Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Transforming Healthcare Affordability at Ascendiun with Paul Markovich
Feb 15, 2026
Paul Markovich, President and CEO of Ascendiun and former Blue Shield of California leader, pushes for systemic fixes to healthcare affordability. He discusses testifying to Congress, abolishing PBM spread pricing and rebates, building universal digital health records, and Ascendiun’s unbundled PBM and tech partnerships. Short, focused talk on transforming costs and system design.
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New Corporate Structure To Scale Change
- Ascendian was created as a nonprofit parent to Blue Shield of California to attract capital and scale without traditional corporate constraints.
- Paul Markovich frames the restructure as a tool to build a sustainably affordable healthcare system worthy of families.
Call Out Problems And Seek Help
- Be candid about systemic healthcare failures and seek government partnership to drive structural change.
- Accept accountability and offer cooperative solutions rather than glossing over problems.
Perverse Incentives Drive Higher Costs
- The system incentivizes volume over outcomes and preserves opaque payment flows like rebates and spread pricing.
- Eliminating kickbacks in pharmacy distribution and budgeting healthcare are central to systemic fixes.