Ruth

Good morning, I wrote something exceedingly personal for @nytimes on the scam that is romance nytimes.com/2019/03/22/sty…

Our latest scoop for premium subs: Another major departure for Epic. This is reminding me of the TV show “succession.” Link in comments.

Read @RuthReader's latest expose - with documents - about the extortionist who's getting settlements from digital health companies by taking advantage of an arcane California privacy law. New on @second_op_media!

Is California becoming a very unfriendly state for telehealth? We spoke to investors and legal experts about California targeting the friendly PC model with the Carbon Health settlement. This is concerning for any virtual care delivery business, and we shared some next steps for companies to consider. Big question for VCs: How do you underwrite this level of risk if MSOs have such little leverage over the PC? Our breakdown is available to Second Opinion Media subscribers. We are watching this closely as it unfolds. With @RuthReader . secondopinion.media/p/california-j…

Big news: Hunterbrook Media is acquiring The Bear Cave, one of the most influential investigative newsletters in finance. Over the last six years, @StockJabber has produced a remarkable amount of truth-to-power reporting — and he's done it as a one-man shop. But in the golden age of grift and graft, more stories need to be written; wrongdoing needs to be exposed, and digging needs to be done. That’s why we’re partnering. It’s a good day to subscribe to @BearCaveEmail — and a bad day for bad actors, wherever they may hide.

NEW: Ensign ($ENSG) is a $10 billion skilled nursing facility roll-up that markets 5-star ratings and "industry-leading" outcomes. The numbers are a mirage. Behind them is understaffing, which experts told Hunterbrook may be illegal under both federal and state law.

There is nuance here! Single people are disproportionately affected, while families can benefit from these policies. I don't understand why there can't be different policies for different circumstances.

When do you do your catch up reading? Saturday? Sunday?

So much for the protein craze gift link, by @SophieEganM @NYTHealth nytimes.com/2026/05/28/wel… and reviewed here erictopol.substack.com/p/our-preoccup…

NEW: The Trump admin is counting on Medicaid work requirements to save the government billions. But well before the rules formally go into effect Jan. 1, they’re costing already-strapped states millions, sometimes tens of millions, to implement. politico.com/news/2026/05/3…

Years ago, I tried to write about how wildly low taxes on alcohol are from a health policy perspective, but could never get editorial buy-in. Glad to see @statnews giving alcohol addiction the platform it deserves.

SCOOP: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is resigning from the agency. Kyle Diamantas, who previously worked as the top food official at the agency, will lead the FDA in an acting capacity. w/ @Gardner_LM: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/0…

BREAKING: @character_ai is illegally presenting a chatbot as a licensed medical professional in Pennsylvania — and we’re suing to stop them.  Earlier this year, I announced a new state task force to investigate chatbots that pose as licensed professionals. Our investigators found an AI character on @character_ai that claimed to be a psychiatrist — falsely stating it was licensed in PA and even providing a fake license number.   We will not let AI companies mislead vulnerable Pennsylvanians into believing they’re getting advice from a licensed medical professional. We’re taking @character_ai to court to stop them.

This is not going to get the same attention that a dystopian memo would get, but there's a growing cohort of CEOs that are coming out to say the job cuts because of AI are totally overblown. That includes @levie @oliver_kharraz & others.

This narrative doesn't resonate with me, though it doesn't mean it's wrong. I will say that what frustrates me about it broadly is that it sidesteps crippling realities: decades of weakened labor laws, enormous student debt, inflation, and a k-shaped economy.

On the lack of compelling evidence that medical AI is improving patient care, and what to do about it, a @NatureMedicine editorial nature.com/articles/s4159…

@dreece11 @chrissyfarr Would love to take a look at that

@chrissyfarr @RuthReader One sided indeed! Reminds me of Anthropic’s BAA

Second Opinion just published its first scoop: And it's a look inside Epic's confidential vendor services agreement. A source shared it with @RuthReader to give us a sense of why it's so hard out there for healthcare innovators. View in full here: secondopinion.media/p/an-inside-lo…

Massive number of companies enrolled as participants for the CMMI ACCESS model. Way more than I expected, especially given comments around price being too low. Full list here: secondopinion.media/p/cms-announce…

DOJ says telehealth platform Zealthy "presents itself as providing legitimate telehealth services but is in fact engaged in systemic improper and dangerous telemedical practices." In a motion filed today, DOJ says Zealthy engaged in "routine ordering of prescriptions by ... non-clinicians with no medical license." Zealthy allegedly misused the names of doctors "to order many thousands of prescriptions for patients they did not actually treat." Separately, Zealthy "is bilking thousands of consumers each month through unauthorized charges ... and even after consumers cancel."

Interesting perspective on AI prescribing and what we lose when patients don't go to their doctor for a refill. jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/…