Welcome to Relocalizing Health! In this episode, Dave Chase sits down with Claire Brockbank, a trailblazer in transforming healthcare costs and outcomes through community-driven strategies. From helping Colorado’s mountain towns slash exorbitant insurance prices with Peak Health Alliance to leading one of the largest union health funds in the nation at 32BJ, Claire Brockbank has proven that local communities, armed with the right data and determination, can take back control from hospital monopolies and insurance giants.
Together, they explore the power of direct contracting, the critical role of transparency and accountability, and innovative programs like 32BJ’s $40 baby initiative.
Listen in for practical lessons and inspiration on how you, your organization, or your community can challenge the status quo and drive real, measurable healthcare change.
Timestamps:
00:00 Addressing High Health Care Costs
04:17 Fair pricing for hospital negotiations
09:40 Using data in negotiations
12:47 Direct health care negotiations
16:13 Overcoming Challenges with Claire and 32BJ
18:37 Launching the maternity program
22:01 Addressing healthcare inequalities
23:43 Negotiating healthcare savings and impacts
26:59 Claire's leadership in health cooperatives
Insights from the Relocalizing Health Podcast: Community-Driven Solutions for Healthcare Reform
In this episode of Relocalizing Health, Dave Chase and Claire Brockbank explore the transformative power of community-driven healthcare solutions. With deep experience in building the pioneering Peak Health Alliance and now leading the 32BJ Health Fund in New York City, Claire Brockbank offers actionable insights for communities, unions, and employers looking to reshape the narrative and outcomes of American healthcare.
Carving Out the Middleman: The Power of Direct Negotiation
A central theme throughout the conversation is the value of direct contracting in healthcare. Claire Brockbank shares her experience in Summit County, Colorado, where staggeringly high health insurance premiums presented a community crisis. Armed with comprehensive data from Colorado's all-payer claims database, her solution was bold. By creating a purchasing cooperative open to employers and individuals alike, the community could negotiate directly with hospitals to secure fair, transparent, and consistent pricing, regardless of who was paying the bill. As a result, premiums dropped by roughly 30 percent, with direct benefits manifesting as increased access and improved mental health support. This successful model not only improved affordability but expanded to eight counties despite some resistance from entrenched hospital interests.
Data, Accountability, and Community Engagement
Both Dave Chase and Claire Brockbank emphasize the pivotal importance of clean data. Whether refuting provider claims about the necessity of high prices or exposing discrepancies in quality, having unified and transparent data is critical. Claire Brockbank stresses that communities must be proactive: economically engaging local stakeholders, political leaders, and the broader public to build support for change. An informed, united front empowers negotiations with powerful healthcare entities.
Lessons from Urban and Rural Healthcare Innovation
Having led transformation in both small mountain towns and the massive New York City union environment, Claire Brockbank identifies surprising commonalities. Whether it's a rural cooperative or a large union health fund, collaboration, transparency, and community representation are non-negotiables. The direct contract at 32BJ Health Fund with Northwell Health exemplifies this. By removing large insurers from the process, both parties could better align incentives, creating a system where prompt payment, value-based care, and open communication are prioritized.
Centering the Member Experience: The $40 Baby Program
One of the podcast’s most compelling case studies is 32BJ’s maternity program. With a one-copay maternity benefit, eligible members can give birth for just $40, car seat included. This innovation not only removes barriers to prenatal care but also incentivizes utilization of high-value providers through additional support such as diapers and other essentials. Outcomes have improved, with reductions in unnecessary C-sections and episiotomies. By centering the needs of its diverse, working-class membership, 32BJ shows how reimagining benefits can improve public health, lower costs, and drive engagement.
Sharing the Upside: Sustainable Change Means Shared Benefits
Change in healthcare is never simple and often requires difficult trade-offs. Claire Brockbank cautions that for reforms to be sustainable, savings and improvements must be shared by all stakeholders, especially those experiencing the impact firsthand. For instance, after removing an expensive hospital from the network, 32BJ was able to provide its largest-ever wage increases for workers and premium holidays for employers. Conversely, when Colorado school groups failed to share plan savings with staff, their participation in the cooperative was short-lived.
Take Action: Steps for Communities and Leaders
The episode closes with encouragement from Claire Brockbank for communities not to let perfection hinder progress. Even small steps forward can yield meaningful change. Engaging community voices, leveraging open-source tools and data, and ensuring that benefits of change are widely felt are practical lessons any community can adopt.
For employers, unions, and civic leaders, this episode of Relocalizing Health with Dave Chase and Claire Brockbank offers a roadmap for taking back healthcare and fostering healthier, more equitable communities.
Learn More:
RosettaFest 2026 - 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/
Claire BrockBank - https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-brockbank-17b7901/
32BJ Health Fund - https://health.32bjfunds.org/