Welcome to another episode of Relocalizing Health, where host Dave Chase draws a bold parallel between America’s rural electrification revolution and the grassroots transformation happening in healthcare today. In this episode, Dave Chase unpacks the inspiring story of Iowa farmers who built miles of power lines before they even had a power source, showing how local ingenuity can spark nationwide change. He introduces his “three, two, one” framework, a blueprint where pioneering communities prove what’s possible, their success spreads, and smart policy amplifies the impact.

You’ll hear real-world examples of how forward-thinking communities and cooperatives are reclaiming healthcare, like employer health plans in Wisconsin, a transformative effort in Ashtabula, Ohio, and successful models from Alaska Native tribes. Dave Chase shares actionable steps for employers, cooperatives, and policymakers to join the movement, and unveils his new book, "Relocalizing Health." Whether you’re a healthcare professional, policymaker, or simply passionate about your community’s wellbeing, this episode offers hope, practical guidance, and a reminder that American ingenuity is alive and ready to reinvent healthcare from the ground up.

Timestamps:

00:00 "Farmers' Power Revolution"

04:23 "Cooperatives: Community-Driven Solutions"

09:05 "Localized Care vs. Distant Decisions"

10:10 "From Worst to Best Healthcare"

16:15 "Empowering Community Health Innovation"

17:03 "Transforming Healthcare at Rosetta Fest"

20:18 "Transforming Communities, Reclaiming Healthcare"

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2025 - https://rosettafest.org/

Health Rosetta - http://healthrosetta.org/

Nautilus - https://www.nautilushealth.org/

Kynexions - https://kynexions.com/

Dave Chase - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedave/

Podcast Website - https://relocalizinghealth.com/

Welcome to Relocalizing Health. In this episode, we shine a light on Plainfield, Indiana, a town just west of Indianapolis, where public sector employees like police officers, firefighters, and public works staff were once priced out of their own healthcare. Nate Thorne, assistant town manager, joins us to share how Plainfield broke free from years of rising premiums and shrinking paychecks, fundamentally transforming its approach to employee health benefits.

Instead of accepting sky-high insurance costs as an inevitable “healthcare trend,” Plainfield’s leadership took courageous steps: moving to a self-insured health plan, forging a direct contract with their local hospital, and reimagining benefits so workers now pay zero deductibles and co-pays, with real dollars flowing back into their households. These savings built meaningful new programs like mental health support and childcare assistance, and Nate Thorne and his team are on a mission to show other cities and counties that there is a better way.

Whether you manage a city, run HR for a school district, or just want a behind-the-scenes look at how local governments can invest in their people and communities, this episode brings you the story, the lessons, and the playbook, direct from a Rosie Award finalist, on how to take back control of your health plan and rethink what’s possible for your workforce.

Timestamps:

00:00 Challenges of municipal worker benefits

04:21 Facing rising insurance costs

07:24 Challenge of risk in public policy

11:46 Implementing a Self-Insured Program

16:10 Managing healthcare spending changes

18:07 Cost-saving strategies for healthcare plans

22:02 Creative funding for employee benefits

26:18 Leadership and gradual progress advice

28:52 Challenges in the public sector

32:02 Managing retiree health benefits

35:13 Employee survey results on premiums

37:25 Annual employer gathering details

40:11 Plainfield's health plan changes

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2025 - https://rosettafest.org/

Health Rosetta - http://healthrosetta.org/

Nautilus - https://www.nautilushealth.org/

Kynexions - https://kynexions.com/

Dave Chase - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedave/

Podcast Website - https://relocalizinghealth.com/

Welcome to Relocalizing Health. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, where an organization fighting hunger is revolutionizing health benefits for its employees. Join Dave Chase as he sits down with Amy Lein, Chief Human Resource Officer at Second Harvest, to uncover how this nonprofit broke away from the broken health insurance model, creating one of the nation's highest-quality, most accessible benefit plans.

Learn how every employee at Second Harvest pays zero in premiums, deductibles, and co-pays, translating into real quality of care and tangible support like paid leave and grocery assistance. Hear firsthand stories of transformation as employees, for the first time, can actually afford and access the care they need. This episode is a must-listen for nonprofit leaders, city managers, and anyone who has ever looked at a health insurance renewal and thought, “We can’t afford anything better.” As Dave and Amy reveal, a better way is not only possible, it’s already here.

Timestamps:

00:00 Making healthcare affordable for employees

05:41 Improving employee healthcare access

09:14 The concierge nurse navigator

10:01 Affordable access to top doctors

14:32 How the gift card program works

19:35 Offering paid parental leave

22:37 Having access to quality healthcare

26:07 Rising healthcare costs and solutions

30:02 Vision for what's next

30:43 Creating a great workplace culture

34:38 Wrapping up with final advice

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2025 - https://rosettafest.org/

Health Rosetta - http://healthrosetta.org/

Nautilus - https://www.nautilushealth.org/

Kynexions - https://kynexions.com/

Dave Chase - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedave/

Podcast Website - https://relocalizinghealth.com/