Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesHealthcare

Living the Mission in Health and Business to Achieve Health Equity

Healthcare leaders are urged to address growing disparities to avoid economic repercussions, with potential costs reaching $1 trillion annually by 2040. This urgency is intensifying efforts towards achieving health equity, as highlighted in a discussion with Sameer Kokan from Point32Health. Innovative strategies and public accountability are pivotal in these initiatives.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Healthcare teams put it to work with Executive Thought Leadership.

By Brian Urban · Brian UrbanHealth EquityHealthcare Rethink PodcastHealthcare Solutions
Share
Living the Mission in Health and Business to Achieve Health Equity

Key takeaways

01

Health disparities could cost the economy $451 billion annually, potentially rising to $1 trillion by 2040.

Free workspace

Turn your Healthcare expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI in a free MarketScale workspace. Qualifying companies also get one professional video edit a month. No credit card.

Try it Free

As health disparities come under the spotlight, the urgency to achieve health equity in the healthcare sector intensifies. With the industry at a crossroads, a recent study funded by the NIH highlighted the staggering economic impact of these disparities, revealing an estimated cost of $451 billion to the economy in 2018 alone. That figure could jump as high as $1 trillion annually in spending by 2040 if the problem is left unsolved.

That figure could jump as high as $1 trillion annually in spending by 2040 if the problem is left unsolved.

Are leading healthcare organizations stepping up to address this challenge? If so, what innovative strategies are reshaping the future to achieve health equity?

On Healthcare Rethink, host Brian Urban sat down with Sameer Kokan, VP and Chief of Staff to the CEO at Point32Health. This episode explores Point32Health's transformative approaches to health equity.

Urban and Kokan's discussion includes the following:

  • The significance of health equity in modern healthcare and its economic implications
  • The industry's response and commitment to addressing health disparities
  • The role of innovative strategies and public accountability in driving health equity initiatives

With a rich background spanning various facets of healthcare, Sameer Kokan offers invaluable insights. From aspiring to be a physician to pivoting towards the business side of healthcare, Kokan's diverse experiences mark the path of his journey. At Point32Health, he champions the cause of health equity, emphasizing the need for collaborative and data-driven approaches.

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Healthcare starts with a company putting its clinicians, service-line leaders, and field engineers on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Service-line buyers vet vendors quietly, and your clinicians become the proof they find while doing it.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

Brian Urban
Brian UrbanDirector of Innovation & Emerging Markets

Brian Urban has a deep skill set in health promotion and product development for rare disease and senior populations with Large Health Plans and Specialty Pharmacy. Urban has served as a speaker on such topics for the Alzheimer’s Association, Obediah Cole Prostate Cancer Foundation, Cigna Corp and Utica University Institute for the study of integrative healthcare. Urban has received a Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology-Health Promotion, Masters of Business Administration in Market Development and is currently completing a Masters in Public Health at Dartmouth College. Urban is currently a research-fellow sponsored by a Robert Wood Johnson Grant supporting Utica University public health research in Upstate New York.

B2B Weekly

The week in Healthcare, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Healthcare: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Healthcare buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free plan

You just read one Healthcare expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your clinicians, service-line leaders, and field engineers into the articles, video, and social content Healthcare buyers are searching for. Create a free workspace and see it with your own people. No credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What you get, free

Your own MarketScale workspace, up to 10 people
One professional video edit a month for qualifying companies
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
$0. No credit card. Company confirmation required.

More Healthcare Insights

Rock Health: $7.4B went into digital health in H1 2026, and 20 rounds took 45%

Rock Health: $7.4B went into digital health in H1 2026, and 20 rounds took 45%

Rock Health: U.S. digital health startups raised $7.4 billion across 244 deals in H1 2026, up from $6.4 billion on 245 deals in H1 2025. The rebound is concentrated. Nineteen companies raised 20 $100 million-plus rounds that captured 45% of capital.

  • 01In H1 2026, 19 companies raised 20 mega-deals of $100 million or more, representing 45% of all capital invested, according to Rock Health.
  • 02According to Rock Health, the firm stopped labeling startups as “AI-enabled,” saying the technology is now too widespread for the label to be meaningful.

Sep 24, 2026

Medicare will pay up to $137.53 per case in 2027 for BriefCase‑Triage

Medicare will pay up to $137.53 per case in 2027 for BriefCase‑Triage

Radiology Business reported Medicare will pay a maximum of $137.53 per case in 2027 for BriefCase-Triage. Holland & Knight said hospitals will be eligible for NTAP reimbursement for use of Aidoc’s CARE Body CT Multi-Triage beginning Oct. 1, 2026, with supplemental payments continuing for three years.

  • 01Radiology Business reported Medicare will pay a maximum of $137.53 per case in 2027 for BriefCase-Triage.
  • 02Holland & Knight said CMS approved an NTAP designation for Aidoc’s CARE Body CT Multi-Triage, with hospitals eligible for NTAP reimbursement beginning Oct. 1, 2026, with supplemental payments continuing for three years.

Sep 23, 2026

Blair Health raises CAD $4.24M to expand its LLM-guided specialty care workflows

Blair Health raises CAD $4.24M to expand its LLM-guided specialty care workflows

Blair Health raised CAD $4.24 million in a pre-seed round, according to Fierce Healthcare. It plans to expand protocol-driven virtual specialty care across Canada and the U.S.

  • 01Blair Health raised CAD $4.24 million in pre-seed funding.
  • 02Qualified Health positions its AI platform around safety and governance, including clinician oversight, auditability and traceability, according to Fierce Healthcare.

Sep 23, 2026

Explore More Healthcare Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Healthcare.

Browse Healthcare Hub

About the Experts

Brian Urban
Brian Urban

Director of Innovation & Emerging Markets

Brian Urban has a deep skill set in health promotion and product development for rare disease and senior populations with large health plans and specialty pharmacy. Urban has served as a speaker and advocate for health equity initiatives.

SK
Sameer Kokan

VP and Chief of Staff to the CEO

Point32Health

Sameer Kokan champions health equity at Point32Health, emphasizing collaborative and data-driven approaches. His diverse experiences span from aspiring physician to a leader in healthcare strategy.

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Healthcare and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512