Why America’s Health Crisis Is an Incentive Problem
The a16z Show
Fixing crop subsidies to change food economics
Justin explains how U.S. corn, soy and wheat subsidies made cheap ingredients ubiquitous and degraded the food supply.
a16z general partner Erik Torenberg speaks with Justin Mares, founder and CEO of Truemed. They discuss why American health outcomes are so poor compared to the rest of the developed world, how crop subsidies created a food system that "systematically outputs unhealthy people," and what it would take to treat the chronic disease crisis as a national security issue. Mares explains how TrueMed allows people to spend tax-free HSA and FSA dollars on lifestyle interventions like gym memberships, sleep aids, and healthier food—and why he believes this could redirect hundreds of billions of dollars toward prevention. They also explore the case for psychedelics as mental health therapy and why peptides could disrupt the pharmaceutical industry.
Resources:
Follow Justin Mares on X: https://x.com/jwmares
Follow TrueMed on X: https://x.com/truemed
Timestamps:
00:00 — Introduction
0:44 — The Environment That Makes Us Sick
04:19 — What Went Wrong in the 1970s
6:10 — The Subsidy Problem
8:49 — Universal Ozempic Won't Save Us
12:21 — Building Truemed
15:59 — The Zoo Animal Theory of Human Health
18:33 — The Chronic Disease Crisis as National Security
27:52 — Psychedelics as Mental Health Therapy
35:49 — Why Peptides Will Disrupt Pharma
35:27 — Why Peptides Will Disrupt Pharma
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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.
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Find a16z on LinkedIn
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Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg
Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
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