, NCQA, NQF, IHI, the Penn Center for Behavioral Economics, and the Duke-Margolis Institute.

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