INTERVIEW: CEO Dennis Pullin Talks Virtua Health, Affordable Healthcare, NYC Nurse Strike + More

Summary

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The Breakfast Club – Interview: CEO Dennis Pullin Talks Virtua Health, Affordable Healthcare, NYC Nurse Strike + More

Podcast: The Breakfast Club
Host: The Black Effect Podcast Network & iHeartPodcasts
Date: February 16, 2026
Guests: Dennis Pullin (President and CEO, Virtua Health)
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God

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Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, The Breakfast Club welcomes Dennis Pullin, President and CEO of Virtua Health, to discuss the state of American healthcare. The conversation covers the mission of Virtua Health, the challenges of health illiteracy, socioeconomic disparities, bias and inequity in care, community outreach, the economics of health systems, the NYC nurse strike, safety and data privacy, and the pursuit of truly affordable, high-quality healthcare for all communities.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is Virtua Health? (02:54)

• Dennis Pullin explains Virtua Health is an academic health system with 400+ locations, serving South Jersey, Philadelphia, and Delaware.
• Mission: Providing “health care for the community, from birth to hospice, and everything in between.” (03:13)

2. Leadership Representation & Commitment (04:03)

• Pullin points out that of the top five largest US health systems, three are led by Black men, underlining a shift toward more diverse leadership.
• “We’re committed to taking care of our community,” Pullin affirms.

3. The Challenge of Health Illiteracy (05:00)

• Pullin calls health illiteracy “the number one problem in healthcare today.”
• Many spend more time maintaining their cars than their own health, he notes.
  • Quote: “Most people spend more time focusing on the maintenance of their vehicles than they do their own bodies.” (05:09)
• He emphasizes the high cost of ER visits ($1,500–$2,000) versus the benefits of lower-cost primary and virtual care.

4. Building Trust & Overcoming Bias (05:45, 11:49)

• Pullin acknowledges deep, justified mistrust in healthcare among Black communities due to historic inequities.
• Virtua prioritizes cultural competency and unconscious bias training for staff.
  • Quote: “We do unconscious bias training because there’s this misnomer oftentimes when some of us show up in emergency rooms that…the drug seeking or our pain isn’t as severe as we make it out to be.” (11:54)

5. Access, Outreach & Social Determinants of Health (07:40, 08:53)

• Many can't access care due to barriers like transportation, food deserts, or housing insecurity.
  • Cherry Hill vs. Camden: Just 6 miles apart, but a 17-year difference in life expectancy.
• Virtua responds with mobile clinics, cancer screening units, and even a mobile grocery store.
  • Quote: “We initially converted a city transit bus into a mobile grocery store. We now have...customized...mobile grocery stores where people can get healthy nutritious foods at a subsidized cost.” (09:41)
• Education, stable housing, food access, and transport are as vital as medical care: “80% of your health status is determined by your zip code and not by your genetics.” (08:53)

6. The Economics of Healthcare & Disparities (12:00–14:00)

• Pullin breaks down the challenge of serving low-income populations when Medicare/Medicaid pay less than service cost (85% and 55¢ on the dollar, respectively).
• “It is difficult to have an ongoing business enterprise when your biggest payer pays you less than what your cost is.” (12:38)
• The discussion turns to the problem of being treated “like a number” if you don’t have insurance.

7. Fostering Compassionate, Equitable Care (17:04)

• Pullin shares his personal connection: he grew up in a community like the ones Virtua serves.
• Virtua’s board is intentionally diverse (33% Black, 50% women), reflecting and respecting the communities they serve.
• Quote: “The care that we provide, we take care of the haves, and we take care of the have-nots, and nobody gets treated any different.” (17:38)

8. Insurance Barriers & Routine Care (26:17)

• Cost deters preventive care and check-ups, especially among the elderly.
• When routine visits are unaffordable, people delay care until they’re seriously ill—costing more and decreasing outcomes.
  • “When people don’t go, when they wind up showing up, the severity of their illness has progressed and it becomes even more expensive.” (26:36)
• The system fails to reimburse and incentivize preventive and mental health care.

9. The NYC Nurse Strike (19:57)

• Pullin respectfully addresses both sides:
  • Nurses want fair wages, representation, and a voice.
  • Management must protect resources for sustainability.
• “Both sides are doing what they believe is the right thing...I don’t think anybody benefits” from a strike. (20:50)

10. Safety & Data Privacy (21:57, 22:10)

• CEOs and healthcare workers now face security risks—Pullin himself travels with a security detail.
• Virtua implements stadium-style security screening at hospitals.
• Data privacy is critical: “We go to great lengths to protect your health information such that it is not out there on the dark web.” (22:52)

11. The Limits and Promise of Socialized Medicine (24:55)

• Discussion contrasts US and Canadian systems:
  • Canada’s “all payer” system has high taxes (>50%) and sometimes slow access (6 months for an MRI).
  • Even there, people often buy private insurance.
• “It is way too expensive [in the US]. I say that as someone who runs a healthcare organization, but you gotta look at big pharma…cost of medication and the cost of drugs is enormous.” (25:43)

12. Inspiring Care & Community Engagement (23:25, 24:10)

• Pullin urges all to care for people regardless of “what you look like” or “ability to pay.”
  • Quote: “I don’t really care about your ability to pay or not. I care about: are we treating you as a unique individual?” (24:11)
• Visit virtua.org for resources and support.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On health illiteracy:
  “Most people spend more time focusing on the maintenance of their vehicles than they do their own bodies.” (Dennis Pullin, 05:09)

• On bias in care:
  “We do unconscious bias training because there’s this misnomer oftentimes when some of us show up in emergency rooms...” (Dennis Pullin, 11:54)

• On inequity and zip code:
  “80% of your health status is determined by your zip code and not by your genetics.” (Dennis Pullin, 08:53)

• On community outreach:
  “Mobile grocery stores...people can get healthy nutritious foods at a subsidized cost in those areas that are considered food desert.” (Dennis Pullin, 09:41)

• On board diversity:
  “I have a 15 member board. Five of them are African American. Half of them are women.” (Dennis Pullin, 17:21)

• On cost as a barrier:
  “When people don’t go, when they wind up showing up, the severity of their illness has progressed.” (Dennis Pullin, 26:36)

• On affordable care:
  “It is way too expensive...You gotta look at big pharma, the cost of medications and...drugs is enormous.” (Dennis Pullin, 25:43)

• On compassion in healthcare:
  “I don’t really care about your ability to pay or not. I care about: are we treating you as a unique individual?” (Dennis Pullin, 24:11)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:54 – Dennis Pullin introduces Virtua Health’s mission and scope
• 05:00 – Health illiteracy as a systemic issue
• 06:45 – Relying on trustworthy information and early detection/cancer care
• 07:40–10:10 – Community outreach, mobile clinics, and food deserts
• 11:49–14:00 – Bias, reimbursement gaps, and care in underserved communities
• 19:57 – NYC nurses strike, fair pay, and labor relations
• 21:57–22:52 – Security risks for staff and data privacy concerns
• 24:55 – Comparing US and Canadian health systems
• 25:43 – High cost of healthcare and impact of pharmaceutical expenses
• 26:36 – The cost barrier to routine/preventive care

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Closing Thoughts

This episode provides a clear-eyed look at the complexities and struggles within the American healthcare system, especially in Black and underserved communities. Dennis Pullin’s insights span the need for cultural competency, patient-first values, financial realities under current systems, and the essential work of building trust through community-based care. The Breakfast Club’s hosts bring personal perspective and frank questions that spotlight the urgency for reform, education, and compassion in healthcare.

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For more resources, visit: virtua.org
Host Contact: The Black Effect Podcast Network & iHeartPodcasts

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Transcript

[DJ Envy]

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[Jess Hilarious]

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[DJ Envy]

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[Jess Hilarious]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

Every day I wake up, wake your ass up.

The breakfast Club.

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlamagne, the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lola Rose is here as well. We got a special guest in the building. We have the president and CEO of Virtual Health, Dennis Pullen here. Welcome, brother.

[Dennis Pullen]

Thanks for having me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How you feeling, man?

[Dennis Pullen]

Good.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Good morning.

[Dennis Pullen]

Thank you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What is Virtual Health, my brother?

[Dennis Pullen]

Virtual Health is a academic health center health system in South Jersey. So we have about 400 locations taking care of the people of South Jersey and Philadelphia, Delaware.

[State Farm Agent]

Dope.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean, taking care of people. Is this for people that don't know? Is this older people or is this people that just have. Break it down a little bit.

[Dennis Pullen]

We provide health care for the community. So no matter what your needs, from birth to hospice, so. And everything in between, we take care of all that needs our care.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Now break it down a little bit.

I mean, that's. That's needed now more than ever. Especially with the way that, you know, they've gutted the healthcare.

Yeah, that's what I was gonna say.

[Dennis Pullen]

Yeah, you know, it is. And particularly in. In the communities that you guys all represent and sort of communicate with, it's even more important to me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Y', all, you black too? Oh, you talk about that. The communities y'.

All.

[Dennis Pullen]

See, I don't have the. The audience that you have. When I say y', all, I'm talking about the. The people that tune in to listen to you, Everybody. And so that community is very important to me. It's important to our organization.

[DJ Envy]

I was glad to see. I didn't know that you were a black man in this position, but glad to see it because I know a lot of what you guys focus on is early detection.

[Dennis Pullen]

We do. You know, the thing that a lot of people don't realize, of the top five largest health systems in the country, three of them are run by black men. And so we have a special affinity to try and do what's right, particularly in light of everything else that's going on in the country. We're committed to taking care of our community.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was going to ask, with everything that's going on, like she kind of mentioned with the health industry, what should people do? Right? So, you know, there's so many different scenarios, right? You hear from people that they go get a surgery in December, right? Now when they go back for post op in January, their insurance is no longer covered by that hospital. So now they have to find new doctors or not covered at all, or they can't afford it. And they're saying that their surgery or whatever they have is not necessarily. Insurance doesn't cover it. So they have to go through the emergency room. So what do you tell those people and those individuals that are going through all the things that I've been talking about?

[Dennis Pullen]

You asked a great question. You know what? I think the number one problem in healthcare today is health illiteracy is people understanding how to navigate the system, understanding how to take care of their bodies. I mean, you're a car guy. Most people spend more time focusing on the maintenance of their vehicles than they do their own bodies. And so people showing up at the emergency room, which could be, you know, 1500, $2000 visit when it's something they may have been able to do through a virtual care or through a primary care at $40 or $60. So it's really about trying to educate people on how to better navigate a very complex system.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How do you ensure you're showing up with purpose every day and not just. Not just treating this like a business?

[Dennis Pullen]

First of all, you gotta try and better understand the people that we're taking care of and understanding what their needs are and demonstrate that we're going to be there for them when they need us, how they need us and where they need us, and being consistent, you know, a lot. She was asking about taking care of certain population and black men in particular. You know, there's a lot of distrust in health care, and it's warranted. You know, our history has told us that it's certain. Certain individuals don't get treated the same.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dennis Pullen]

And so for me, you know, I try and create an environment where we have cultural competencies where people understand the needs of certain communities and we show up and we do what's right and not always, you know, what's best for the moment.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How can I get that information? You talk about, you know, people should understand more. But where can people get that information from? And usually it's, you know, it's bottom of the ninth and they can't look for that information. It's. Something's happening now and I need to get it fixed.

[Dennis Pullen]

Yeah, because, you know, if you look at it, black women have a much higher incidence of death from cancer, particularly breast cancer, than not. Because cancer shows up more in black women. It's because they get diagnosed at such a later stage than the disease have already progressed. So how do you prevent that from happening? You know, there's more information now than ever. But the problem is there's also a lot of misinformation. So finding a reliable source, finding somebody, you can trust, you know, not on TikTok, but maybe a community physician having a relationship with the health system, like a virtua or many others, that's what's important. Educate yourself.

[DJ Envy]

You guys have these like, like clinics or like these communities, right, where it's just like people don't even got to come in just to be seen. It's just like y' all can come and have a conversation about certain things in certain areas, right?

[Dennis Pullen]

We do. And what's really important is that we have over 400 locations throughout South Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware. We open our arms to anybody that needs our care and want to come to see us. The problem is not everybody can get to us. And so we have to extend a hand to those that can't. And so educating, reaching out, our community programs, you know, we take care of a community in the city of Camden, New Jersey. We also take care of the community of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. They are six miles apart, but yet there is a 17 year difference in life expectancy because of all of those issues that we call social determinants of health that prevent people from getting to us. You know, transportation, education, you know, stable housing, all of those things impact a person's well being.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Why don't people. That's one thing that bugs me out about the health care system. Like, they don't ever factor in the socioeconomic issues. Like, you know, they'll just say, camden, New Jersey has the highest rates of this and the highest rates of that. But it's just like, do you know what Camden, New Jersey is?

[Dennis Pullen]

And what's the reason behind that? Behind that? And that's what we call social determinants of health. Listen, about 80% of your health status is determined by your zip code and not by your genetics for that very reason that you just talked about. You know, when you don't have. Let's keep talking about Camden for a moment. It's considered a food desert. Doesn't have a grocery store. And so food is medicine. And so if you're not eating well, you're not taking care of yourself, it's gonna manifest itself in poor health. Not having stable housing, not having education and transportation, or all of those things impact a person's mental health and physical health. And so for me and others like me that are committed to, like, what I call creating communities of wellness, you have to focus on those things. So what do we do? We created and now have a mobile grocery store. We initially converted a city transit bus into a, a mobile grocery store. We now have been able to Afford a customized to actually mobile grocery stores where people can get healthy nutritious foods at a subsidized cost in those areas that are considered food desert.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So it's kind of like instacart, but way cheaper.

[Dennis Pullen]

Exactly. I've never put it that way, but yeah, it's exactly that. But this grocery store shows up at the same place every week at the senior homes, at community centers, at low income housings, every single week, same time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And what you're saying is so true because even if you look at it on the flip side, like neighborhoods with high socioeconomic status, they usually like, like show like incident, like like people go get screenings more for things and people visit the doctor more for things. So it, it shows that it's location, it, it is.

[Dennis Pullen]

And so what we've tried to do, when I mentioned extending our hand, not only do we have the mobile grocery store, we have a mobile pediatric unit that goes to these vulnerable areas to provide pediatric care. We have a mobile cancer screening unit that goes out and do mammographies for women that can't afford or can't get to us. And so you're right, sometimes you have to meet people where they are and take the care to them. You know, the misnomer so often is people sometimes look at life trauma as character flaws and sort of avoid it. Whereas I see it as an opportunity for us to do things differently.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was gonna ask, you know, a lot of times people feel like hospitals in the quote unquote hood are worse than hospitals in different areas. They feel like doctors in the hood. You'll get better treatment in different areas. What do you say to those? Cause some of your hospitals and your care centers are in the hood as they should be.

[Dennis Pullen]

But I will tell you, unfortunately some of that is true.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Really.

[Dennis Pullen]

Sometimes, you know, people show up with their own biases and that when I'm talking about people, some of the staff, we have to educate folks. And so at Virtua we do unconscious bias training because there's this misnomer oftentimes when some of us show up in emergency rooms that right. The drug seeking or our pain isn't as severe as we make it out to be. And a lot of that is because people have their bias about those individuals that are coming in. And then the other part of that, urban care, it is tough, you know, because of the social economics of it. You know, when you have a community that unfortunately may not be able to afford insurance and rely on the government as its payer, people don't realize that the government is the largest payer of health care there is. We always want to talk about if we had a a socialized medicine or one pay well right now the government is the largest payer and unfortunately it's through Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare pays us 85 cents on the dollar. Medicaid pays us roughly 55 cents on the dollar. And so that's at a loss. And so it's difficult to have an ongoing you are all business people to have an ongoing business enterprise when your biggest payer pay you less than what your cost is.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's why I asked you the question earlier about how do you ensure you're showing up with purpose every day and not treat it just like a business? Because you do have some of these hospitals that'll be in these poor and disenfranchised areas and when the people come in there, they treat them different based on if they got insurance or not. They're already kind of assuming they don't have insurance.

[Dennis Pullen]

Absolutely. And so what do I do differently? First of all, I have to make.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Dennis Pullen]

That my organization understands the need of that community. And I know it firsthand because I grew up in a community like that on the west side of San Antonio. I make sure that my board reflects the community that we serve. You know, I have a 15 member board. Five of them are African American. You know, half of them are women. And so we make sure that we bring that to the table. That understanding, that social consciousness. And so the care that we provide, we take care of the haves, and we take care of the have nots, and nobody gets treated any different.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You gotta be with people who care, man.

That's one thing I would say that I dislike about certain hospitals.

When you go into the hospital screening once. So he.

[Dennis Pullen]

Oh, my God.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He was with me, so he held my hand.

[Dennis Pullen]

He held your hand. I'm glad y' all shared that experience. And I didn't have to be there.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So.

[Dennis Pullen]

I don't know parts of it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

One thing that bothers me, I feel like when you go to the hospital, they care more about insurance.

[Dennis Pullen]

That's right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Than the actual what's going on. You know, I mean, because they'd be like, yo, put her in the chair. All right, I need you to sign this. To any other. And no disrespect, my mind is not on these people. My mind is on that person that's crying, that's hurt, that's sick. That's that. And that's the one thing that always bothers me. It's like they're so quick to throw that paper in your head, in your face, then to worry about. And I know we all got a job, and I know it's a business, but if my kid is crying or my wife is this or somebody's that, like, I feel like it's not personal enough.

[Dennis Pullen]

I will agree and disagree with you because I think in general, people that work in healthcare actually care. They're there because most of us have a higher purpose. It's not just about the money. It's not just about the title. You absolutely want to take care of folks. But there's a business side of it as well. And, you know, we have at Virtual, I have about 16,000 employees that I have to be able to make sure we have the resources to pay for their salaries, to provide the care that you want to receive. And so should you experience that when you walk in, to be made to feel like a number or mate, to be feel like, you know, if you don't have insurance, then you sit over here and we'll get to you when we get to you. No, that should not happen. Does it happen? It does, unfortunately. And we have to take responsibility for that, which is why you need more people that actually give a damn about all the people that come in at Virtua. And one of the things that I sort of pride myself on is being a champion of humanity. It doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter your ability to pay or not. What matters is we need to provide you the care when you need it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What is your thoughts on the nurses striking in New York City? What's your thoughts on that?

[Dennis Pullen]

That's a loaded question. It's all over the news. It is all over the news. And listen, it's come from you. And I have two nursing unions in our organization. I believe the best way to mitigate some of the problems is having great relationships with the people that provide the care and those of us that are empowered or in positions to manage the business. And everybody needs to be paid a fair wage. Everybody wants to be treated like they matter. Everybody wants to feel like they have a voice. And so I know those nurses feel like they need to be represented such that they could have a voice. But also know the management side want to make sure that we are good stewards of our financial resources, and we have what it needs, what we need to have an ongoing enterprise. And so I can't answer in favor or against. I believe both sides are doing what they believe is the right thing, and that's a situation that they have to resolve. I'm blessed that we don't have that problem right now, because I don't think anybody benefits. Absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And I was gonna ask, too, you know, with the shooting that happened a year ago, do you move differently? Of course, talking about the shooting of the CEO of the health company, I do.

[Dennis Pullen]

You know, unfortunately, a lot of people don't distinguish the difference between an insurance executive CEO or a healthcare provider side CEO. And it's unfortunate they'd be cutting their nose off despite their face hurt you Absolutely. And, you know, we take care of people when they're at their worst. People show up, you know, when they're at the worst, and we try and do our best. So unfortunately, oftentimes when we travel and move in and about, we have to have a security detail with us as well.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Scary. What precautions would are y' all taking at Virtua to ensure the protection of people's, like, patient data and stuff, because, you know, we got a lot of data breaches, cyber threats, and things like that.

[DJ Envy]

So how can you ensure that people.

[Dennis Pullen]

That's a great question. And it goes beyond just the data. One of our biggest problems is when health care workers are subjected to the most violence of any other working class. The violence against healthcare workers coming from patients, coming from family members. And so we have to go above and beyond one to protect them. And so, you know, these evolve systems that you walk through when you go into a stadium that screens for what we have that at all of our hospitals. That feels crazy to me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It does feel crazy. But I understand.

I think every building, especially in America.

[Dennis Pullen]

Should have that, you know, and I Agree with you because you have to be able to protect. So that on the one hand is an area we have to focus on and then the privacy aspect of it, particularly as we looking at a digital age, we go to great lengths also to protect your health information such that it is not out there on the dark web or anything else.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, well, how can somebody find out more information about what you guys are doing on the other side of Jersey and in Philly just in case they need the help, Just in case they need, you know, some guidance, some advice. What would you guide them to?

[Dennis Pullen]

You know, I, first of all I got them to our website, virtua.org but you know, there are not just Virtua, there are a lot of reputable organizations out there that actually want to do the right thing and want to treat people like they matter. Problem is they don't all understand what the needs of all of our communities are. You know, you guys keep talking about, you know, those that have, you know, they're privileged that comes with that and what it requires are individuals. Watch. I'm so proud to be here and so happy that you guys are, are using this platform as a form that to talk about these things. We have to get other people to care.

[DJ Envy]

That's right.

[Dennis Pullen]

We got to get people to care about people that don't look like them. We got get people to care. I don't really care about your ability to pay or not. I care about. Are we treating you as a unique individual? Are we giving you the care that you need?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right, you care about that first. You do care about the pay later.

Though.

[Dennis Pullen]

Because I gotta pay doctors, nurses, you know that, that it comes with the territory. A lot of people have difficulties talking about health care as a business.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I just wish it wasn't. I wish it was just a public service.

[Dennis Pullen]

But then how would you pay for it? So let's talk.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And by the way, we're supposed to be paying through our taxes, right?

[Dennis Pullen]

So you go to a country like Canada which has socialized medicine, but the tax rate of Canadians exceed 50%. And just because it is a all payer system doesn't mean that everybody get the care that they need. If you need an MRI because you may need a joint replacement, one, you may be lucky to get it. Secondly, it may take you six months or a year before you even can get it. And so even people in those countries, they have private insurance as well. And so.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But even in America we can afford to have, America can afford to have affordable health care. Like it don't have to be a. I'm about to say an arm and a leg. But nowadays you're giving up everything.

[Dennis Pullen]

You're giving up everything. You know what? And I only. I only represent a small part of that ecosystem. But you're right, it is way too expensive. And I say that for somebody that runs a healthcare organization, but it is just not the providers. You gotta look at big pharma, you know, the cost of medication and the cost of drugs is enormous.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, one of my homegirls was complaining to me the other day. I've seen it show you the text. She was telling me about how her daughter went to the GYN and spent like $196 for just like a visit.

10 years back and had insurance. Huh.

[DJ Envy]

And then I think so with the way that things are now, like, you know, they're capping you at a certain amount of like, my grandma switched from Medicaid to Medicare. But she has to pay certain times when she goes and sees the doctor. Right. She don't. Like I make her go for checkups, she won't go. Cause she's like, I'm not spending $300. You just go sit and talk to her, tell her to call me. And I'm like, no, she needs to see you.

[Dennis Pullen]

And she does, because. And that's one of the problems we run into, learn, is when people don't go, when they wind up showing up, the severity of their illness has progressed and it becomes even more expensive to take care of than it would if they had gone in for this routine visit.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But when you can't afford even the routine visits, you know what I'm saying, it discourages you from going until you.

[DJ Envy]

Really can't sit home no more.

[Dennis Pullen]

And you know what? You're right. Because one of the flaws in our system is that the reimbursement for preventive type care is not there. And so people choose not to pay for it. You know, the areas that we have, I think some of the biggest challenges are preventive care, mental health and things of that nature. Yeah. Which is difficult to get paid for.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. Actually, she said, my daughter is at the doctor for a visit, Texas Children's Hospital right now. And the bill is $700 with insurance.

Damn.

The daughter texted the mom to say, does this look right? That's crazy.

Wow, wow, wow. Well, thank you for joining us and stopping in today, man. We really appreciate you. Dennis Pullen, ladies and gentlemen. And like he said, you can go to virtua.org that's v I r t u a dot org and Charlamagne apologizes for using a lot of your doctors for colonoscopy. He goes every couple of months.

[Dennis Pullen]

He just.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What's wrong with going to get checked.

[Dennis Pullen]

You know, I'd rather him come in when he needs to as opposed to when he has to. So I appreciate you guys having me on, giving me an opportunity to. To encourage people to invest in themselves and taking care of themselves and keep.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Doing the good work, bro.

[Dennis Pullen]

That's right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Keep doing the good work, bro.

[Dennis Pullen]

Thank you, guys.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's Dennis Pullen. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Dennis Pullen]

Hold up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up.

The Breakfast Club.

[Dennis Pullen]

Y' all finished or y' all done?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Success starts with your drive, and American Public University is here to fuel it. With affordable tuition and over 200 flexible online programs, APU helps you gain the skills and confidence to move forward, whether you're changing careers, starting fresh, or pursuing a lifelong passion. Our programs are designed for people who never stop. You bring the fire. APU will fuel the journey. Learn more at apu. Apus. Edu. That's right. It's DJ Envy.

[Jess Hilarious]

It's your girl Jess. Hilarious.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And I go by the name of Charlamagne, the God. And we are the world's most dangerous morning show, the Breakfast Club. You just finished listening to, you know, our podcast for today.

That's right.

And we want you to go watch the visuals on Netflix. You know, we. We're still on YouTube, but it's the clips on YouTube. But if you want to watch the Breakfast Club in full, if you want to see what you just listened to, go to Netflix.

[Dennis Pullen]

That's right.

[DJ Envy]

Find us on Netflix.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Show.

[DJ Envy]

When segregation was a law, one mysterious black club owner, Charlie Fitzgerald, had his own rules.

[Dennis Pullen]

Segregation in the day, integration at night.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It was like stepping in another world.

[DJ Envy]

Was he a businessman? A criminal? A hero?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[DJ Envy]

Charlie's Place from Atlas Obscura and visit Myrtle Beach. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This is Ryder Strong, and I have.

[Dennis Pullen]

A new podcast called the red weather. In 1995, my neighbor Anna Trainor disappeared from a commune.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It was nature and trees and praying and drugs.

[Dennis Pullen]

So, no, I am not your guru.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Back then, I lied to everybody.

[Dennis Pullen]

They have had this case for 30 years. I'm going back to my hometown to uncover the truth.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Listen to the Red Weather on the.

[Dennis Pullen]

Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Envy]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.